The decade in review

I've just spent some time conversing with the husband in front of the fire. We were talking about how much our lives have changed in the past ten years. They've changed a ton! The Highlights (or lowlights):

2000 June Got married.
2000 August Moved to England.
2000 October I started grad school at UWarwick
2001-2003 ran all over the European continent and made three trips back to the states
2002 February P finished grad school at UM
2003 Feb hit milestone of losing 85 pounds
2003 July my dad died
2003 July moved back to the States
2003 October bought our first house
2004 March started work at my current job
2004 March finished my graduate degree
2004 June my grandpa died (at age 97)
2004 September found out I had fertility problems
2005 Feb found out I had 5% of conceiving a child
2005 April failed IVF
2005 May P left Ford Motor Co (after 7 years) to a new job
2005 November P started newer (awesome) job
2006 April IVF cancelled for high FSH
2006 June got a puppy gifted to me/ found puppy new home
2007 Feb started looking for Egg donors
2007 June severe intestinal issues caused me to stop eating wheat/gluten
2007 September got braces
2007 October drove cross country to Boston
2007 December found out I was pregnant!
2008 January P started grad school at MIT
2008 June had a terrible fall when I was pregnant
2008 August my miracle child was born
2008 October arthiritc issues caused me to be diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome
2008 December my grandmother died (at age 97)
2009 July spent the month in Boston
2009 December P completed program/thesis at MIT

We also were lucky enough to visit Hawaii, Boston, Maine, Nevada, Arizona, California (San Diego) Las Vegas, New York state, NYC, Canada, Niagara Falls, Spain (Barcelona), Italy (Rome, Florence, Pisa), France (Paris x 4, Normandy), Cypress, Greece (Santorini), Egypt, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Ireland, and the Vatican.

Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my Christian friends. I'm sitting here with the fire roaring, my husband watching the tube and cuddling the baby (I have to stop calling her that - she's 16 1/2 months), and watching my little Christmas tree. The tree is a little 3 foot fiber optic one plugged in the family room. It is really special to me. My dad bought it for me the Christmas before we got married because he wanted us to have a tree. He loved little trees and really got on the fiber optic craze when they were popular back in 2000. I look at it and it makes me feel so loved by him.

If I haven't said so before, he and I were very close and I lost him (in his earthly form) back in 2003. I miss him so very much.

It's been a nice Christmas. I never got dressed today - it poured rain. Vi took at 4 hour nap and I got a 1.5 hour one!

In honor of Reid.

A fellow blogger's son went to be with Jesus today. Please keep Reid's family in your prayers and thoughts.

Holiday Meme

I borrowed this from the fantastic Swistle

Eggnog or hot chocolate? Never had eggnog and hot chocolate makes me basically go into a diabetic coma. So, neither.

Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? Always wrap presents. I like to avoid gift bags at all costs. Part of the fun is ripping open the paper.

Colored lights on a tree or white? OUrs are tiny twinkle multicolor. I envy the people with color themed trees with all one lights. I am investigating blue and white.

Do you hang mistletoe? No.

When do you put your decorations up? Usually Saturday after Thanksgiving.

What is your favorite holiday dish? Chocolate/peanut butter buckeyes - not really a dish but I can still eat them since I am gluten free. I also love my Grandma Ernie's poppyseed potatoes. Unfortunately cannot the recipe!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Used to be able to open one when I was a kid, now husband and I do them all on Christmas Eve.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Like Swistle, nothing matches. Old + new + my grandpa's old ornaments = chaos. I also have about 13 different Strawberry Shortcake doll ornaments. I loved them when I was in grade school and people like to buy me them when they see them.

Snow: love it or hate it? I Hate it. So ready to move to Florida.

Can you ice skate? Yes I can. I grew up in a Northern Michigan Town where it was winter 6 months out of the year. I haven't since High School though.

What is your favorite holiday dessert? See buckeyes above. I also like Apple Pie.

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Making sugar cookies.

Candy canes: yum or yuck? Nope. Too sweet.

Favorite Christmas show? Home Alone! Love that movie.

mice

Approximately two weeks ago, I brought up the Christmas stuff from the basement. There were approximately 12 bins and a large bin for the Christmas Tree (artificial) branches. The large bin was too heavy for me to carry so I waited until the weekend when P could do it. He opened the bin and started pulling out the branches. The conversation went like this:

P: Hey babe
Me: yeah?
P: there is a bunch of kleenex in here
Me: what?
P: Kleenex... and dryer lint.. and what is that?
Me: (leaning closer). That is a mouse nest. Made of dryer lint, Kleenex, and my hair.
P: Oh
Me: There appears to be no babies in it (Thank God). It's huge. (The size of a bird's nest)
Me: oh look, the mice chewed through the plastic bin and squeezed through the little crack to get in. Great

P throws away the nest and dustbusters the rest of the branches.

P: Holy ----! There are two live mice in here. Big ones.

Me: (runs to bathroom and hides)

P takes out the bin to the backyard and disposes of the mice. Christmas tree is a bit tarnished for me.

Now it comes to be Monday. I get to work. Open my desk drawer. There is mouse poop all over, my chocolate (Chocolate - MINE!) is all chewed up and scattered. There is chewed up paper towel and poop all over my files. They are even in my overhead bin. What the hell!!!
Maintenance man comes and puts a trap under my desk. One dead the next day and another dead IN MY DESK DRAWER. Thanks so much.

Now comes Sunday afternoon. I go downstairs to change over the laundry. I spot a small black creature laying in the middle of the basement floor. P came and took care of it. It was dead. It was not a mouse. It was a shrew. Seriously. What the HELL is going on with the basement? I'm scared.

I love you San--- Ooops, wait, I don't.

The Great Cross Polination Post

Today is the Great Infertility Blog Cross Polination Post. How exciting!
Below is a post from my matched guest poster - you'll have to guess who!

Imitation Is Unflattering

Now that we are getting into the toddler phase hard-core, we're finding that we are having to more closely watch what we say and do.

When you have a newborn, you can pretty much sit all day on the couch watching a CSI marathon, eating chips and drinking pop, and the little bub in your arms will not think much of the exploding heads on the TV.

Now that our son soaks up everything around him like a sponge, it's an inducement to forgo certain bad habits.

Case in point: After a stressful workday, I've been finding myself sitting on the couch like a lump and watching hours of mindless TV. Our son now uses a toy to pretend it's a remote, points, clicks, and says, "Watch? Elmo, Sesame Street, Signing Time?" Fail, Mommy.

Since my dining room table usually acts like my desk, and is therefore cluttered with loads of papers, we eat in the living room. And our son wants to eat what we eat. Including any leftover cookies or pie from Thanksgiving. So we are back to apples and bananas only in the living room, and trying to eat at the table.

I may or may not be known for my potty mouth. After hearing my son mimic my exclamation of "Crap!" the other day, I've been trying to tone it down.

My husband, Mr S, has been known to whine, "Go, go go!" to a slow driver in front of us. It sounds much less innocuous when coming from a 19-month old.

Worst of all- we all know men do certain things whether it's gentlemanly or not. My husband is a good man, despite his being raised in a cave with the other Neanderthals. Yesterday, he decided to scratch himself, like most men do. Our son, seeing him, decided to follow suit. So that's where they learn that...


I swear we are much better parents than we play on the Internet...


Brought to you by

We read this 7 timed tonight

New Obsession

Wow. Is she obsessed or what? I kind of feel for Daycare today because I think they have a copy of the book. We had company this weekend and read this book approximately 28 times. I love to read to her, but it was a constant barrage of requests (rather demands) when we were eating, going the bathroom, sleeping, whenever. Vi speaks up and says "I see" in this adorable sing song voice. She is obsessed with books in general, reading them to herself (have a video, must post - adorable), and turning the pages and pointing to things. We ended up hiding the book behind the couch, to which she promptly went and found it.

