Photos of Eliana

I have some fun photos of Ellie that I just had to share. Enjoy!

This is what happens when you leave a 23 month old alone with a box of markers...
Eliana borrowed Grandpas dog, Dakota, for her show-and-share pet at daycare. (I told Nick that a picture of a pet rock just wouldn't cut it...)
I'm not sure who was having more fun here: Grandpa Dave (who got to snuggle both grand-daughters), or Eliana (who got to watch Nemo while munching on a rice-crispie bar)...
Ellie discovered my fuzzy socks while I was doing laundry last week and decided that they made great mittens. She has since carried them all over - even to bed. Nick discovered her playing in her crib one morning with her "mits" and dolls, waiting for everyone else to wake up.
The aunties and uncles were in town this last weekend to meet Victoria, but Ellie was the one who enjoyed the most attention. Between bubbles, chalk, games of chase, seeing the 'puppies', and lots of treats, this was one tired little girl at the end of the weekend!
We took a trip to Runnings to see all the ducks, chicks, and rabbits that they had for sale. Ellie not only enjoyed the animals, but also the store. (I admit to a small bribe of Skittles in order to persuade her that her humming-bird feeder "purse" had to stay at the store...)

Doctor Checkups

Victoria turned 2 weeks old yesterday and we marked the occasion with a trip to the doctors office with both girls. :) Thankfully they were just well-child checkups, so everything went pretty smoothly. Grammy Bev came with me to help me with the girls since Victoria was receiving her 2 week checkup and Eliana was getting her 2 year checkup. Both girls did great and I am proud to report that they are both doing well on all levels!

ELIANA:
Height - 34.5 inches (70th%)
Weight - 27.2 lbs (55th%)
Head - 51 cm (100th%)
*** Ellie has been pretty consistent in her growth measurements over the last two years. She's definitely still got her daddy's head! As for her height, I think that she measured a bit short. When I measure her at home, she's much closer to 35.5 inches. I can't believe how big my "baby" girl is getting!

VICTORIA:
Length - 22 inches (95th%)
Weight - 8 lbs 12 oz (75th%)
Head - 36.7 cm (75th%)
*** They don't typically do percentiles on such young infants because it varies so much based on how big they were at birth. However, these are pretty close estimates of her percentiles based on the same growth chart they use for Eliana. The doctor said that Victoria is doing wonderfully, and despite my concerns about her spitting up so much, she is doing great in the weight department as well! The doctor said they like to see an ounce of gain per day, and Victoria is gaining more like 2 oz per day! As a nurse said when I had Ellie... "Mama's got the groceries!"

Welcome Victoria Mae Marcus!

We have another daughter! Victoria Mae Marcus was born Monday, March 28th, 2011 at 12:34pm via a planned C-section. She is 22 inches long and weighed 8 lbs exactly at birth. Victoria is absolutely beautiful and looks a lot like her older sister, Eliana!

Mom and baby are both healthy and relaxing after a busy day yesterday. Mom is overjoyed at having such a gorgeous, healthy baby girl. Dad is excited and thinks he has the most beautiful daughters in the world. Big sister, Ellie, (who had been convinced we were having a boy), loves her little sister, but is more fascinated with the visitors and the fish at the hospital at the moment. :)

The Ceasarean went very well. I had been having some small contractions Sunday night and Monday morning, so I'm sure Victoria would have arrived on her own very soon had we not had a planned section. But in the end, the doctor felt we had made the correct choice in doing the surgery, so that made me happy. Thankfully everything went very well and I am up and moving around already (which is a surprise to many of the nurses!). Feeling pretty good, though obviously quite sore. Still can't quite believe I have two daughters!

Here are some photos from the last 24 hours, including our last photo as a family of three, Victoria being pulled out by the doctor, and Nick cutting the umbilical cord:


Will keep everyone posted with more pictures soon!

Phoenix, AZ!

Nick and I traveled to Phoenix the first weekend in March to attend the wedding of our dear friend, Moe. We met Moe in Great Falls, where she is stationed at Malmstrom AFB as a dentist. We were very excited for the wedding since we haven't seen her since we moved back to MN. But also, because she married a doctor from the base that we knew as well - Brad Nieset. It was a very fun-filled weekend and we were so honored to be a part of it!

