Watching A Miracle Unfold

The Year In Review

2011-05-20T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's basically been that long since I last posted so I figured the title was appropriate. This post will mainly consist of pictures taken between April 2010 and now. Hopefully all the complaints and vicious threats will cease...for now.

April 2010

First Day of School - June 2010

Birthday Party at school

(That is not my butt)

Costume Party at School - October 2010

Birthday Party at home

Vacation - December 2010

Grandmothers - blurry* :(

Christmas 2010

At the piano - February 2011

Daddy faking it till he makes it

New Orleans - April 2011

In Houston for Gran Gran's birthday - April 2011

Blogger has made a lot of changes since I last posted! It is now so much easier to post pictures. I hope this means I will update this page more. :D

About Pre-School...

2010-09-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

It's awesome. Really. Sydney's learning so much, having a good time and we've really seen some really big improvements in just over 2 months since she's been there.

The Pros?

1. Her speech is greatly improved! She's speaking in much more complete sentences, is better able to communicate and her frustration level has gone way down. Some days I'm stunned by the things she says to me. She isn't quite there yet she's come a long way.

2. Her motor skills have exploded. We had some feeding issues and feeding herself was still very challenging for her. Some of it was simply because she much preferred being fed, I think, and she wasn't very motivated to do it. Seeing other kids feed themselves was all she needed and within a week she was exclaiming, "I do it, Mommy! I do!" Awesome.

3. Absence really makes the heart grow fonder. I go pick her up and she reacts like a rock star walked in the room. She literally screams, then drops whatever she's doing or holding and knocks anyone or anything out of the way to get to me. The other kids have started doing it too and one little boy in particular runs over, grabs my leg and squeals, "Mommy!" Let's just say I look NOTHING like his Mommy. May she never walk in and see that.

Of course, we won't talk about the time when Daddy and I went to get her and I walked in and she started running over and then she saw her Dad, screamed LOUDER and ran right past me into his arms. Can you say Total Daddy's Girl?

Now she alternates between that and bursting into tears when I walk in like she just had the worst.day.ever even if I could see her having fun before.

Was #3 really a pro? I'm not sure.

4. Besides the social and conversational skills she's developed, she's really learning a ton and we know what she's taught everyday so that we can reinforce it with her.

The Cons?

1. Oh.Em.Gee. The Drama! She went from being a kid who would bump her head or hurt herself so badly that I would gasp and she would look around and go right back to whatever she was doing. Now? Everything is a crisis. Everything is an emergency. Everything requires urgent attention. Every "boo-boo" needs a band-aid and she didn't even know what a bandaid was until she started school! She didn't even get actual band-aids after vaccines.

2. The whining. It took me a while to realize that it started right.after she started school and people, my child manages to sound like a sick cat when she whines. She asked for something and would whine until she got it, even while seeing it being prepared. Every question was a whine. Thankfully we seemed to have passed that phase!

3. The Defiance. To be fair, sometime around April she seemed to have realized she was actually two and she started testing the boundaries but man did it get worse when she saw how other kids behave! Brian and I have really had to re-work our discipline strategy lately and it's been quite the experience

4. THE SICKNESS. I knew she would get sick once she was around kids. I was prepared for it. Turns out I wasn't. In June 2008, she had one cold and not so much as a fever since. I mean, she's been through teething and the discomfort it brings and she's felt warm but she never had an actual fever. In two months, she had what seems like two colds, random runny noses, 2 days of a very high fever and lethargy and some more unpleasantness that I won't get into.

This is how unprepared and inexperienced we are. The day she had the fever I went to girlfriends and was like, "help! help! what should I do?" It was total 'sky is falling' here. I'm usually a google first and ask questions later girl but poor baby was the sickest I had seen her since she left the hospital and it was total panic up in here. B was no better, he raced home and held her all evening. Such amatuers we are!

One of her teachers took the following pics so they are pictures of pictures:

She does her curriculum based stuff in the morning and then motor skills and play stuff in the afternoon. The day they were doing this was the first and only time she couldn't care less when I walked in the room. She did not want to leave! Go figure.

They were playing dress up. What is she supposed to be? A crazy homeless person?

I could

2010-09-03T17:12:00.000-04:00

start this post off by telling you how busy we've been or I could tell you how time consuming uploading photos can be on this site. I could tell you that school has kept me busy and an almost 3 year old keeps me busier. I could tell you that my laptop even died at one point and I had to wait a few weeks for his replacement. I could tell you that finding two hours to do an update is harder and harder but that would just be excuses, so I won't.

Instead, I shall distract you all with pictures!

The last time she happily sat still for a picture. Then Daddy decided to show her videos of herself that were on the camera and now she thinks that's all it's for. As soon as she sees the camera she wants to "See Shi Shi!" on the screen. She doesn't quite get that she actually has to do something before videos appear.

We went to Busch Gardens with my friend Dani (not pictured) and we had soo much fun...even if it was sooooo hot outside!

She loved this simple swing! Go figure.

First day of pre-school. Yes. Pre-school. That deserves a post by itself so look for more on that later. Oh the things I had to do to get these pics!

Playing with cousin Logan. Double.Trouble.

Uncles and Aunties and Baby Dani

I have some more pics to transfer from my external hard drive so look out for those soon. No, I'm not committing to an actual date for when those pics will be posted. I have learned my lesson!

Yes, I know

2010-03-09T12:58:00.004-05:00

It's been a hundred years since I last posted. We've been verrrry busy the last few months and between all that and school, I just have not been inspired to do any blogging.

To make up for my absence, I'm just going to post pics from October 2009 to present and hope that will appease all of Sydney's relatives.

October 2009:

We went to the zoo

It's a really cool zoo and they have done a great job of keeping it very "jungle-like" and natural. It felt like we were wandering through a forest and just stumbling upon animals. They had all kinds of creatures and I was being a good sport (I'm not very outdoorsy) until we came to the reptile exhibit. I haaaaaaate reptiles. Hate. So there's a big sign welcoming us to the reptile area and I am adamant that I won't go in. First of all, there was a wooden bridge over a lake, suspended by rope that led you to the other side of the place. In that lake were the gators.

Did you hear what I said?

A wooden bridge over a lake filled with gators.

I'm shaking and arguing with B and saying things like, "No. No. No. No. I did not go through all that I've been through with my child to surrender her to gators! No sir! We are NOT going in there!"

And B was all, "Don't be ridiculous! Is this what you want her to see? Do you think they would allow this if it wasn't safe? Have you ever heard of anyone being attacked here?"

That's when I covered my ears and starting chanting, "Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah!" Mature, I know.

Yeah, yeah, I'm usually big on not transferring your fears to your children but did you hear what I said?

A wooden bridge over a lake filled with gators.

Ok.

We stand there debating for another 10 minutes or so as another couple is exiting. The woman shrieks and exclaims, "Oh My Goodness!! Look at that gator!" and she's pointing in MY direction. I was about to faint and then I glanced at the fence beside me and this is what I saw:

It just looks like dried up dirt or old tires/rubber, right? I saw it and didn't think anything of it but I admit I didn't really look at it that long. That, my friends, was an 800lb gator! See where the wood of the walkway is? I was standing right there!!!! I threw the camera to B, grabbed Syd's stroller and hustled us out of there.

Another angle:
This is how I like my gators:
Sue Me.

Tomorrow: November 2009 and a video.

Well, Hello There!

2009-12-16T12:46:00.007-05:00

I know it's been forever but life has been crazy busy around these parts. Having a whole day at home is a luxury these days.

We went to Jamaica in September and I've just now found the time to attempt to post a few of the 1,000,000 pics we took. Her aunts (my sisters) spoiled and indulged her and gave her constant attention. I think it was quite an adjustment for her when we finally came back home.

My sisters: Tricia, Tasha and Marsha

My Auntie Jackie - my mother's sister

Someone looks like they're trying to obtain a modelling contact. I won't say who.

She did.not. like the water at first. Then she LOVED it...but you can't tell from the pics. Lol.

Playing in the sand was her favourite thing! She ate it in between drinking the sea water. Thankfully my mother intervened and reminded us that saline is a laxative. Her diapers were UGLY for the next few days. I shudder to think how much worse it would have been!

Wake up Daddy! You tired already?!?!