It's coming....

and frankly, I'm terrified. The first date for my jaw/facial surgery has been set. It goes like this:

January 20, 2010 - Sliding Genioplasty (chin job) with Mandibular Bone Graft (aka, excess bone implanted into my lower jaw). General Anesthesia. Outpatient. Off work 1-2 weeks.

May 2010 - Dental implants screws implanted into lower jaw. Outpatient.

Sept 2010 - Porcelin bridge screwed into implant ridge.

January 2011 - BSSO (Bilateral Sagital Split Osteomy) aka the major jaw surgery! Inpatient for 5-6 days.

I know that I have no further options for dental care. I need to summon my courage and move forward, but I'm terrified.

(For those that don't know I have a genetic mutation resulting in the lost of formation of many teeth as well as jaw deformaties. I don't look crazy if you see me on the street, but if you delve deeper, you will realize something is very wrong with my teeth/jaw)

Oh and did I mention that my out of pocket for all this is $20,000? Thank goodness the jaw surgeries and bone grafts are covered!

The current obsession

is with this toy. Some of the eggs are missing and they were my sister's (now age 39) and then mine. My mom kept them and Vi likes to carry the halves around. There is a later model that is yellow made by Playskool in the 1980's, but this was made by Child Guidance Toys in the 1970's that is a blue carton. That is one we have. I was looking to buy her one, but they are going for $100 on Ebay!

Late Thanksgiving Post

When I was at the gym today (Yeay I made it) I started thinking I have so, so much to be thankful for. Both in a material sense and non-material sense. Even little things from my childhood. Yes, I have some childhood issues like everyone else, but Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on all the good things, don't you think? I think being a Thankful person (of which I have always been) serves a person well in life.

I am thankful that .....
I grew up in a small town. It's influenced who I am today.
That my parents ate dinner as a family, took us to church, exercised as a family, and went to the library.
That I spent loads of time in the outdoors and love it.

That my husband and I are both employeed.
For health insurance.
For a reliable car.
For heat and clean water.
Washer and dryer in my home.

For my husband of nearly 10 years that loves me a lot!
For my sweet baby girl that was a blessed miracle of the highest magnitude.

For crazy little things like Diet Coke, peanut butter, the internet, the TV show "LOST", sunny days, and long naps (as if).

Holiday Pictures

I wish I had some to post here. We don't have the Holiday decor up yet, but I hope start tonight. P promised if I got all my 'other' work done, he would help me tonight. That's big of him. I took Vi to JcPenney for Holiday pictures today at 9:20 a.m. I made the appointment ages ago, to get the 2nd appointment of the day so that we would not have to wait. They are notorious for running late at that location, but it is really close to my house and not in a mall. Vi has had her picture taken five other times there with success. She is not an easy person to photograph.

We waited for 45 minutes (AUGH) and VI ran around and tired herself out. Once in the picture area, she bawled the entire time results in very.crummy.pictures. I bought a few and spent under $15. I made an appointment for Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. to come back, but frankly, we're done. I do the Christmas cards using christmas shots from Wal-Greens for .50 cents each. And they are very nice.

The funny thing is that I have a very similiar pose from my childhood with the exact same crying face. I need to put them side by side in a frame.

Too busy

So I haven't posted in like a million years (actually it's been a few weeks). December is upon on and as you know, things becomes even more accelerated until January. Right now I am actually resting (aka sitting down) watching Vi toddle around the living room and read book to herself while drinking a Diet Coke and P looks up vacation spots on the computer. P wants to take just a vacation with us aka adults. I don't think I can leave Vi, even though I know it would be really good for us. But my mom and sister are dying to watch her. THe concerns are that my sister works and my mom is old and becomes tired. Also, they are four hours away so I would have to meet them and drop her off. We are considering Disney (We went once around 5 years ago and it was suprisingly romantic), Hawaii (too far & expensive), and the Smnokey Mountains. I for one, would love a vacation to lay around, eat, read, and exercise for two hours per day.

We went to Grand Rapids for the Holiday. MY mom was pretty upset, but 9 hours round trip is just too far. It was my husband, his two brothers, their GF's, GF's mother and brother. We just came back around two hours ago. It's great to have Friday off too and I have so much to be Thankful for.

Cleaning

Growing up we always had a messy house. It wasn't 'dirty' perse, but just oodles of clutter everywhere. Piles of magazines and newspapers in the living room, laundry ready to be put away all over the dining room, bunches of crap on the kitchen counters, clothes on the bed in the spare room, and just lots and lots of stuff. My parents never threw anything away. IF they got something new like a stove, the old one went immediately to my Grandpa's house in the country and was left in the garage in 'case they needed it'. (that is why even though my Grandpa has been deceased for 6 years, his house and garage is full of my parent's old stuff).

I am not a great housekeeper. Coupled with feeling crummy, my husband working 60+ hour weeks, working on his thesis, the baby, me having to cook often, and trying to fit in exercise, I"m too tired to get much of anything else done except keeping the kitchen up and trying to keep up with the laundry.

P has been begging me to hire someone. Honestly, even in this economy, I couldn't find someone. They wouldn't wash windows or wouldn't do this or that. Ugh! I finally got a recommendation. She comes once a week for three hours and charges $75. She picks up toys and neatens up and will do laundry! But I have to remind her of this. She's not perfect, she calls me about every little thing and prefers cash because she has no bank account. But it takes the crushing burden off of my shoulders when I just can't keep up with everything.

If only I didn't have to sleep.

Teething

I've been trying to get Vi to take her nap all afternoon. Daddy too. At daycare they go down at 12:30 and she sleeps until 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. It's 2:22 p.m. and she is still awake. Screaming at the top of her lungs which is something she seldom does. I reached into her mouth (I'm brave) and felt a big hard nub on the left bottom jaw. It appears to be a molar, even though the cuspid isn't in yet. I just gave her Tylenol and a teething biscuit and she is lying on Daddy. It's so nice here (for NOVEMBER!) the patio doors are open. I have a bladder infection and the Ciprofloxacin makes me feel like garbage so I cleaned the kitchen and am sitting on the couch trying to keep the contents of my stomach down. THe laundry is running of course as well.

You know the saying nothing is certain but death and taxes? It should be laundry, death and taxes.

It's NaBloPoMO

DUh! And you can already see I've failed! It is 70 degrees and Fabulous here - we took VI to the park and I we are in shirt sleeves. Loving it! VI loved playing in the leaves.

namoblomo

So I think this is the month out of the year when you can challenge yourself to write every day of the entire month. Wow! Some nights I barely get to brush my teeth before collapsing into bed of exhaustion.

I need to go to bed because the time change has me all messed up. Plus VI was kind of whining at approximately 5:00 this morning, so I didn't get back to sleep.

We're getting a new washer! How exciting! NOt really! Our old one isn't spinning at all and the cost of repair is almost as much as a new one, hence the replacement. We went to Lowe's on Saturday and it actually was a fairly painless process. This time we purchased a front loader, so this will be a bit of a change. I had a front loader when we lived in the UK and I hated it. I hated springing for an extra $200 for the gloried plastic stand to raise it up to a comfortable level for loading, but we did it so my back wouldn't break.

I'm exempt from doing laundry until Saturday when it is delivered.

Happy Halloween

Vi had three events to attend this Halloween; a daycare party, a community center party, and Trick or Treating. My friend had picked her up a Monkey costume that was looking for but later - at Cracker Barrel store (I was buying a gift card - I don't eat there) and they had their costumes 50% off so I bought the Bumble Bee!