We flew out on Friday morning, March 4th. We enjoyed the gorgeous Phoenix weather (low-80's and sunny!) with a walk around Tempe in the afternoon, and then attended the rehearsal dinner that evening. On Saturday, we felt especially blessed to be able to have breakfast with the bride and her immediate family. It was a great time to catch-up. Then we sat in the sun by the pool for a bit - it felt so great! After we checked out of the hotel, we brought our stuff to Rachel and Wally's house where we were spending the next two nights. They weren't home yet when we got there, so we dropped off our stuff and then decided that a movie and ice cream from ColdStone sounded like a good idea. After all, being 36 weeks pregnant, I wasn't up for much walking around and we didn't even have to worry about finding a babysitter! (Eliana spent the weekend with my parents in Willmar - it was just easier not to have to travel with her for the trip.)

On Saturday evening, we attended the wedding at the Desert Botanical Gardens. It was just absolutely beautiful! The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and the bride was just gorgeous. It was a great night and we enjoyed seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones. Congratulations, Moe and Brad!

On Sunday morning, we attended a brunch with the newlyweds, and then met Wally and Rachel at a Cubs/Dodgers spring training game. The Cubbies won! On Sunday evening, Wally and Rachel and us had the opportunity to meet Ron and Fay, and Pam, Kelton, Sayer, and Karis for dinner in Mesa at the Blue Adobe Grill. Good food and even better company! Unfortunately, I was too busy enjoying myself to remember to take any pictures. It was a short trip, but we sure made the most of it and were so happy to be able to spend time with both friends and family over the weekend. Thanks everyone for a great trip!

PS Surprising as it was to most people, YES - airlines do let you fly in your 3rd trimester! I had my doctors approval (and medical records just in case), and was very happy that I was able to make the trip. Southwest Airlines policy is that you can travel so long as you are not within 2 weeks of your due date. I was pushing it, but the trip went smoothly and I didn't go into labor! Though if I had, it's not like Phoenix doesn't have any hospitals, right? :)

Nick's 30th Birthday Weekend

Well, it's official! Nick is an Old Man. :) (Sorry, with all the crap he's given me the last 3 months, I had to give him a little back!) Anyway, he celebrated with the best of them this last weekend. On Friday, Nick had to work, but his dental assistant, Jill, was nice enough to greet him at the door with a photo of him blown up and posted in the office window announcing it was his 30th birthday. We received comments on it all day long! Thanks, Jill! It was a fun way to celebrate!

Then on Friday night, Nick and I attended a February Formal event put on by the West Central Dental Study Club. Neither one of us was real excited about attending the event (Nick because it was his birthday and formals aren't really his thing, and me because it was -5 and I felt like a whale in my dress), but we were glad we went as we ended up having a pretty good time. We had the opportunity to meet some of the other local dentists and their spouses, had a great meal, and even managed to do some ballroom dancing. They brought in a ballroom dance instructor for the entertainment and we learned the tango and swing, though our participation was limited as I was having enough trouble in my heels and being 8 months pregnant, without having to dance backwards all night! We also won one of the door prizes - a bottle of champagne that will be a great celebration once the baby arrives!

Saturday morning we had to run into Urgent Care with Eliana as it turned out she had another ear infection, but her spirits were quickly lifted once the meds kicked in. So, we decided to leave her with Grammy and Papa Marcus while we traveled to the Cities to celebrate the evening with my sisters and brothers-in-law. Amanda and Steve joined us for dinner at Chino Latino in Uptown, and then we met up with Heather and John and their friends at Williams Pub. I obviously received a few funny looks while at the bar buying drinks for the two birthday people (Saturday was Heather's 24th birthday), but I have to say that I had a great night out with everyone and I KNOW Nick did, judging from the bar tab... :)

We spent the night at Amanda and Steve's, and then on Sunday morning, enjoyed a nice morning of sleeping in, and then met Heather and John for brunch at Good Day Cafe in Minneapolis. It was a great weekend and I think Nick enjoyed his birthday celebrations! (Oh, and Ellie is feeling much better, too!) Happy 30th Birthday, honey!