Mutual Admiration Society

Sleeeeeeepy

My mother had her first birthday party...ever. This is right before Syd helped her cut the cake.

My Auntie Blossom - my mother's sister. They look sooooo much alike. I never noticed it when I was growing up but man!

Baby Love

Trying to get in on the domino game

The authentic way to do jerk chicken/pork. We were there for 9 days and I think B got food from this place 6 of those days. It's fantastic!

The view from my mother's house. Amazing!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-10-26T20:41:00.004-04:00

Baby Girl turned 2 yesterday. How awesome is that?? 2 years ago there was so much anxiety surrounding her birth and looking at her today brings us so much joy. She's a happy, healthy child who is developing just the way we hoped. God is good.

She had presents and cake and ice cream and partied with her friends, Emma and Eden.

One of the birthday presents - a tricycle

Daddy, why did you stop pushing?? I'm not happy!

Most.pathetic.singing.ever! They claim they were tired because they were at the third verse.

Meet Dr. Tate

2009-10-20T08:22:00.001-04:00

He delivered Sydney and saved her life:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-29-2009/dr-t/3115/

You can click the link to just read a transcript of the interview.

I worried about having a daughter...

2009-09-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Long before I ever got pregnant, I feared having a daughter. That seems strange since I have only sisters and well, I'm a girl. I just think life can be harder and much more complicated for girls. My husband begs to differ but what does he know? Growing up isn't easy for anyone but so many insecurities and fears seem so much more acute in girls... the social anxiety, the pressure to look, be, speak a certain way.

Lately she's been emulating me. She wants to sweep when I sweep. She brushes her hair when I do mine. She looks at me in awe when I get my hair done or wear makeup. She's fascinated by nail polish and sparkly things. I put her swim suit on her and she twirled and danced and was so happy in it. I've been more and more conscious of how vital my role is in her development and how she values herself. Of course we need to make healthy choices and I'm working to show her that but I also want her to love herself and know her worth regardless of how she thinks she looks on any given day. I want her to know God loves her with a pure and true love and she doesn't have to settle for anything less.

I heard this song recently and it gave me chills. I sing the chorus to her every single day now.

More Beautiful You

Recorded by: Jonny Diaz

Lyrics

LITTLE GIRL FOURTEEN FLIPPING THROUGH A MAGAZINE
SAYS SHE WANTS TO LOOK THAT WAY
BUT HER HAIR ISN’T STRAIGHT HER BODY ISN’T FAKE
AND SHE’S ALWAYS FELT OVERWEIGHT

WELL LITTLE GIRL FOURTEEN I WISH THAT YOU COULD SEE
THAT BEAUTY IS WITHIN YOUR HEART
AND YOU WERE MADE WITH SUCH CARE YOUR SKIN YOUR BODY AND YOUR HAIR
ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY THEY ARE

THERE COULD NEVER BE A MORE BEAUTIFUL YOU
DON’T BUY THE LIES, DISGUISES AND HOOPS THEY MAKE YOU JUMP THROUGH
YOU WERE MADE TO FILL A PURPOSE THAT ONLY YOU COULD DO
SO THERE COULD NEVER BE, A MORE BEAUTIFUL YOU

LITTLE GIRL TWENTY-ONE THE THINGS THAT YOU’VE ALREADY DONE
ANYTHING TO GET AHEAD
AND YOU SAY YOU’VE GOT A MAN BUT HE’S GOT ANOTHER PLAN
ONLY WANTS WHAT YOU WILL DO INSTEAD

WELL LITTLE GIRL TWENTY-ONE YOU NEVER THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD COME
YOU STARVE YOURSELF TO PLAY THE PART
BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THERE’S A MAN WHOSE LOVE IS TRUE
AND HE’LL TREAT YOU LIKE THE JEWEL YOU ARE

SO TURN AROUND YOU’RE NOT TOO FAR
TO BACK AWAY, BE WHOYOU ARE
TO CHANGE YOUR PATH, GO ANOTHER WAY
IT’S NOT TOO LATE YOU CAN BE SAVED
IF YOU FEEL DEPRESSED WITH PAST REGRETS
THE SHAMEFUL NIGHTS, HOPE TO FORGETS
CAN DISAPPEAR, THEY CAN ALL BE WASHED AWAY
BY THE ONE WHO’S STRONG CAN RIGHT YOUR WRONGS
CAN RID YOUR FEARS DRY ALL YOUR TEARS
AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THIS BIG WORLD
HE WILL TAKE YOUR DARK DISTORTED VIEW
AND WITH HIS LIGHT HE WILL SHOW YOU TRUTH
AND AGAIN YOU’LL SEE THROUGH THE EYES OF A LITTLE GIRL

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

2009-09-17T09:06:00.009-04:00

First of all, let's just pretend that it hasn't been a month since I posted. Deal?

Ok.

As part of our plan to start doing more stuff, Syd and I have been going to the Y daily for about 2 weeks. I get to workout and she gets to spend 1.5 hours with other kids and caregivers at no additional cost. This is amazing because the Y is so much less expensive than other gyms and the child care is not just about them sitting the kids in a room for the whole time. They read stories, they dance, they sing, they play with developmental toys, they learn letters and numbers, play with play-doh. The care-givers are all either trained teachers or nurses and are really good with the kids. It's pretty much, awesome. Plus, the interaction with other kids is good for her.

The first day, I left the area before she noticed. She cried a little but then settled down and had fun the rest of the time. I kept looking at her from the exercise room and was very happy with how she was doing. There was one point where she was playing with a toy and a boy, who had to be about 4, snatched it from her.

She punched him square in the face. *blank stare*

He gave it back to her.

I guess we can skip the, "Don't let anyone bully you" talk for now.

Day 2 did.not.go.well. She wailed the second we walked in the door and after15 minutes, they came to get me because she was completely inconsolable. I hung out with her in the room and interacted with the teachers myself so she could see that they were harmless. Day Three, we got in the door and she turned around and ran right back out. I handed her over, kicking and screaming but she settled down with only occasional outburts. Day 4 she cried for 10 minutes and was done. Day 5 she whined but didn't cry at all and had tons of fun. Yay! It's been smooth sailing ever since.

Besides that, everything is good with her. Her separation anxiety has morphed into this need to have both Brian and myself in the same room with her at all times. If he's home and she hears him downstairs, she stands at the top of the stairs and cries out to him until he comes up. If I leave the room, she cries until I come back. It's cute but it makes it hard to get stuff done. Of course we could just do what we need to do but that pathetic, whiny cry of, "Mamamamamamamamaaaaaaaaaaaaa" is hard to ignore.

These pictures were taken randomly over the last few weeks:

She likes turning every object into a hat. Most times, she insists we wear it too
The Pepsi Generation

What, you don't get this excited to go to the grocery store?

Sydney goes to Dallas!

2009-08-15T16:33:00.008-04:00

We spent about 20 hours in Dallas and that included about 8 hours of sleep time. It was short but it was so good to see Syd with her cousins and how excited she was to be with them.

With Heaven and Amanda. Heaven is Uncle Che's sister's daughter. Got that? Sydney really, really, really loved being with them. That's her screaming and being really excited - pretty much what she did the entire time.

Amanda and Uncle B

Josh and Syd. Amanda loves actively playing with her and Josh just lets her do anything to him. The kid was in heaven.

Grandy reading to the grandkids. Yes, that's B under Amanda.

Auntie Sam. See how she just leaves her dentures laying around? For shame!

Syd and Uncle Che

Love this!

Sydney goes to Texas!!!

2009-08-13T12:08:00.006-04:00

We went to Texas last Friday through Tuesday and visited family. We had a really good time and it was so awesome to introduce Syd to all these people who love her but had never met her. I worried about how she would handle her first trip away from home, air travel, sleeping in new surroundings and being around people she didn't know. She exceeded my expectations and slept great, was fabulous on the plane and especially loved the turbulence (which is weird because she gets scared easily) and had a wonderful time with everybody. It was a blast!

L-R, Gran Gran, the family matriarch; Auntie E (Eleanor), Gran Gran's daughter and Grandy's sister; Shanna, Auntie E's daughter and standing: Sarad, Auntie E's son.

Being read a story, her favourite thing these days.