I had a really difficult time getting a good shot of her.

Reflection

So my Vi is now almost 15 months old. She is still a baby in some ways - likes her bottle at night, still wants her pureed, slightly chunky foods (no texture - and yes we are working hard on this - any ideas?), not too verbal or too much walking. She is such a big girl in some ways too - wanting to climb and play, be stubborn, be in the big kid classroom at school, do things her own way (did you notice stubborn?).

the last time I went into the infant classroom at school, I was in looovvee. The babies are so little, so snuggly, so cute! I need another baby. I'll even confess - we've been trying. (Well, as much trying as a couple that has a husband half that works 70 hour weeks can do).

On a more serious note, I need to accept the fact that there is a very good likelihood that I will not be able to have another baby. That Vi will be an only child. I have had such a long and devastating history of infertility that I need to accept the fact that my fertility is not "magically restored". Being Vi's mom has just given me so much hope and so much love that I can't help but want to add to our family. But I think I have to get my head around (as the Brits would say) that I'm pretty darn lucky already don't you think?

I've got the fever...

Vi was lethargic all weekend. As a toddler that never, ever stops and fights any type of restraint with vehemnent opposition, it was a big surprise. She spent most of the day laying on Paul dozing in and out. She felt a big feverish, and I took her temperature under her arm which was 101 (I didn't realize you had to add a degreee to make it 102). I gave her Tylenol and she perked right up after it took effect. On Sunday, she felt warm off and on and I gave her more Tylenol. We went to get family pics and she seemed well. She took a nap on the couch while P worked on his thesis and I ran to the grocery store. When I got home he said that she was just laying there with her eyes open. I walked over and picked her up and her eyes were glazed over and she was burning up. We took her out to the car and took her to URgent Care. Poor baby, I think the cool air felt nice and she started babbling in her cute little way.

At Urgent Care she had a fever of 105 F and was very ill and lethargic. She still tried to fight them off which was a good sign. The fever was borderline for transferring to the Hospital Emergency Room and for admission. I really saw myself spending the night in the Hospital with her. They gave her a bolus of Tylenol and Motrin and 20 minutes later her fever was down to 102, so they let us take her home with strict instructions. It was thought she had Strep Throat or even Swine Flu.

The next morning when I followed up the Pediatrician she said it was a severe ear infection. I was really surprised that there was such a high fever with an ear infection. Poor baby. She is much better and even went to Daycare today.

Tonight is one of those nights when it is hard to be a mother.... it involves, screaming, crying (some by me), biting, tantrums, and poop. Lots of poop on the carpet. Husband working tons of hours this week and someone needs to sent the reserves in.

Vi's first intestinal virus

I have a post about VI finally walking, but it is not completed yet. Yes, she is walking! I almost died when she did it, but mama ended up crying instead.

Tuesday morning, we had to take my car in for a light being out. I was here when P woke up VI and the first thing we noticed was the smell. VI had made poo-poos in the night (she NEVER has done this before) and her diaper was chock full of loose stoool. It was a two person job to clean up. Her stools have become looser all week and now she has full on diarrhea whenever she eats anything - about 5-6 times per day. Poor baby. She seems to be fine, eating well and the like. I called the nurse at the Pediatrician's Office, and she felt it was a stomach virus that could last up to two weeks. She advised the signs of dehydration and said no fruit or veg for a while.

This morning, P had to go to the office for the day. Sigh. Vi and I were going to hit some Mom to Mom sales since the ones today allowed strollers. Vi was sitting in her highchair eating bits of scrambled egg when she turned beet red. Welts and bloches rose up all over her face and her eye started to swell shut. Oh no! I said to P - "did you see her face???" She was done with the egg by now and started drinking her milk. She wasn't having any trouble breathing. I called the Ped and thank goodness that they have emergency hours on Saturday. Her facial redness had faded a LOT by then, but the welts/hives were still visible. Her body was also covered in a rash which she attriubuted to the virus (I'm not so sure) and eczema. THe MD said no milk for a while to heal her intestines, and definately, no eggs! SHe has to go see the allergist next week. SIgh. I bought soy milk and she suggested soy formula for a while, so I"ll see how this goes. She fell asleep on the way home from Trader Joe's and has been sleeping on the couch for an hour; missing lunch.

Frankly, I think she has a milk allergy and this is really not a stomach virus at all.

Fall Trip

Vi at the County Library.

Vi and went up to visit my mother and family last Wednesday, and we came back on Sunday night. It's a four hour drive each way and usually Vi sleeps for three hours of the four and fusses for one hour. She is still rear facing in her carseat even though she is greater than the one year and 20 lbs needed to turn it forward facing. There has been a rash of articles lately saying that leaving forward facing as long as possible is best. However, this new research doesn't take into account that the carseats have not been redesigned for long legs and growing bodies to be rear facing. Her legs are quite cramped. The ride up was okay; I left after half a day of work on Wednesday during her nap time. Unfortunately, I had to stop for gas at the 1.5 hour mark which woke her up resulting in her fussing and whining for the next 2.5 hours.

On the way home, I again left at nap time. She slept for almost 2 hours then woke up and started fussing. When it escalated, I gave her a ton of Cheerios in her car seat and her sippy cup which kept her occupied for almost an additional 30 minutes. Then the all out screaming started approximately 30 minutes from home. But we made it!

It was fairly cool up in Northern Michigan and rainy some days. I took Vi to my childhood Public Library and she played with the toys and books which we both enjoyed. She received loads and loads of attention from family and friends and just thrived on it. My mum and sister have found various toys at garage sales and the like for her, so she had all new toys in an all new environment. She ate well - she can feed herself a few things now. All in all - it was a nice trip. Weather could have been much better, and the ride smoother, but it was nice to get away.

cough, cough

So I"m at work now and I'm very tired. It hasn't been the greatest week for sleeping in my world. I've gotten to bed late because I am desperately slaving away to get everything done for the next day - laundry, lunches x3 (all different), and clean kitchen so that the fruitflies don't proliferate and take over other rooms. V woke up early two mornings this week because she is transitioning into the next room at daycare and having food/sleeping/anxiety issues. But last night she coughed constantly from around 4 a.m. on. I went and go her out of the crib at 4:45 and gave her a bottle of warm milk and she slept on me in the chair until around 6:10 a.m. I wasn't going to take her to school coughing like that so I brought her into bed with me where we slept for another hour. I called into work and then got her going. She seemed much better so I took her to daycare and went to work (with no shower, makeup, and basically pulling my hair into a ponytail). She through a royal fit at daycare (she's never done that before) and cried even for her favorite teacher in her old room. I got to work at 8:30 and now it is 2:30 and I'm tired. Such is the life of a mom.

Just read an infertility website blog. Just put it all in perspective. Yes, it was tough evening to parent, but I am incredibly blessed. I don't forget it for one minute either.

This parenting gig can be really tiresome and frustrating, and sometimes make me want to cry. I was smashed in the nose with a ball a few days ago, and my nose is now sore to the touch. Tonight I had my hair pulled numerous times, and I was bitten four times, the last time drew blood. Sigh. It's abuse my mommy day I guess.

Victoria Report

SO I haven't had time to update in a while. Life is so, so busy. Between laundry, yard work, trying to cook decent/healthy/GF food, trying to get some exercise, reading to Vi, cleaning up after Vi, chasing VI around the house, packing lunches, trying to have a conversation with my husband, actually putting away laundry (not that any of these things ever are accomplished), there is no time left.

Vi has been interesting lately.
*She is cutting four more teeth and drooling at an alarming rate. She has a much smaller appetite than months 8-11 and refuses many foods. Feeding her is a challenging and frustrating exercise. It seems like the only things she wants to eat are stage II green beans, cereal, and yoghurt. Oh and those damn puffs. I am so sick of those puffs. Those things are so addictive. She loves them and that is all she wants to eat sometimes. I stopped buying them and bought multigrain cheerios instead. At least they contain fiber.
* She wants to climb, climb, climb. I follow her climbing up the stairs to our second level and she loves it! I've been taking her to a play structure at the end of our sub to climb and slide. She really likes it but throws tantrums when it is time to go home. This particular play structure is better than the big one at a different playground because it does not have wood chips. Not only are wood chips a huge problem because they stick all over clothing, all VI wants to do when we go to playgrounds with them is play with them and eat them. She won't play. This park thankfully removes that destraction and has this spongy asphalt under the structure.
* She absolutely refuses to hold her own bottle or sippy cup at home. I have purchased over 5 different kind in an attempt to get her to drink on her own. Nope. She can't get the hang of tipping the cup/bottle up and then doesn't get any liquid and gives up. Moms - Does anyone have any tips??? I am trying to get her to drink from a straw which does not necessitate tipping, but so far not working.
* Still not walking yet but is crusing the furniture and picking things up with one hand. She's getting there and frankly, we're not in a big hurry.
* Transition to the older daycare class is starting this week. They are all walkers. She is not. She cries in there and doesn't like it. They say she doesn't like going outside. Someone has replaced my child with aliens because she loves being outside. They have a different nap and eating schedule and she is not feeding herself yet so I am quite worried. Plus I have to pack her a little lunch and I am afraid she won't eat it. I guess it won't kill her to be hungry.

Victoria's new hobbies

Chewing on hard things (I have three new teeth coming in)



Playing with Silverware (yes, mama has to pick it all up)


Playing the Piano (Yes I discovered it the other day and I do not pound, I actually play)

hahah

My daughter is sooo funny! We (I mean I, since my husband has nothing to do with this stuff), have been trying to transition her off of a bottle and into using a sippy cup to drink milk. She will drink water in a sippy cup, but no milk. She also will NOT hold her own bottle for us, only at daycare. So it is a problem since she is 13 months old. I bought one of these Boon bottles with a tilted spout with a hole in the middle. She would not drink from it. I picked up her doll which for some reason we named "Myrtle" and put the bib on her and held her like a real baby and fed her. She stood at the edge of the couch and tried to climb up. Vi hit the roof and I swear I could see steam coming out her ears. That was her mother, her sippy, and her bib!!! When she got up she bit both Myrtle and I. She came up and tried to drink for a little bit, but it didn't last too long. P & I were cracking up when she was having a freak out.

Love

I adore this child beyond words.

It's been a crummy week

* I am still sick. I have missed three days of work this week. I'm already behind on so many things and have a long to do list, I definately could have used this time to catch.
* I have terrible coughing fits that start approximately 6 p.m. and go until 6:00 a.m. They are bad, and only sittting up stops them. There is no drainage, and it is a dry hacking cough, but it just doesn't stop until I am almost puking.
* This morning I got pinkeye and my right eye is a small slit and swollen. I couldn't deal with another doctor visit, so I have been using Vi's eye drops from when she had pinkeye last week.
* Laundry is piled up like your wouldn't believe.
* Last night we had no perishible food in the house. Not even eggs, which I always keep around for a quick dinner. After I picked up Vi we hit the market.
* Perhaps the very worst thing - I have completely lost my sense of smell and taste. I can taste nor smell nothing. IT IS HORRIBLE! THere is no reason to eat. Plus VI crawled around with a poopy diaper until I changed her into pajamas for bedtime because I COULDN'T smell anything. Apparently this can sometime be a long term consequence of the flu and can last up to two years and be permanent.

So yes, I do have the flu, but not the "swine flu, so that is good. When I called for a MD apt, I was directed to a locked 'special door' where I had to be buzzed in. I was met by masked staff, was given a mask and led into a special room where the MD came immediately. He was masked and asked me a lot of questions about what I had been up to the prior few days and how many peoople I was around. WHen he determined I did not have the swine flu, he removed his mask and we went about our business. THey are not messing around with this stuff, and I am glad. Six days of this stuff really isn't too pleasant either.

Unbelievable!

My illness escalated and I had non stop coughing for two days. I up again in the middle of night waiting for the codeine cough syrup to take effect. But the crappy thing in all of this - I now have the pinkeye that my daughter had last week. My right eye has this goupy, sticky crust and my vision is actually blurry in that eye.

Just stab with a sharp object and get this over with.

The plague

..... or something like it.

It started Saturday a.m. with a sore throat. Sunday it escalated to feeling like I got hit by a truck, severe sore throat and loss of voice. It hurt so much to talk and swallow. Today I tried to stay silent most of the day when I sat on my butt in the chair, watched the movie Baby Mama, and played on the internet. Frankly, I was bored. I went out to get some soup at noon and by 4:00 p.m. when I picked up the V, I felt a lot better. Now I feel like complete garbage. I definately think it is a virus since I am not coughing up anything and I don't really have a fever which indicates that I do NOT have the swine flu. I hate to miss work, but I'm too darn sick to go in. I planned on dragging myself in tomorrow, but frankly the way I feel right now it is not looking promising.

My new ride

Birthday Present from Grandma Nancy.

Pinkeye :(

Well I think I know the reason why VI slept so well lately. She has pinkeye. This morning she woke up with her eyes all crusted over (This is hearsay because my husband is actually home from Boston, did the morning drop off, and I got to work on time for the first time all summer!), and of course being a man, he didn't think to call me or anything, just wiped it off a bit and took her to daycare/school. They took one look at her and announced she had pinkeye and sent him packing. He called me (on my work phone because I lost my cell at Buy Buy Baby yesterday which is another story in itsself) and I told him to take her right over to the clinic. THye said they could fit him in at 9:15 and I got there at 9:25 and they were finished. I took her home and P went to work. We went to the Pharmacy and got her eyedrops and she seems better; but is really clingy and has a dry cough. We have to keep her out of daycare for 24 hours after starting drops. I 'll be home at least half of tomorrow then.

Poor baby!

Wow.

Last night I put Victoria to bed at approximately 8:30. She had been a bit whiny quite some time prior to that, but I tried to stretch it out so that she wouldn't wake up at 5:30 a.m. or something. Her daddy and I had planned on having a date night and of course I clunked out at 9:30 p.m. so that was kapoot once again. I woke up at 7:15 and checked on her, but still not awake. I came downstairs, did some stuff; yep, still not awake. Breakfast was made and consumed and she is still not awake. At all. It is now 9:15 a.m., I went up and opened the blinds 15 minutes ago, and she is still not awake. She is okay, I've touched her multiple times to make sure she is breathing, but wow!

ONE YEAR OLD!

My baby is one year old today. Seriously. I can't believe it. One year ago, she emerged from my body, became part of this world and my family. I can't imagine my life without her. She filled a dark, deep void in my heart brought on by years of frustrating and untreatable infertility. I thought life wouldn't be that bad without kids - we'd have money, travel, a busy social life. But I know what I was missing and I am so happy and grateful every day that I am her parent.

I brought in mini cupcakes and ice cream cups for school today. We will have a little party for her on August 23rd when Daddy gets home from Boston. It will be at a local park with a splash pool and playground and be fairly low key.

finger food feeding

I'm happy to say Vi has finally progressed with feeding herself. She would eat puffs if you plopped them in her mouth which was an achievement for her. She started feeding herself a few, but she is very clumsy and they ended up all over her, but she was trying, and that is what is important here, isn't it? Last night I was eating some egg beaters and had her in the high chair getting ready to feed her some Stage 3 Broccoli with Cheese and I decided to rip the egg beaters into little pieces and put them on her tray. She immediately started feeding herself the pieces and loved them! I had put off starting eggs because of allergies, but she loves them. I'm going to try some hard boiled eggs chopped up because the firmer texture.