Fascinated by Gran Gran's shirt

Napping on Auntie E. It took her a few minutes to warm up to each person but she was immediately attached to Auntie E. We think (a) she reminded her of Grandy, (b) she felt a certain kinship with her since Auntie E previously held the record for a preemie in the family, weighing in at just over 2lbs at birth or (c) a combination of both.
Pics from the Dallas leg of the trip tomorrow!

Letting Go...

2009-08-06T05:29:00.002-04:00

When you have a baby that's born into the NICU, you promise yourself that as soon as they get out, you're going to put that experience behind you and make sure they lead a full, happy life. You tell yourself that you won't be over-protective and keep your child from doing all the the things that other children enjoy. You listen carefully to all the doctors and tell yourself that 2 years isn't that long to put off doing things because, after that, man oh man! you're gonna have a blast. You hear about the "disadvantages" of a preemie spending time around other kids while they are infants since kids pass germs like wildfire. You avoid seeing friends (especially those with kids) and only spend time with immediate family. You do all this, because it's a small price to pay to protect your child while they grow big and strong - even if some of your friends don't understand. You become a maniac during RSV season and do things like, wait with the baby in the car while someone else runs inside a store. You keep hand sanitizer in your car and use it religiously even if you smell like alcohol all the time.

You do all this and more because there's a big payoff - the older your child gets without getting sick/hurt the lower their risk of long-term complications or anything else.

Then, you approach the 2 year mark and it's time to put your faith where your mouth is. It's just so exciting! No more leaving the house just to go to the doctor! No more missing church because confined spaces are off limits! Yay!!

Yeah...

It turns out it's not so easy after all. Letting go and allowing her to see and explore the world is almost as hard as being restricted all these months. The more we do, the more she likes people and is ready to hug and talk to them. I have to resist the urge to wipe her hands with sanitizer when she touches anything. You always think that one parent will be over-protective and the other would be easy breezy and not worry about anything. Not in this house! B is even worse - the man worries about things that I don't even consider!

Two weeks ago, we decided that it was time for her to go to Toddler Church while we attended the adult services. Then we chickened out at the last minute and took her in with us. Brian had to practically sit on her to keep her still, so we decided that she was definitely going the following week. Besides the tracheotomy when she was unconscious, she's never been left alone with anyone but one of us or our mothers. Ever. We take her to the door and B hands her to the teacher and she started to cry and I kid you not, I was sure he was going to take her back and run out of there. Then I act all tough, pull him away and say that we need to make a clean break because the longer we stood there, the more worked up she would get. Guess who left church after 20 minutes to go look at her through the window? That would me. Of course, she was quite happy, walking around the room and "talking" away.

Now we just want to put her in a bubble. Going to the park and the beach are easy - she's with us and can have fun just like that. Yet I know that we can't protect her from everything so we'll keep taking small steps toward her "independence" but I suspect I'll always worry as every parent does. Until I was 24 years old and got married, my own mother came into my room many nights and checked that I was still breathing!

Lord help us when it's time to send her off to college. Though my friend Amy insists that by then we'll pack her stuff for her and happily send her on her way.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze...

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. Isaiah 43: 2,5

Non-Talkative Thursday

2009-07-23T19:08:00.001-04:00

NEVER say Never!

2009-07-19T14:52:00.002-04:00

You know those child leashes that are popular these days? The ones that are like a backpack with a harness that people use to keep their kids close in public places? Well, I'm reeeeeeeeeally not a fan of them. I always said I would never, ever use them...and I meant it. Then we had a preemie, who after 20 months on this earth, refused to walk independently and our desperation set in. We became willing to try and do ANYTHING. A little over a week ago we had some success with her taking about a dozen steps while chasing her therapist and trying to hold on to her and since then, she's been willing to take 5 or so steps on her own as long as she can see something to grab on to close by. If she's busy playing, she will walk around just fine but if she's thinking about it, she will not walk by herself.

So, what does this have to do with a child leash? Our friends, Ryan and Devie came by on the 4th of July and we were all excited that their 15 month old Eden, would inspire Sydney to walk since she just started too. Please. Before the night was over, Sydney had Eden crawling around the floor with her. One day we will be happy that she's a leader. Anyway, Devie suggested using a leash and kind of trick her into thinking she was being supported since it was clear that the child can walk. I wasn't too excited about the idea but again...desperation will make you do anything. I finally got the leash today and well, a picture is worth one thousand words!

At first, she wouldn't let me walk behind her, so I pulled the strap to the front and just put it around my finger...I wasn't holding it at all! That did the trick!

Then:

I didn't even have it around my finger anymore! It's just dragging on the floor behind her.

At the end of that last video she noticed herself in the mirror. She loooooves mirrors and spent about 30 minutes yesterday having a VERY animated conversation with herself complete with silly faces and hand motions. I didn't get that on tape but this gives you some idea.

Devie, I owe you BIG TIME!!! :love:

Independence Day!

2009-07-08T16:47:00.005-04:00

We had such a good weekend! Uncle Martin and Auntie Suzie stayed with us and we all got to meet baby Logan. He's so cute and sweet and tiny and just a joy to be around. Sydney was all about him and wherever he was, there she was also. There was only one occasion where I picked him up and she threw herself on the floor in jealousy and demanded I hold her in my lap too! Besides that, she couldn't get enough of him. It was so good for us all to spend some time together.

We took a few pictures of them and man! It was like controlling zoo animals. One would be sitting and the other would be going headfirst of the couch or one would be standing and the other would be looking anywhere but at the camera. It was funny. Of course, it doesn't help that our ancient camera takes forever to take pics.

We didn't dress them alike on purpose. They just came downstairs wearing the same colours. Cute!

Auntie Suzie stepped in to ease the chaos. Bless her heart for trying

Daddies and their babies

Silly Boys

They loved being on their daddies' shoulders but were ready to move on to something else within a minute

Awww!!

This is her latest game. Whenever she is scolded, she opens her eyes wide to try to make us laugh or she does it whenever she's feeling playful. We do it back to her and she laughs soo hard! She's a silly goose.

:love:

The post that has no title

2009-06-29T18:44:00.004-04:00

I'm out of post title ideas today so we're going with none. :D

All is well in our world and Miss Thang is delighting us daily. That is, when she's not trying my patience or having a toddler fit. She's 99% rainbows and sunshine but that 1% can be a real challenge. I've heard about teen angst but no one mentioned toddler angst! Apparently they're sometimes cranky and inconsolable for no known reason and the parents are expected to ride it out. At least teenagers can talk! I give her some leeway because she went from having no teeth up until last Christmas Day to having EIGHT as of today. That cannot be a pleasant thing.

We delight in watching her play by herself and seeing the things she comes up with all without our prompting our suggestion. Every object becomes a telephone and she will spend all day calling her Dada. Her favourite word is not even a "real" word but nothing beats hearing her little voice squeak, "Boo!" when we walk in the door, instead of the usual Hi. We all sit and practice words with her and she just laughs and says, "Boo!" instead...over and over and over again.

Then there's the attitude. When she is corrected she "argues" with us in a language only she understands and does everything to get our attention. I told her last week that children who give attitude should be able to walk for it to be effective. How ever is she going to stomp to her room and slam the door if she's too chicken to walk? Last week she took 10 steps while chasing the therapist and then dropped to floor as soon as she realized she had no support. I gave her the handle of a spoon and put my finger tip on the ladle and she walked around that way, thinking she was getting support from me. She walks around with us, holding ONE of our fingers and she goes so fast now, we have to keep her pace. If she's standing and playing with a toy she will play and be fine, not realizing she's standing on her own and be there for a long while until she moves on to something else. We used to think she was afraid of falling but the Therapist thinks she's past that now. She thinks she just isn't confident and doesn't feel "safe" doing it on her own yet. She isn't getting any lighter so I hope she does it soon.

In the meantime, lugging her around should be good for my biceps.

Pics:

With Grandy's friend, Mrs. Vickers

Yes, she stuck the binky in his mouth. She thought it was the funniest thing EVER!

Happy Father's Day!!

2009-06-21T08:51:00.002-04:00

So I already posted video about the moment Brian learned he would be a father. Here's when he learned the sex of our baby. Is it me, or was there a HUGE difference between when he thought the baby was a boy and when he knew it was girl? Happy Father's Day honey...I'm so happy I have the moment you fell in love with your daughter on tape.

Dear Friends and Family,

2009-06-18T19:07:00.005-04:00

As you all know, I've basically been on house arrest since I left the hospital 16 months ago. Between RSV seasons and the doctors' need for me to maintain good health, I haven't had much of a social life at all. Well, it seems like all that has changed and I'm not sure I can keep up. Mommy and Daddy say they want me to do "regular kid stuff" and have all these activities planned...I've left the house every day for the last 14 days!

Hold me.

Last Friday, Mommy took me to story time at the library and honestly, I was simply shocked to find that there are other babies in the world! You mean the world doesn't revolve around me? I don't even want to think about it. :cry: Those pesky babies tried befriending me but I just stuck close to my Mommy and played with her purse instead. The stories were cool but I don't see why I had to leave my house just for that. We did some dancing and I really, really loved that! Dancing is my favourite thing ever so I kept dancing even when the singing was over. When it was over, some babies told me "bye-bye" and one even gave me a hug but I stuck to my convictions and didn't speak to them. Maybe they won't take me there again but I hear a rumour that I will be going weekly.

Save Me.

Today was my favourite day of all! We went to a park and man oh man, it was sooo much fun! I rode a pony and at first I was scared but then I got the hang of it and it was great!

Then I went on a swing.

I have one question.

Where have those things been all my life????

I.was.just.beside.myself with glee!!

If you can tune out Mommy's cackling, you will hear my excitement in this video. It amazes me how easily I can entertain her. She sounds like she was having as much fun as I was!

Yes...that is exactly how I laugh. :D

I hear there's a trip to the beach in my future. I'm not sure what this is but man, I'm exhausted! Having fun is hard work!

Do me a favour and make sure my parents pace themselves, ok?

Love,

Sydney

Better Late...

2009-06-07T13:33:00.005-04:00

I know. I know. It's been a while. I had exams last week and I'm kind of an all or nothing girl. When I'm in exam mode, it's alllll about exams and virtually everything else gets left behind. Anyway, exams are OVER and we're back!

I'll post more of an update during the week but for now, here are a few pics:

Hey Sydney! Look at me. Smile for the camera!

No, not a fake smile! A real smile!

So that's the alternative? A fake smile or nothing? Let's try again.

Getting better! Big smile!

Oy! You win. Fake smile it is.

We are not buying her any more toys. She played with those things longer than she had played with many of her toys.

The good old days

2009-05-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned before that we used to spend hours per day holding Sydney upright during the worst of her reflux issues. It would lead to her taking her daily naps on one of us and she would sleep peacefully for hours, leaving the person holding her unable to move. We looooved snuggling with her, even if I did complain some days about not being able to do any.thing. Anyway, that came to an abrupt end when she became active and mobile and chose poking her finger up our noses or riding us like horses instead of snuggling.

For the past two weeks she's been teething hard and then she got shots last week so she's been quite cranky and clingy. The upside is that she is all about the snuggling these days. Last week she fell asleep on me at bedtime and I stayed up for two extra hours just enjoying it. "They" don't joke when they say it all goes by so fast. Then on Sunday, it got really quiet in the house and I came upon this.

*melt*

I know I've posted a million pics like this but this one is special because we thought we were past this stage. I hate teething, but it sure has it's perks.

Based on all the recent pics, some of my friends have asked if I've not combed her hair at all in the past few weeks. To them I say, "Shame on you!!" I don't like hair combing (do *you* like doing things you aren't good at?) but it's not like it's optional. Her hair is combed and brushed daily. Life is too short and her hair is too fine for me to torture myself with those elastic hair ties if we aren't leaving the house. If we are, I do my best to make sure she doesn't look like a raggamuffin:

So there. :p

The whole walking business

2009-05-06T15:55:00.004-04:00

So my girl is still not walking. She absolutely can but she won't. It was the same when we were trying to get her to sit up and then crawl. She just would not do it. For months we would have to keep a pillow behind her and sit her up ourselves and then she would just throw herself back when she didn't want to sit anymore. She never really practices anything so we're left worrying until she just surprises us one day and does it perfectly. One day she just sat up and that was that. Same thing with the crawling...she didn't do a lot of "trying to crawl" and then falling on her face. Instead, she got around by laying on her back, knees up and moving around like a crab on the floor. I kid you not. I had never seen anything like it in my life but she perfected it and moved around with ease. Then one day we went from, "Oh my goodness, she's NEVER going to crawl!" to her just doing it the next day. She's not a trial and error kid, apparently.

The Physical Therapist says she's her most puzzling patient but she does all the right things physically and clearly doesn't have any reason for not walking besides just not being ready to do so. Anyway, everybody set May 1 as The Date She Absolutely Must Be Walking because that's when she would turn 15 months adjusted and the"average" baby is usually walking by then. We have a neuro appt on June 17 and he would like her to be walking by then. Everybody is all a twitter because "we're so close and she's not doing it." She will walk around all day holding on the anything by her finger tip but she's just not ready to let go of that security yet.

This is where it pays to be friends with other micro preemie moms who had to wait for their kids to walk too. My friend Dianna didn't get her son (a 24 weeker) to walk until his grandmother gave him a big spoon! The spoon made him feel like he was holding something stable and he finally walked at 21 months (18 adjusted). Every other micro preemie mom I know has the same story. I maintain this blog for our family who lives far away, for Sydney to be able to look back on but also for other moms who are going through what we have been through. In the early days I would spend hours online just reading other blogs and seeing how these tiny babies developed and thrived. It's gave me so much hope then and still does now. Plus nothing beats telling the doctors, "She's doing all the right things and I don't know any kid born before 30 weeks that walked at 15 months adjusted!" There's a world of difference between a full term baby, a 32 weeker and micro preemie. It's just a fact.

Anyway, we're not gonna stress about it in light of the fact that she is showing NO signs of a true developmental issue. The Therapist gave me a brace to "motivate" her, while acknowledging that my child is just like her mama - she's self-motivated and you can make her do any.thing until she's ready.

I give you the brace:

There are rods at the back and front that make it impossible for her to bend her knees and sit. It's supposed to force her to balance and be inspired to walk. She thinks it's funny.

I put them on her anyway and took this picture so that when she is a teenager and thinking about dishing attitute, I can wave it around and say, "You see what you put me through!! The things we did to make you walk! *This* is the thanks we get???" Then I'll cry and she will feel bad and tell me she's sorry and loves me and won't do it again.

That's how it works, right?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T07:31:00.001-04:00

Baby's Day Out

2009-04-20T11:21:00.007-04:00

I just had a birthday, so went out to lunch to celebrate. Sydney had been with us to restaurants before but we kept her in the stroller the other times. This time we were brave enough to let her sit on a booster on the seat. She did pretty well and even did some colouring

She eventually threw that crayon into our pitcher of Sangria but we drank it just the same. They don't make those bad boys non toxic for nuthin!

They were having a car show right outside of the restaurant so my husband, who fancies himself a car enthusiast wanted to see it all. Never mind that I would ask him the make of a car and his standard response was, "Uhh..Ferrari??"

Sydney chillaxed while we took it all in

If you pretend her hair isn't lopsided, I will too.

B would like me to let you all know that he would like this:

It's cheap too

He didn't want to be greedy and ask for this:

This shot is for my girlfriends. I'd never seen one before and suddenly I come across a dozen in one place.

This is a Bugatti. While I was taking this picture I overheard an elderly gentleman say that he could add the cost of every car he's owned in his life and he could only buy the door of this car. Naturally I looked it up. They're only 3,000,000 USD and only 150 are made every year. Crazy.

The End.

A letter from a father to his daughter

2009-04-16T16:48:00.003-04:00

My friend Janis, shared this link with me today. I am just blown away by the things this man wrote and can relate to so, so much of it. I read most of it thinking, "Does he live inside my head?" Then there were the tears. A crier, I am not but this was the most touching thing I have read in a long time and obviously it had special meaning for me.

It is a very, very long read but is so similar to our NICU experience and the things we currently believe that you MUST read it. I insist.

http://ambulancedriverfiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/love-song-for-katybeth.html

I LOVE these two paragraphs in particular:

There are people, even those who love you, who would encourage you to accept those limitations, because they also fear. They fear you being hurt, or experiencing disappointment. They mean well, and they would protect you if they could.