My little girl is getting so old.

We're home

And so, so glad. Vi is thrilled! All her old toys are new again!

2 days to go

... and VI and I are heading home. Starting to become a bit nervous about the flight back on Saturday evening. Monday night, VI did not sleep well. She went to bed at 8:30, was up at 12:30, 3:00 and for the DAY at 4:50 a.m. I could barely function and she would not take a nap. I finally got her down at 1:00 p.m. (so I could sleep too) and she slept until 3:00 when daddy called from campus. Last night I took her to playroom and playground at 6:45 for an hour and just chased her around. She went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 6:15 a.m. (Praise God). The Pack & PLay is difficult for her and I can't wait to get back home for the sleep issues.

Today it is super duper humid and of course, one can't drive anywhere since it is Boston and the driving AND the parking are both insane. We walked to campus and then took the T a stop to a CVS (really gross and tons of homeless people outside) and bought more infant formula (hopefully that last can!) where someone had to unlock it from a case. We then met Paul for lunch and they had gluten free food! Gluten free fried shrimp, gluten free croutons, and gluten free garlic bread!! It was heaven. And I have leftovers. Now Vi is napping in the stroller and I am sitting here in front of the tiny A/C unit. When she wakes up, we will head to the grimy playroom (it is air conditioned) for tire-baby-out-time.

Nice Weekend

So last weekend we were in Maine. This weekend we decided to stay around Boston. Friday P was off but he really hurt his back lifting Vi all the time. Mine hurts too, but his was so bad we had we to take him to Urgent Care and he received Valium and painkillers. Thankfully, it is okay now. Yesterday we went to the Boston Harbor Island which were really lovely.

We purchased tickets for two islands, Spectacle and Georges, but we did not make the second due to a messed up ferry schedule. We hiked to the top of the island and it was hot and there was no shade! Vi slept most of the time in the shaded stroller thank goodness. We then came back and ate crawfish at "The Barking Crab" restaurant.

Today we went to Harvard University and it was even hotter and more humid. Vi did great as we went into the Museum of Natural History and clunked out for two hours until part way through having dinner at "Jasper White's Summer Shack".
She tried some fish and some cornbread. She was an absolute doll.

I must common on the Harvard Museum of Natural History. I love museums a great deal. I have been so lucky to see many of the word's great museums, but there are many more I would like to see. This is a small museum, but has a fantastic collection of rare skeletons and the Glass Flowers Exhibit. The Glass Flowers are very realistic flowers made out of glass from the the late 1800's - 1935. Fabulously detailed and exquisite.

The Museum also has the only mounted skeleton of the Kronosaurus.
There is also the largest Turtle shell ever found, a skeleton of a dodo bird, and a Coelocanth!

11 months (ok, and 1/2)

I haven't written about V's accomplishments in some time. Frankly, she is giving me a run for my money. She is so, so active! Nonstop, activity.

* She has to touch Everything. All the time. Constantly. Nonstop.
* All she really wants to do all day is pull herself up on things.
* She seems really bored with her toys lately.
* She is a very fast crawler.
* Biting is starting to be a problem for her. Usually it is just random, but I have caught her biting when angry and it made me VERY angry.
* Her eating has decreased. Not hungry and takes actually coaxing to get her to eat. We are still working of foods with texture and she is making progress! She will even eat puffs now. I am trying to get her off of bottles and use sippys. So far it is not working. She will take water from a sippy cup, but that is all, no formula. She still won't hold her own bottle though.
* If one more person tells me what a "big girl" she is, I'm going to scream. I am buying 18-24 month clothes however.
* She can turn the crying on and off increasingly well. Example: She wants to go in the bathroom where Daddy is - we tell her no, and I have to get up and physically move her 5 times where she cries and screans each timne. She stops immediately when I close the door.
* Her verbal ability is realy coming along! She crawled up to us holding a diaper saying, "gaiper", she says "wow", "wawa", "nanana" for bottle, "hi", "mama", Mom-mee", "dad-dee", "dada".
* She does not want to read books that don't have some sort of pop-up, noise button, or lift-up flap. Otherwise, it is boring.
* My back is killing me for lifting her. P's is so bad this week when we are visiting that I am taking him to urgent care this a.m.


She is definately more of a girl than a baby.

Tons to write about

I have so much to write about. Vi's 11 month milestones, our adventures here in Boston, and in Maine, the challenges of being away in a small apartment, etc.

The Vister is all over the place and this place is NOT childproof. I've been moving stuff around and going to try to make a baby gate out of cardboard (if I can find some).

Until she naps - here are some pics of her from last weekend.

We're here

Been meaning to blog but we ended up arriving in Boston ok. The airport was a huge hassle, and VI was a wiggly nightmare on the first half of the flight, but the 2nd half she slept through!

We're in Maine currently, sitting on the deck in a little cottage by the water. Heading back to Boston today. The sublet is tiny, non childproofed and away from everyone on campus. Thankfully there is a playground.

Better

So I'm definately a bit calmer now :) Things are coming together for my trip.

The upper teeth are now making their way in. The lifesaver has been the "Razberry Teether" - a pacificer like device made of chewy rubber that the babe has been gnawing on like a little squirrel.

My mother was helpful and we had a nice time this weekend. We went to both Sam's Club and Costco. My mom loves Sam's Club and when she discovered Costco was more of the same she was elated. Vi had a blast trying all the free samples. In Costco she had part of a frozen fruit bar, Club crackers (better than puffs really), grapefruit, cherries, and her very favorite - a bagel with cream cheese. She gnawed on that thing the entire time and fussed when it was all gone. I am thinking of buying her some frozen bagels to gnaw on.

Clothes are still not put away. I bought more and now can get dressed in the kitchen.

Packing is coming along. I took off tomorrow and am going to have Vi go to daycare part of the day so that I can finish.

The Boston sublet DOES have air conditoning. Yeah!!

My BOB Revolution Stroller is in. And I love it! (Thanks Christian's mom for the info).

My friend Amy (Stephen's mom) is giving us a ride to the airport on Thursday!

Hired a neighbor boy to cut the grass for $15 until P gets home. He did a great job, was prompt, and must make cash because he was driving around a mustang convertible. Hmmm.

I'm going to make it folks. I'm going to make it!! What a difference a day makes.

Please keep my internet pal Julie in your prayers today as she starts chemo. You can read her journey at www.julieolsensjourney.blogspot.com.

augh

I may very nearly lose my mind today.

The teething crabby baby.
My husband still being away in Boston.
My mother coming this weekend (believe me, it can be stressful)
Having to get dressed in the basement because I haven't had time to put away the clean clothes.
Being so busy at work that I can't take a minute to go to the restroom.
Packing for a 2.5 week trip to Boston.
Learning the Boston sublet does not have air conditioning.
Calling every day to make the new stroller I ordered will be in before Wednesday.
Trying to find a ride to the airport on a weekday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Working about how the baby will do on the plane.
My 11 year old niece writing a suicide note.
My ongoing intestinal issues.
The long grass I have no time to cut.
The dinners I've had consisting of tortilla chips and cherries.
Wrestling with the baby to get a diaper on her so we can get dressed and I can get to work.


Thank you. This vomiting of words post has made me feel much better.

A night in the life.

Some pictures.....


Mom, mom look at me - I can stand and push this table all over the kitchen.



Is my duck tub ready?



This duck is really tasty.


New pajamas on (18 months!).


Mom! Don't leave me in the living room while you are in the kitchen. I can't get up the step..