Don't listen to them. Don't let their fears become yours.

and

And if it seems that I push you sometimes, that I make unreasonable demands, keep in mind the promise I made. Your destiny is your own. I can't chart that path for you. But my job is to make sure you don't stop somewhere short of that destiny because you settled for less than you can be.

Inside.my.head. I tell you.

Thank you Janis.

Where's your nose?

2009-04-15T10:22:00.000-04:00

Dear Child,

2009-04-14T15:01:00.003-04:00

Doing this:

Every.time you run into a wall while doing this:

does NOT inspire me to help you.

Love,

Mommy

Bleeding Love

2009-04-13T07:58:00.000-04:00

This was one of our favourite songs last year...I would turn up the music and sing it loudly and Sydney would laugh and "dance" along.

I came across this video interpretation and wow...

Thank You Jesus.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.

April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T16:45:00.002-04:00

or The Day Sydney's hair was last combed neatly for a month.

Grandy is gone for a month so expect pics with wild and crazy hair in the coming weeks.

I'm good at a lot of things. Hair combing?

Not so much.

Now we know where she gets this look from

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-08T10:36:00.001-04:00

Warning! Warning!

2009-04-01T18:58:00.010-04:00

Reeeeeeeeeally long post ahead.

Back when Syd was first discharged from the hospital, her pediatrician noticed that she had a hoarse cry and suggested that it could have been caused by all the tubes she once had down her throat. She thought she would end up with a hoarse voice but didn't think it was very serious. It never bothered us and since she never cried much, we didn't think too much about it.

We started RSV shots in October and her cries got louder and more noticeable every month. The pulmonologist noticed and voiced her concern everytime she would see us. At our visit last week she recommended that we speak to the senior doctor on staff and see what he had to say. I spoke to him and he felt that a bronchoscopy was in order to check her airway, vocal chords, trachea etc.

The procedure was done today and since it involved general anaesthesia, we all (Mommy, Daddy and Grandy) went to the hospital at dark o'clock this morning. The doctor who was administering the anaesthesia told us that she also had a 26 weeker, 22 years ago and he's doing great today. She said she remembers praying that he would live after he was born and now some days she wants to strangle him herself. Lol. I bet she's not the first parent to feel that way.

With all the activity around her, Syd was growing increasingly restless and her separation anxiety kicked into high gear.

"I don't know who you think you are lady, but I'm just gonna hang tight to my Daddy and keep my eyes on you. "

See my fist? Don't try any funny stuff!

Don't let this face fool you. I'm still watching your every move.

Though we weren't there for major surgery, the procedure was done in the OR, just in case of any emergency. We were all still very anxious and it didn't help when they decided to do it earlier because another surgery was cancelled and they had time. If I were still a nail biter, I wouldn't have any nails left! They gave her a sedative while we were waiting so she would be relaxed and not lose it completely when they took her away from us. It was odd watching her just settle down and eventually go to the nurse willingly. I asked the doc for some of that medicine to take home.

I kid. I kid.

45 minutes later the doctor came to see us and declared that everything went really well and he didn't have any, "Oh My God's" during the procedure. She does have some minimal scar tissue around her chords and a slight curve in her epiglottis but nothing that should cause her any problems. In fact, he things she will outgrow the cry as her epiglottis matures. The main thing he was looking for was a hole in her trachea which could happen from being on the vent but he said her trach was, "just beautiful!" Whew!

We went back to see her and she as a bit groggy but in good spirits. They required that she have something to drink and keep it down before they would release her. They had told me to pack her some juice but since she doesn't get juice, we took milk as well. As soon as she saw her bottle, she.lost.it. It was like she suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten in over 13 hours. She calmed down enough to take tasted the Pedialyte but the second she tasted it she started screaming again. You would think it was acid or something! We begged them to allow her to have the milk but it was still a no go. Then it occured to me that she's used to warmed milk and maybe that was the root of her refusal to have it. The nurse warmed it and she gulped those 2oz down like her life depended on it. Apparently she would rather starve than have her milk cold. When the bottle was empty she was so not amused. Starve her and then only give her 2 oz??? Helloo!

She's not spoiled at all. *blank stare*

She was supposed to be groggy and listless for the next 24 hours but she's been tearing through the house like a Hurricane since we got home. Apart from a really long nap, she's back to her old self.

More random pictures:

Getting ready to leave the house this morning.

"Good Morning Mommy. Can you wait 5 minutes before you stick a camera in my face?"

These are the words above her bed/head. I love that verse. There are days that I walk into her room and it still uplifts me.

Cheese!

If you read all of that, you deserve a gold star. :love:

An apple a day

2009-03-18T15:48:00.006-04:00

We had our first visit to the dentist yesterday and it was pretty uneventful...but not according to Sydney!

A little background:

When we went for RSV shots in January, she got antsy as soon as we walked in the room for her weight check. I think she actually remembered her December shot and knew that some "unpleasantness" was about to go down. She was whining and clinging and most unhappy when it was all done. Then we went for our February shot and the hysteria reached a new level. She wouldn't let them touch her, take her temp or do any checks on her whatsoever and it took three adults to hold her down for the shot to be administered.

Last week we had a routine pediatrician visit and the SECOND she saw the nurse she freaked out - endless tears and she wouldn't let me put her down for anything. I put her on the scale and she just climbed back into my arms. She screamed for the temp taking and I had to have a nurse's help holding her flailing limbs while the doc examined her. The kid is strong!!

See where I'm going with this? Someone has finally had enough of doctors.

So, back to yesterday. We were fine and dandy in the waiting room and still ok as we made our way back to the exam room. I gave her to Grandy while I completed some forms. She took one look at the nurse and launched into the must pitiful cry I have ever heard! Heartbreaking I tell you! The office seems very kid friendly and the nurse was kind enough to leave the room and just wait a bit until she calmed down...not that it helped. I held her while they cleaned her teeth and mouth and she was so upset! Of course as soon the nurse left she was happy and kissing me.

Then the dentist walked in and before she managed to say hi, the big tears came rolling again. She clung to me and buried her face in my chest and would not look at anyone. After a while she started looking at Grandy as if to say, "If Mommy's not going to do something, you should! Help!" Heart.breaking yet funny at the same time. They did nothing that caused her pain and the dentist said she's just fine and we'll see her again in 6 months. Hopefully I'll be able to reason with her then. Right?

We have another RSV shot next week. May the force be with us.

Chilling before we leave for the dentist

I'm happy now!

Ha! Mommy thinks she can get me to keep still for 5 minutes. Bless her heart!

Yes, I'm standing on the couch. What's it to ya?

Back from the dentist. See my sticker? That nurse was really trying to make me happy.

I'm so silly!

Cheeeeese!

Mommy think I look just like Daddy in this pic. Do you agree?

You talking to me?

2009-03-12T16:17:00.004-04:00

You know those babies...the ones you see in the grocery store and they're happy and smiling? The ones who start grinning from ear to ear the second anyone smiles at them? That ones who will happily "talk" to anyone that engages them? The ones who clap and squeal when someone acts silly?

Yeah.

Not my baby.

She's such a happy child but I think people think I'm lying when I say that because she will not communicate with a stranger in any way. B tells me that they were in a store just last weekend and a lady declared that she would make Sydney laugh. Bless her heart. There she was, prancing around like a circus monkey and she got nothing more than a blank stare from the child. Not even a hint of a smile. Sometimes people say, "Oh she looks so sad!" and I have to stop myself from telling them that she was perfectly happy before they came along. Lol. She's just not that into new people upon first meeting them and it takes some time for her to warm up. I'm starting to feel sorry for the people who insist on trying though.

Here are a pics of her silly self:

I promise, she doesn't wear this onesie as often as you think. She just happens to be wearing it on picture days. I'm not sure why I felt the need to explain that.

Grandy's Back!

2009-02-25T09:16:00.001-05:00

Look at my hair!

Breakfast - The food of champions

2009-02-24T07:07:00.003-05:00

My daughter never ceases to amaze me and I love how she literally goes from not knowing or not being willing to do something to just mastering it in one day. It feels like we made leap from pureed foods to real "people" food in a split second. While the babies of my friends were chowing down on english muffins and whole peas and corn, Sydney had no interest in stepping out of her gag free comfort zone. Now that she has learned to control that reflex, she will eat most anything we put in front of her and has tried a lot of new stuff in the last few weeks. She has some strong favourites:

Spaghetti and homemade meat sauce
Tuna salad sandwiches (much to Daddy's dismay - he can barely stand the smell)
Good old macaroni and cheese
Fruit, especially apple chunks

We've had a good variety for lunch and dinner but I was starting to think she was getting tired of the usual egg and cheese omelet or oatmeal for breakfast. Then my friend Lisa mentioned these Pumpkin Banana Muffins she makes for her son and *cue heavenly chorus* we have a winner! They're quick and easy to make, yummy, healthy and they freeze well! Yes! The recipe makes 30 muffins and I have had to stop her from stuffing her face too fast and choking when I give them to her.

I do add 1/2 a cup of oil to the batter because all that fiber tends to make them a bit dry and this makes them nice and moist. I figure, spread over 30 muffins, that isn't too bad. Besides, babies need fat for brain development. :D I think I'll also add raisins to my next batch, if only to annoy the 90% of my friends who hate raisins. I mean, who doesn't love raisins? Come on!

I'm still looking for more healthy meal ideas and if you have any to share, hit me up in the comments. I'm also looking for a super duper blog designer so if you know one or are one, let me know. Thanks!

Fun Fact Friday!!

2009-02-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

Sydney is the slowest eater in the world. The kid chews every bite at least 32 times and meal times are forever and a day around here. Experts say people who eat slowly recognize when they're full sooner, so I guess that's a good thing in the long run. She's also easily distracted when she eats and stops to chat and clap and be nosey everytime.

It is possible for a person 1/5th your size to eat their food and half yours too, even if they do it slowly.

I've tried giving her other phones to play with besides mine but she's not the least bit interested. I need to find her a toy phone exactly like mine for her. She is fixated on it

"The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention, is to sit down and look comfortable." - Lane Olinghouse. I have no clue who Lane Olinghouse is but she (or he?) speaks the truth!

It's my baby sisters birthday - Tricia and Tasha. They're two years about and have the same birthday. They're like grown women now and so old, which just means I'm older. *sigh* Anyway, I went to the trouble of posting pics only because one of them requested it. Happy Birthday Aunties!!!

She sits and plays in her pack and play whenever I need to get something done, like vacuum ory you know, use the bathroom in peace.

Neurologist Update

2009-02-17T10:18:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post this but keep forgetting.

We went for our visit with the neurologist a few weeks ago and he is very happy with Sydney's progress. I :heart: this doctor because he manages to be very thorough without being an alarmist and all our other specialists hold him in such high regard. He asks all the right questions and checks for all the right things but he doesn't get too hung up on the developmental charts and milestones. I think it's good to be aware of risks but we've seen some specialists who border on disbelief when I repeat her medical history as if she's not her own person.

He always says that the tendency is there to over diagnose or over treat preemies because they are at higher risk for problems. While that is true, he says he tries to remember that babies are so different and even full termers develop differently. Some walk at 9 months and others don't walk until 18 months even in the absence of neurological or other health related problems. He checks Sydney for all the things that she absolutely should be doing by now and doesn't stress over what she could be doing.

While she was being examined he kept 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over every thing she did and kept saying she's doing even better than he expected for her age. With every good thing he said I cheered and said. "Yay" and my daughter did the same, with some clapping thrown in. He thought she was hilarious! Of course, seeing him laugh only encouraged her so she spent the rest of the appt squealing, "Yay!"

Anyway he wants us to see him one more time and then he plans to discharge her. I suspect that he wants to see her walk before he sends her off into the world. He said that he typical follows micro-preemies for close to 3 years but he's really happy with her. Considering how scary her neurological issues appeared after her birth, this is like the best news...ever. God is good.

In other news you can use: Miss Thang has taken to giggling whenever any of us laugh. It doesn't matter what the subject is, if we're talking to her or not, or if we're just watching tv. She has no clue what's funny but it doesn't matter. If we laugh, she laughs. It's.so.cute!

Fun Fact Friday!

2009-02-13T07:10:00.003-05:00

Sydney came home from the hospital one year ago, yesterday.

When Sydney is really tired she pulls on her hair - HARD. I mean really hard.

It was much easier to study before a certain person could turn pages and rip paper.

If you continue to allow your child to play with your cell phone, YOU may get in trouble. It happens especially if you forget that said phone can call 911 even when it is locked. You may take the phone from your child only to find that is making an emergency call and then hang up before you think it is connected. You will know you're wrong when the Sheriff's Dep't calls you back in a minute to ask if you just called 911. Not that it has happened to me or anything. :wink:

Sydney likes salty things. Her favourite is her Daddy's face after a long day at work. Let the church say, "Ewwww!"

Happy Friday Y'all!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T08:55:00.001-05:00

It's a big, big day!!

2009-02-01T18:51:00.006-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. Do people still watch that?

I kid. I kid.

Today, my friends, is my original due date and Sydney Crankypants is one year adjusted and it shows. The past week has been quite interesting in our house and she's become this strong willed, temper having child, seemingly overnight. As far as babies go, she's still very happy and playful but man oh man, the kid will make sure you know when's she's displeased. No, I have no idea where she gets that from. This week has been a real battle of wills and she's been introduced to Mean Mommy and Discipline Daddy a time or two. I (foolishly) have been allowing her to play with my cell phone in the past few weeks and she will take it now and say, "Ha (hi) Dada!" and have a grand old time. The problem arises when I try to take it from her to actually use it. I took it away and the child threw herself on the floor and had herself a MAJOR fit.II'm talking screaming, foot kicking, and fighting me to get it back. Exqueeze me?? Does she not know her Mama?? She's done it a few more times too, complete with pouting. I'm amazed how babies know to do these things without seeing anyone else do it.

We've been having some sleep regression too but I think it's mainly due to the ever loving teeth that have been trying to appear for the past month or so. I wish teeth would just show up and stop being such a pain. Ugh.

We had a little "celebration" to mark the special day and of course, there are pics. Only one more year until doctors stop using her adjusted age to track her development.

We forgot to use this candle on her actual birthday (can you say lame?) so we used it today. :D

Yum!

I was trying to get a good pic of her shirt and that meant laying her down. She is not a fan of being still these days so she was not.happy.

Still not happy

I have to act like a circus monkey to get her to stop moving and look at me. If she's not in her high chair, she's on the move.

I tried combing her hair and she also was not amused by that. I gave her the brush to get her to stay still.

One day you'll be able to eat a whole apple baby.

Licking it will work until then

:love:

0-4 in one month

2009-01-18T17:58:00.001-05:00

Teeth, that is.

May God have mercy on us all.

The fine line

2009-01-16T08:20:00.003-05:00

There's a fine line that separates what we feel is our responsibility to let Sydney know how blessed she is, how God has used her life to work an awesome miracle and letting the circumstances surrounding her prematurity be the thing that defines her. There are days when I'm just so tired of keeping up with doctor's appointments and the all encompassing nature of caring for her and I start to think how hard my life is. Then I walk into the rehab center and see a 9 year old who cannot communicate and can only walk with the help of an adult supporting her. She cannot even use a cane. This is not to say that the fact that someone's situation seems worse than mine makes my life easier but really, we are outrageously blessed. She is a living testimony of God's goodness, not a victim of her circumstances.

I think back to the long dark days of severe reflux and non-stop gagging and puke and I cannot believe that we're finally seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. Back then I thought I was destined to always be covered in puke and yet things were getting better every day, right before our very eyes. Isn't that how life is? When you're enduring your own personal hell, it seems impossible that it will ever be better and then one day...redemption, resurrection, healing, joy.

Up until last week, Sydney could not even eat a whole pea without gagging and sometimes puking and we still had to mash everything she eats. She eats Gerber Puffs but Cheerios were too hard for her and I admit, it was the most frustrating thing I was dealing with and sometimes I felt so overwhelmed. I would get frustrated, she would get frustrated and the cycle would go on. Then one day, the still, quiet voice of the Lord told me to just chill, relax, let it go - He's in control. So, whenever she gagged I would remain really calm, hold her hand, look her in the eyes and gently tell her it's ok and just talked her through it until she was distracted enough to swallow. Sometimes I would blow in her face or give her a kiss but never freak out as I was prone to do. The most amazing thing has happened...my child no longer gags and she now stuffs Cheerios down her throat by the handful. I could cry right.now. just thinking about it. I stopped trying to fix it myself and God took over because I was no longer at the wheel. After months of frustration, the solution all along was to let go and let God.