:(

VI and I have a pretty good bedtime routine. Depending on naps, I usually start her bedtime routine between 8 and 8:30 p.m. (Baths are at 7:00). First we have nude time where I take off all her clothes and she rolls around and plays on a special blanket. Then, I give her the acid reflux meds, change her, put on diaper rash cream, and pj's. Then she has 1/4 c oatmeal with 1/3 babyyogurt followed by 6 oz of bottle. We usually rock her and feed her the bottle and she turns her head and falls asleep immediately. We rock another 10 minutes, put her in her crib, turn on her fan and leave.

Lately, during/after the bottle she wants to sit up and play, but yet is whiny and tired. She cried and fussed and wouldn't settle down. THen I had something in the oven and had to set her down. We tried re-rocking, but wouldn't work. I put her in the crib and put on her crib toy and she immediately started bawling. I came down and took care of the oven, and checked back on her and she was so, so upset. I took her out, rocked her while I was on the phone, and put her in the crib sleepy. She started crying as if her little heart would break. Mine did. I rubbed her back but didn't pick her up. Everytime I pulled my hand away the sniffles would start. Finally, after 10 minutes, she was out.

I checked in the baby book and she is the prime age for sleep anxiety. Poor baby.

Vi is moving!!!

Last week we had our nine month "well-child" visit (yes, I did know she was 10 1/2 months old....). A resident being supervised by Vi's ped spent a great deal of time with us first, so we ended up being in the room over 2 hours. However, he was very nice, thorough, and a good listener, but Vi was immediately suspicious of him. She pushed away the stethoscope with both hands and it was so cute it made me laugh out loud. Her ears were clear which was great because a she keeps pulling on them. The resident said it is either due to teething or she is using it as a way to self soothe. She had a "viral exanthum rash" which I knew about, but no fever.

Vi was scheduled for an MRI this Thursday to evaluate the 'white matter in her brain' and check for any hydrocephalus. Due to her age, this would necessitate undergoing general anesthesia which would involve intubation. Needless to say I was not too keen on it. The ped's concern was that her head circumference had increased to 80% at the last visit quite rapidly and she had the gross motor skill delay. She is a big girl however, and I don't think they were taking that into account. She was 20.5 lbs at the visit which is 57% and 70 cm which is 88% for her age and sex. I spoke with the ped and we decided to put it off for two months on that basis that her head had not increased in the last 1.5 months and that she has made progress in her gross motor skills. The ped's concern is that she has mild CP. Ugh. But I think she is going to be fine!

Speaking of gross motor skills, Vi is moving all over the house! She is now sort of crawling, hopping, and slithering forward. She also is able to sit up from laying down, and go from a sit to laying down. She is trying to pull up, but not quite yet. She can stand if you hold her fingers and I am working on getting her feet to move. I'm so thrilled at the progress she has made! She is due for an eval with a PT next week, so I am very interested to see what she says!

Vi' new pool.

It's been quite humid and hot here lately. I was at Babies R Us last weekend and pools were on sale for $6.99 plus I had a coupon making then $4.99. So I bought one for Vi. Tonight we decided to try it because it was humid and warm, but not sunny. I put her in it and she wasn't too thrilled. Usually she loves the water and splashes and laughs. We'll try it again tomorrow.

10 months old!

Vi is now 10 months old. It seems like she has been my baby forever. How blessed am I to have her in my life? Seriously. I wait every day to run out from work and kiss her little cheek and to see her wave her arms and become excited that "mommy" is here. My heart had such a dark void and she has filled it in. The sappy stuff now over, Here is Vi's latest -

- Trying to get Vi to drink from a sippy cup. She seems to prefer the one with the hard spout vs the soft spout. I can get her to take some water from one, but she mostly wants to chew on the spout.
- The teeth are here. The bottom two are almost in and I can feel one hard bud on the top center. She's been teething and drooling like crazy so hopefully they will make an appearance soon.
-she is not really liking food with textures. She doesn't know how to mash food with her jaws. Any ideas for teaching this to her?
- Daycare is going very well. The other children are a source of amusement and entertainment for her. She likes being there. WHen they scream and cry, she puts her hands over her ears and looks around like hey - "Can someone shut this kid up?"
- When we went to visit my mother's the new environment + new toys + constant attention = increased movement. She is turning on her belly and rolling and moving from sit to belly. Beyond that - not so much. She loves to stand when you hold her fingers, but trying to get her to move her feet is difficult.
- She speaks a lot. Mama, dada and now ma-mee, da-dee, nanananan when she wants something. She will also say "hi" all drawn out.
- Her stranger anxiety is becoming a bit better. She's terrified of the daycare owner that she sees every day. She puts her arms over her eyes and peers out warily. That's her shy face (I have to get a picture) and it's just adorable.
- She can hold her own bottle, but just needs to tip it more at an angle.

blah blah blah blah

I haven't been blogging much. So much to blog about, less time to blog, less motivation and general blahness. Can I do bullet points? Bulletin points is a cop out I guess.

1. P left for Boston for the summer last Saturday. V & I are pretty much on our own. I hate doing drop off in the morning. P did drop off. I haven't made it into work on time once this week.

2. I"m home sick today. My throat is on fire and I feel generally crappy. I dropped of V at school, came home, climbed into bed and slept from 8 - 11:50 a.m. I still feel crummy. I'm getting a Dairy Queen tonight for my throat darn it!

3. Someone at V's school has been diagnosed with the Swine Flu! The health department recommended they not close the school since it was near the end of the illness and the child would be kept out for a week. But still!

4. I didn't get V's 9 month professional pictures taken and now she is 10 months old yesterday. I'm such a slacker. Everyone is asking for new pictures and sorry folks, not done.

5. Need to book a flight to Boston to see P from July 15-July 31. No progress. Sigh.

Pictures from our trip

So glad to be home! Vi did quite well in the car - slept for 2.5 of 5 hour ride, then screamed for 45 minutes on the way there. On the way home, slept for 2.5 of 3 hour ride





Kewpie doll in her new dress before church at Grandma's.




The family in front of Lake Michigan in Pentwater.





Vi in the 1980's stroller my mom bought for her in front of Lake Huron at Bay View Park. (Hey we went to both coasts).

Question

Serious Question: DO you think that someone that drinks two mixed drinks a day, every day, with two shots in each one, is an alcoholic? I think I do.

Sleep is elusive

This week has been a bad sleeping week for Vi. We are up north visiting my mother and Vi is sleeping in the pack n play. For two nights she woke up screaming at 4:30 a.m., ate, and slept on my mom until 7:00 a.m. My mom thankfully, let me go back to sleep until 8:00. She hates the pack n play. I tried moving the matress to the down position for more support which she also hates.

Last night was the worst nigth I have ever had since she was born. I fed her and rocked her to sleep and at 9:45 p.m. put her down in the pack n play. She immediately woke up, got on her hands and knees and started screaming. I would have let her cry for five or so minutes, but my mother couldn't stand it and picked her up. I tried to settle her down two more times and she would have none of it. I ended up putting her in bed with me and I would try to move her in the pack n play periodically through the night with no success. Thus, she slept with me all night and mama woke up constantly throughout the night to check on her.

When I woke up I felt like such garbage. She was in a super duper mood. When I visit her daddy in Boston for three weeks, she was going to sleep in the pack n play. It obviously isn't going to work. Any suggestions?

My husband keeps blaming it on her teething. She has all four front teeth finally coming in and has been terribly whiny.

Little Bug

This was before the crabbiness started.