No matter what you're going through never stop believing that it can get better and know sometimes all you need to do is chill...relax...let it go.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

I love going for a stroll!

2009-01-09T15:04:00.002-05:00

Yay! Let's go!

Can we do something about the sun though?

Woot! I got my jacket off!

Just making sure you're still back there

I've had enough Vitamin D for one day. Can we go home now? I'm sleepy.

Hold Me

2009-01-08T15:55:00.002-05:00

My baby is becoming an independent toddler. :cry: I don't know what happened but it seems like overnight she's just become this big girl who knows how to do stuff. A week ago she was pulling up to stand but most times she was pulling up to get to me and was therefore holding on to me. In the past few days she's pulling/climbing up on everything.

In terms of her physical development, her balance was the biggest concern that everyone had and even after she mastered sitting, it took a while before she would not topple over at the slightest breeze. Now she's moving/sitting/playing/crawling with ease.

Just this week alone she has done the following:

Pull up to stand and let go. Today she took one step before she fell. She was so stinking proud of herself too!
Actively play peek-a-boo. I have tried to get video of it but she's on to me and won't do it if she sees the camera. I promise you that it is the cutest thing ever! She covers one eye with one hand and then lowers her head to avoid eye contact. Then she pulls the hand away with great flair and laughs herself silly.
Says NaNaNaNa (NoNoNoNo) when she's unhappy. I was downstairs one evening and B came down for a minute and put her in the pack and play. I went back up right before he did and she was in there whining NaNaNa. I got her out and she planted the biggest kiss on me as if to say, "Oh! Thank You!" How sweet is that??
Claps and says "DaDaDa!" when she hears the garage door open every evening. She knows that sound means Daddy's home

I've been forgetting to mention that her very first tooth popped through on Christmas Day after months of endless teething. She loves feeling it and don't ever make the mistake of sticking your hand in her mouth.

We're a few weeks away from her being 1 year adjusted and I am nothing short of amazed at how far she's come.

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you." 2 Chronicles 20:17

See you soon, Nana

2009-01-06T09:21:00.004-05:00

For a person that constantly mentions how "old" she is, my mother did a great job of keeping up with Little Miss Busybody the past few weeks. Sydney quickly came to understand that she could get away with murder with her and given the chance, the two of them would have played non stop all day. All good things must come to an end and Nana left yesterday.

I took about 10 pictures but when you have child that has figured out that there is no fun in keeping still, you end up with blurry pics.

I don't know, maybe she's tired of a camera in her face all the time.

She was dancing around here.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T11:19:00.002-05:00

I don't know why we ever bother with toys. Her favourite things are stuff we have around the house...for free!!

Silly faces:

I don't know why I rotated the camera.

Grandmothers are funny.

2008-12-29T18:35:00.004-05:00

They are masters of making excuses for their grandchildren. Sydney can do NO wrong in their eyes. It's been funny hearing how my mother things everything Sydney does is just darling and she has her wrapped around her tiny little fingers. She knows that when she's with Grandma she can play and dance all day long. They spend their days practicing walking, which is Syd's current favourite activity. I never think to get the camera when they're walking around the house together. Anyway, here are a few pics.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's the Moose wonderful time of the year!

Ok...so she's supposed to be a reindeer and not a moose but indulge me, ok? :D

Wordless Wednesday!

2008-12-24T07:55:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-17T09:35:00.001-05:00

So, how IS Sydney doing these days?

2008-12-15T07:29:00.004-05:00

If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that question in the past few weeks...I'd have at least 5 dollars. :D

Sydney is doing great. She is such a happy child and is now totally mobile so we spend our days pulling her out and away from things. I find it very interesting that she has all these toys but nothing makes her happier than some paper that she can crumple and rip. Daddy and I are giving her a big wrapped box stuffed with paper for Christmas.

Besides that, she:

Pulls up and stands and plays. She would like to think she can walk but is given a swift reminder as soon as she lets go.
Loves the tv show The Wiggles more every single day. She gets so excited and I love seeing her dance when she watches them. Oh, the clapping and excitement! Priceless.
Says "Mama" and "Dada" appropriately. She's smart though, she says Dada when she wants to play and whines Mamamamamama when she wants anything else.
Naps during the day without a problem now. In fact, the only way to get her to nap is to put her in her bed. Remember it was but a few months ago that I was complaining that she would only sleep ON one of us? Those days are looong gone. :cry: When we hold her now, she's busy doing anything but snuggling. Her favourite thing to do is ride me like a pony. Daddy can sometimes get her to snuggle with him but even that is rare these days. *sigh*
Is letting us see bits of her personality. She's VERY strong willed (I don't want to hear it, Mommy) and is not afraid to voice her displeasure. She doesn't cry when she's upset with us, she growls. Yes, I'm serious. She growls like a lion and makes the meanest face. She got that growling from Grandy. It.is.hi-la-ri-ous.

Overall, she's just the best thing that has happened to us and she's just so much fun!

My mother will be with us for Christmas and I'm really interested to see how Sydney responds to her since she hasn't seen her since she was teeny tiny. We look a lot alike so it should be fascinating. If I had a dollar for every time someone exclaimed, "Oh My! I don't have to ask if you two are related!" I would have a million dollars.

Grandy is spending the holidays with Amanda and Joshua, the original grandchildren. :D I took some pics so Sydney wouldn't forget her. :laugh:

I told her the neighbours will know Grandy isn't here because her hair won't be combed for weeks.

This one makes me laugh so hard.

How big is Sydney?

2008-11-28T16:30:00.004-05:00

Too big!

:cry:

All she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth

Yeah...she reeeeeally likes chicken bones
Smile Mon

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:10:00.004-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for and sometimes I know I forget to acknowledge my blessings and then focus on all that I perceive is "wrong." It's been a great year

I'm thankful for:

1. God - His daily provision and grace humbles me. The challenges he allows only serves to strengthen me.

2. Our family - extended and immediate. We've learned just how important family is over the course of this year. Brian and I have the best family in the world. Between the phone calls, emails and visits, we've been filled with love this year. If Grandy was not here, I'm certain we would have starved to death in the early days and B and I would not have had one date night in the last year. She takes care of all us and makes it look easy. How blessed we are.

3. Our health. It's so easy to take that for granted but everyday really is gift.

4. Sydney. I am fascinated by how much she learns and changes every day. Every day with her is more fun than the last. I'm so, so thankful that I get to be her Mommy.

5. My husband. We've been together for so long and been through so much but this year has been most challenging and he's been most amazing. There were days when I was just too tired to hope or believe but he never ever doubted that we would get through everything. He's so good and sweet and kind with our daughter and sometimes I think my heart is just going to burst when I watch them together. I'm so thankful that I get to be his wife and I love the way he loves me.

6. My phenomenal girlfriends. I wish I could adequately express how much my girls mean to mean to me. I remember how disconnected I felt after B and I left Jamaica and how much I prayed for real and true girlfriends. The kind that will tell me when I'm crazy and paranoid and support me when I need it. The kind of girlfriends who would overwhelm us with cards, flowers, gifts, texts messages, phone calls, love and prayers when we needed it the most. The kind of friends Sydney can call her aunties and I can call my sisters. The kind of friends I would travel hundreds of miles to see and who would do the same for me. The kind of friends who would listen to me go on and on and on about Sydney in the early days and never make me feel like a bore. The kind of friends that could make me laugh on the days I just didn't want to talk and wouldn't make me feel bad about it. The kind of friends I can share anything with and who inspire me to be a better Christian, friend, wife, mother, sister, daughter, student. I love you guys so hard. Thanks for being just the kind of friends I need.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. Remember to actually take some time to count your blessings today.