Update on Vi's delay

So when the health department lady came back, she really didn't have a whole lot to offer. The rcommendation was that since Vi is covered under private insurance, we should ask for a consult to a physical therapist. So I called physical therapy through the same system her ped is in. The only place that would take a child her age is 30 minutes away, in the town where I work. Thus, I would have to drive 20 min to were we live, pick up Vi at daycare, drive 30 min to this place and then drive 20 minutes home. I don't see it happening at all. I am going to look for a place closer.

The good news as I've said before is that Vi cognitively is ahead - around 12 months age and verbally a bit ahead as well. Her gross motor skills are still behind. She can sit up welland rocks back and forth constantly on all fours. However, she can't pull up, crawl, go from laying to sitting and back, stand unsupported and still exhibits some head lag. I have seen progress, but I would like to see more.

I am not as freaked out and teary as I used to be about it. I keep working with her like crazy to try and make her do things physically. Now I feel like she can catch up.

Hello from NY, NY

So I'm in NYC for work. I didn't want to go initially because I don't like flying and I didn't want to leave P and the V. I left yesterday afternoon and will be going back tomorrow. This evening I found an Asian restaurant with a *Gluten-Free* Menu and had Gluten Free Spring Roll & Pad Thai! I was proud of myself for going and finding it and eating by myself. After that, I walked another 13 or so blocks to buy P some cupcakes at a special bakery.

Some general observations about NYC: (I'm actually on the Upper East Side of Manhattan)

- More people probably live on this block that are in the entire town that grew up in.
- When I was waiting for a meeting to start, a group of admins sounded exactly like Melanie Griffith's character in "Working Girl". I love the accent!
- There is a lot of food everywhere - hot dog carts on every corner, fresh donuts, fruit carts, and hot pretzels.
- Tons of the little old Jewish ladies with the perfect makeup, tons of gold jewelry and perfectly coifed hair.
-is every car a cab, Mercedes or BMW?
-Traffic is bad all the time constantly - truly the "city that never sleeps".
-Rode over the bridge in the opening credits of Taxi while riding in a Taxi.
-I have a better understanding of what life was like during 9/11 for NY. I walked past a fire station and tourists were taking pictures of the firemen and the memorial.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am celebrating my first mother's day. I just can't believe it. I never thought I would have the priviledge of being a mother. P made things extra special today, even though I wanted to keep things low key.

Vi let me sleep from 9:30 - 6:30! I can't complain. I then had a leisurely couple of hours with her before P got up and I went to the gym for an hour or so to work out. Then I hung out and read the Sunday paper ( a longtime ritual for us - however, it's so depressing lately), and the baby napped. We took a shower (Shhh), and then P made Filet Mignon wrapped with Bacon. It was splendid. THen we all went to the library, and then to Target so I could get a new camera. We couldn't find one there, so we cam ehome and P ordered one. We also stopped at Dairy Queen (I love Dairy Queen) We played with Vi. I have to admit, I still did a bit of laundry and dishes, and made some food for a party tomorrow but P really helped out. The weather was fairly crummy here - overcast and cool (around 56).

It is also Vi's 9 month birthday! I forgot to schedule her 9 month pictures and need to do that very soon!

Here is a picture from today. She would not smile for me at all.

8 and 3/4 months

Yes this outfit is a 12 month and almost too small. That is what happens when you are 98% for height!

(mind you, mom and dad are 5'6 and 5'7).

Goodies to win

http://www.5minutesformom.com/6032/mothers-day-giveaway-2009/

Win a Toshiba Laptop! The K & L keys are a bit wonky on mine, so of course, I entered!

Little sweetie

Today Vi really wouldn't drink her bottles at day care. I was going to hit the gym for 45 minutes prior to picking her up. But when I called to let them know, they told me about the lack of fluids. I went to get her and we ate (6 oz for me!) and decided to go to Sam's Club. That is always a tiring trip. It was pouring rain and I covered Vi up with my coat. She was such a little doll in the store! Everyone stopped and said hi and she didn't make strange or anything, just smiled and talked. She sat up in the cart like a big girl and I couldn't put the strap around her to help support her because it was soaked. We got diapers (of course), TP, paper towels, cheese, and shrimp. I felt so honored to be her mum and be out with my little friend.

Weekend Update

Vi does not like Yo Baby yogurt.

85 degrees x 3 days is too hot in April although the little shorts and top on Vi is so cute.

Vi has not made any crawling progress. Every time I look at her, I start to worry a bit.

I bought Vi a little trike to sit on and help her back muscles at a Mom to Mom Sale. I had pillows all around her and was sitting about 6 inches away and she took a header off the side right onto her face (in the teeny place where there were no pillows of course) which resulted in a bloody nose and lots of screaming.

Vi moved up to a big girl carseat. I was all set to get one recommended by a friend, but there was an awesome sale. I got the Cadillac of carseats - the $309 Britax Boulevard. I wanted the black one since our car is black, but they were d/c the tan one so it was marked down to like $260 and then I had a 20% coupon (Buy Buy Baby), so I saved $50, and I had a Bed, Bath, Beyond Gift Card for $40, so I ended up paying around $175 for it. I love sales! Dad is still using the Evenflo Travel System Carseat. We tried her in the Britax last night and she screamed and screamed and screamed. I wasn't able to take a photo :(

Vi and I went to the library yesterday. She liked it. They have a nice kids section and I got her a few books. If she isn't going to be a track star, she is going to be super smart, darn it!

The Swine flu has me freaked out. Should I stock up on Formula and bottled water??? Seriously.

This Auto Industry thing is not good. Not good at all for us here in Michigan. Goodbye Pontiac. Not my favorite car brand, but the Pontiac Vibe was cute.

Bea Arthur died. She was my favorite Golden Girls character as "Dorothy".

My life is not very exciting lately, is it?

Disappointing News

This is a difficult blog post to write for me.

The RN Evaluator from the Health Department came over yesterday for Vi's evaluation. She was super fun and friendly and the normally stranger-averse Vi adored her and put on her extra charm with her big toothy grins and laughs. The first part of the 2 hour appointment was giving Vi toys to play with and tasks to complete. She played with a peg board and wouldn't pull the pegs out, but when given, would pound them together. For fine motor, she could drop a block, using a raking grasp, but not a pincer grasp (8 month task), pull an object on the end of a string (10 month task), and could not self feed (8 months). Thus she was found to be 1 month delayed in fine motor skills which was a huge surprise to me.

Gross motor wasn't so good. They assessed her as 2-4 months behind. No crawling, pulling up, not tripoding, not much rolling over, and the most concerning was the head lag (4 months). Usually if you pull a baby up by the arms from a laying position, her head remains steady. Vi's flops back ever so slightly, but not severely so like a newborn's would. Daycare had been telling me about this as well and I blew it off. The good points were that she sat up on her own, and that she when tipped in various directions puts out her hand to steady herself. She also is trying to crawl and can scoot backwards.

Cognitively and verbally she is on track and ahead in some areas. So that is a relief.

The good and bad news is that she is not severe enough to qualify for weekly therapy. The are going to give me exercises to do with her and check back in two months. If she has not improved by then, she will qualify. So what is the reason for her delay? They do not know. But the health department RN said we are the most educated and well-off families on her subject agenda. Thus, Vi has a lot of advantages to catch up.

I woke up in the night thinking about it. I love my baby so much. I will do whatever I can to help her.

8 Month Update

I didn't yet write an 8 month update for Vi. It was the same time as Easter and frankly, things have been very hectic around here as usual.

Vi is doing well. She is extremely happy and smiley. She talks and tries to 'tell us' something frequently. She had her first wave last weekend and loves to eat. She eats 1 -4 oz veg, 2- 4 oz fruit, 1 -4oz mixed fruit/veg, and 3 T cereal in the a.m. and p.m. along with a reduced amount of formula. I got her to take a sippy cup with formula this week and drink an oz or so, mostly for practice.

Sleep has been fairly okay. Last week she had an awesome stretch of sleeping 9-6:30 with no night wakeups. The last three nights have been the 3:30 a.m. wakeups for the bottle to gulp down. No more a.m. nap and p.m. nap. Usually just a 2-3 hour nap starting anytime from 11 to 1.

I need to buy her a new carseat because her current one is 22 lbs and 30 inches limit and her length is around 29 inches and her weight around 17 lbs.

I remain concerned regarding her physical development. She can sit up unassisted well, (except in strollers or shopping carts where she slumps over for some reason) and is scooting around backwards while on her tummy. She is trying desperately to raise her tummy off the floor and get her knees under here placing her on all fours. Success is occurring more often. She is not rolling over much - you see some kids her age rolling all over the floor - nor pulling up at all. Standing heavily supported lasts only a few seconds or so. The physical therapist is scheduled to come on Wednesday for an evaluation.

I cannot believe my baby is 8 months old.

Easter Weekend

I had a pretty good Easter weekend. Only three things would have made it better - warmer weather, a gym workout & ham.

The highlight of weekend? P and Vi were playing in the living room. I walked in with my mom who hasn't seen Vi in almost a month. My mom said "Hii Viii" in a singsongy voice and waved to her. Vi picked up her arm, turned her hand back and forth and waved back! For the first time. It was very special and we were all shocked and thrilled :) It was a very special Easter present for my mom.

Happy Easter

Worst.Day.Ever

This day is not shaping up to be a good one.

Last night my mom called and said she was coming for Easter. We had planned on have people over to play games all day Saturday. P thought my mom could babysit. My mom won't go for that - she wants me to run around all day to places like Kohl's, Sam's club, JcPenny, etc. That isn't fair to P who wants to spend time with us. So I'm trying to make everyone happy - but myself. I think we all may go to a local garden with walking trails, etc. My mom will have to deal with this not being a shopping trip, and P with it not being a gaming day. I hate arguing with P because he does not give one iota. My mom is also prone to flipping out and getting mad over the smallest occurance.

I woke up at 2 a.m. with bad stomach pains (too much stress) and the dryest mouth ever. So dry I could barely swallow. Maybe if I got my butt in and had the test for Sjogren's Syndrome, I could get started on some treatment. I fell back to sleep just before 3, and Vi was up from 3-4 and didn't want to go back to bed. I put her in her crib, put the toy on, and closed the door.

P is out of town, so I have been on morning duty.
I got up very late, had to make bottles, took a quick shower and didn't wash my hair or put on makeup (I look crummy and didn't feed Vi). The garage door wouldn't go up so I had to manually lift it to get out and when I left. I also took out the garbage and one bag broke up so I had to clean that up. There is a new teacher at daycare and Vi had stranger anxiety, so I had to hang out and see what was going on. I got to work half an hour late and my stomach still hurts. I started crying when someone corrected me and now I'm just hanging out back in my cube.

This day HAS TO GET BETTER.

Drooly

I've given up baths. I drool myself clean.

Wow.

The geneticist called me. I have the AXIN2 mutation. It's extremely rare and only one other instance in the literature in this Finnish family. It's nothing I didn't know. They want to publish because again, it is extremely rare and the instance to detect this mutation is relatively new and trendsetting. The surprise to me is that the two (colon polyps & missing teeth) are linked. It's a big time research finding.

I am just that special.

From the net (of course):

Wnt signaling regulates embryonic pattern formation and morphogenesis of most organs. Aberrations of regulation of Wnt signaling may lead to cancer. Here, we have used positional cloning to identify the causative mutation in a Finnish family in which severe permanent tooth agenesis (oligodontia) and colorectal neoplasia segregate with dominant inheritance. Eleven members of the family lacked at least eight permanent teeth, two of whom developed only three permanent teeth. Colorectal cancer or precancerous lesions of variable types were found in eight of the patients with oligodontia. We show that oligodontia and predisposition to cancer are caused by a nonsense mutation, Arg656Stop, in the Wnt-signaling regulator AXIN2. In addition, we identified a de novo frameshift mutation 1994-1995insG in AXIN2 in an unrelated young patient with severe tooth agenesis. Both mutations are expected to activate Wnt signaling. The results provide the first evidence of the importance of Wnt signaling for the development of dentition in humans and suggest that an intricate control of Wnt-signal activity is necessary for normal tooth development, since both inhibition and stimulation of Wnt signaling may lead to tooth agenesis. Our findings introduce a new gene for hereditary colorectal cancer and suggest that tooth agenesis may be an indicator of cancer susceptibility.

Sleeping on Daddy

Where has she gone?

Surprise of all surprises, Vi has been having a difficult time sleeping. The last two weekends the naps went. I tried to put her down and the minute she went into the crib alone, she woke up. She wasn't even overtired as she usually becomes when not napping. Her usual 3 hour nap at daycare became two. She usually wakes up in the night to eat around three. Last night, she wouldn't go down to bed until 10:00. Then she was up at 1 actually crying (usually just talks and sings until I come get her), then ate 6 oz, then was up at 3:20 (which I ignored) and then 5:20. At 5:20 I ran in and put on her Sunny Sunshine to give me 10 minutes more in bed. I then changed her and fed her (4 oz), and put her in her play seat in the bedroom and jumped back into bed with P for 15 minutes.

What happened to my kid that sleeps? Perhaps is she teething????

Ugh.

Dear Doubters

I sat up all by myself today. Mama is working with me. I'm a bit shaky, but definately am making progress. I wish everyone would have encouraged me more.

Sincerely,

Vi

A Little Down

I have to admit, I'm a little down today.

Vi has had a 'daycare cough' for around a month. I bought a cool mist humidifier and that really helped. Last night she coughed like crazy and this morning at 4:30 coughed so horribly I knew she couldn't go to daycare today. So I emailed and called work and we went back to bed until almost 8 (thank goodness!). P is in Boston all week so I'm on my own. P usually works until 8 or 9, but I have to admit, I'm pretty lonely. Vi is still coughing up a storm and I don't know if I'll bring her tomorrow, although I hate to take two days off work when she seems otherwise fine.

The bad news is that the doctor felt there were was delay in Vi's motor skills, especially her torso muscles and of course her not sitting up. She's seen a tiny bit of improvement but thinks she is 1.5 - 2 months behind in gross motor skills. Her fine motor skills appear fine. I don't think she is retarded or anything like that. She was referred for early intervention for physicial therapy, which in Michigan is provided by the school district.

I'm devastated to say the least. No one wants anything to be wrong with their child. I know it's relately minor, that my child doesn't have a fatal disease or anything, but you wonder what you did or didn't do or what caused this, etc. I knew it in my heart, but just couldn't accept it until now.

Please pray for us.

Concern

I have been concerned for some time and only now am able to verbalize it. My daughter physically seems slow. Especially compared to other kids her age. Yesterday I met my friend A and her son who is two weeks older than Vi (and born early). The kids played. Vi had stranger anxiety and cried a bit which she has been doing a LOT lately. A's little boy was climbing and pulling up and rolling around. Vi just sat propped up. People always say - don't compare your baby to any other. I'm trying not too. I was reading on Babycenter.com that 84% of babies sit up by the 6 month mark. Tomorrow she turns seven months old. And she is not close. Daycare is quite concerned and claim in the last month, they've seen no progress. They feel that she is just not strong.

I honestly don't think she's behind in other ways. Her fine motor skills are good, her verbal ability is above average, and she eats like a champ. She rolls over onto her tummy a lot now, less so onto her back. Her legs still buckle a bit when you try to bounce her up and down.

We have a 6 month old wellness check on Thursday evening, so we'll be discussing this. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.