Yes, She Can

2008-11-05T08:53:00.004-05:00

History would have been made last night, regardless of who won the election. If the McCain/Palin ticket won, we would have had our first female Vice President. The Obama/Biden ticket won and now we have our first black President - 45 years after Dr King's "I Have a Dream" speech. My daughter is both female and black now she knows for sure that she can be or do ANYTHING. She absolutely can.

God Bless America.

A picture story

2008-10-26T18:14:00.003-04:00

October 26, 2007

October 26, 2008

Mmmm....Cake

2008-10-25T19:34:00.005-04:00

And some birthday girl pics. :D

Happy Birthday Baby

2008-10-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

One year ago you burst into our lives, quickly and with very little warning. There are days when the events of a year ago feel like a century ago and then there are days when everything still feels so fresh.

I am simply amazed at how far you've come. A year ago you could barely breathe on your own and eating was out of the question. Today, we are assured that your lungs and healthy and strong because you spend your days, screaming, laughing, talking and playing. You had to learn to eat and breathe at the same time and now I sometimes have to beg you to slow down before you choke yourself.

I love the way you curl your toes and squeeze my fingers when you eat.

I love the way you get jump-out-of-your skin excited whenever you see me first thing in the morning.

I love how happy you are when you first wake up. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to listen to you laugh and giggle and chatter before you're even out of bed.

I love that you express love for your Daddy in a very different way than you express your love for me. You'll be in the middle of climbing all over me and Daddy will take you and you'll stop and just snuggle into his chest -safe, secure, content. It's such a reminder for me that I can rest safe and secure in God's arms too.

I love that your very existence has forced me to consider and do things that I've always wanted to do but never did.

I love that I get to see you eat cake today! Who doesn't love some cake?? :)

I love YOU...to the moon and back

Mommy

Sydney's Birth Story

2008-10-23T17:05:00.004-04:00

Disclaimer: Brian has requested I not exclude any potentially embarrassing details so don't feel sorry for him. :) I think he's proud of how things unfolded.

On Sunday evening, October 21, 2007 I started having some minor back pain. I had a fall earlier that day but baby girl was still moving around in the womb and I had NO signs of any of us being in physical distress. My doctor told me to call him immediately if I had even a hint of bleeding, cramping or contractions so I was keeping an eye out for that. The pain was more of a dull ache in my lower back and it got a tiny bit worse by the next day but it felt no different from your regular old back pain caused by pregnancy. I went to work just the same and just did my best to stay of my feet and rest. Tuesday morning the pain was still there and it got a little worse so I took some Tylenol and was able to function at work with a pillow behind my back. The same thing happened on Wednesday with the pain increasing a bit more. I remember rushing to the hospital at 13 weeks because I was having stomach pain that hurt so much more than that. Turns out that was only gas. :laugh:

I had my regular doctor’s appt scheduled for the next day and B had taken the day off to go with me because I was supposed to do my gestational diabetes test and it can cause lethargy and drowsiness. The nature of his job makes it very difficult for him to just take a few hours off because it's hard to tell when he will get a break. The sole reason he was with me that day was because I had that test and the doctor's office was a good 45 minutes away from where we lived and he was concerned about me falling asleep after drinking that stuff.

The pain worsened during the night on Wednesday and made sleeping very difficult. I started to consider the possibility of a Urinary Tract Infection, which is common in pregnancy and can cause severe back pain as well. In the meantime, there were no contractions or cramping and I could still feel Sydney moving around but with less frequency. I called my doc at 2 a.m. and told him to expect to see me as soon as he opened his doors because I would need some pain medicine and antibiotics because I was sure I had a UTI. We went through all the other labor symptoms and I had NONE. I actually fell asleep at about 4 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. feeling like someone was ripping my back out. Imagine someone pulling your fingernails out by the root…slowly and then multiply that feeling by 100. It was worse than that. I literally though I was at death’s door. My poor husband was so flushed and helpless at this point so we got dressed and raced to my doctor’s office. We were fully prepared for the police to chase us there for speeding because we had no intention of stopping for anyone.

We got there and the pain was coming but it wasn’t constant anymore. They took a urine sample and gave me my glucose drink and went to get me some pain medicine and a small dose of antibiotics if it did show that I had a UTI. 5 minutes after I did the urine test, the nurse came to get me looking all flushed and not really making eye contact. I see them moving lots of people around and she tells me my doc will see me right away and I should get undressed and he would be in to examine me in a minute. Less than 30 seconds later he comes flying in without knocking and before I was even covered up. He’s never done that before. He tells me to lie down and his voice is steady and calm but he’s not his usual jolly self. He slaps the gel on and quickly does an ultrasound. I hear him say, “There’s the heartbeat” followed by an obvious sigh of relief. He examines me and he’s still verrrry quiet. Then he gets up, holds my hand and says, “Sweetie, you’re 7 cm dilated. I don’t even want you to sit up right now. We’re calling an ambulance and I going with you to the hospital NOW.”

This is where I’m certain time stopped for a full minute. I remember willing myself to wake up and it just wasn’t happening. Then the tears came. HARD. B’s at my side, holding my hand and he’s crying too and we’re just kinda stunned and speechless. If I didn’t have my GD test that morning, B wouldn’t even have been there. :weep:

Literally 4 minutes later, I hear the ambulance outside and 4 paramedics race in with a stretcher. I now know that my doc had his office call the ambulance before he even examined me, based on my urine test. A part of me is still in denial that they’re there for me but they grab me from the bed I was on and put me on the stretcher before I could even think anything else. One of them is talking to B to get information on what was going on, another is taking my blood pressure, another is inserting an IV and the last one is trying to get info from my doc about where to take me. I hear him say, “Turn on your sirens and DO NOT take her to the hospital that’s closest. We’re dealing with a very early baby and she needs to get to the hospital that can best care for this child. LET'S DO THIS QUICKLY.”

My doc grabs his keys and tells them he’s getting a head start and will meet them there and he’s calling the hospital to get them ready for me. B wasn’t allowed to ride in the back of the ambulance with me but they allowed him to go in front. The paramedic/EMS who was back there with me was an angel. He kept talking softly to me and every time the pain would get intense, he would help me calm down and breathe through them. Those guys are heroes. I spent the ride to the hospital texting my friends and they all kept responding to me. It was months later that I considered how crazy I must have looked, laying on a stretcher, sending texts.

As fast as we were going, it was the longest ride of my entire life. When we get to hospital, we race to the Maternity Wing and my doctor is there yelling, “WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG??” I don’t know how he left 2 minutes before us and got there and had time to pace the halls when we were the ones with the siren. He tells them where to take me and B goes to give my information to the people at registration. All this time, I’m in mind numbing pain but willing myself to remain calm. We get to the delivery room and 5 Neonatal Nurses and Doctors are already there just waiting for the baby and two delivery nurses are there waiting for me. They get me on the bed and my doctor checks me again and says he see’s the baby’s head. *screams* I start screaming for them to get my husband and panic set in. One of the neonatal doctors came and held my hand and she said, “I bet you’re scared honey but I know you can do this. We’re going to take good care of your baby.” Then for some reason she said, “God is going to take care of you and her. He chose you to be her mother because you have the strength to handle this.”

By this time, B is back in the room and my doc says we need to start pushing and get the baby out soon. They strap on a heart rate monitor and I hear Sydney’s heart beating steady and strong. Music to my ears. Then I felt a short jab of back pain (contraction) but I still had no tummy contractions at this point. I push and I see the nurses moving the monitor down as she comes down to keep checking her heart rate. I push a second time, still not sure if I could even do it. Third time I push and then there’s no more sound on the heart rate monitor. My doc and the nurses look stricken and I hear one of them whisper, “We lost it.” Then another one says, “Here it is” and she says, “No, that’s mom” *terror* My doctor is all fired up now and he starts telling me to make the next push count and he was prepared to do the episiotomy to get her out with the next one. B’s holding my hand and being the most awesome husband evah and I hear him quietly praying too. I push hard and just before we hit the count of ten she comes flying out into my doctor’s arms and she let out a little whimper. Doc says, “Its’ a girl!” and I hear the one of the Neonatal doctors say, “That’s awesome for a baby so young! She’s using her lungs already.” She was born at 11:30 a.m. - exactly one hour after I was told I was in labour. My doc hands her over and they continue working on me.

At this point, I notice B has his head on my pillow and he’s looking a bit flushed. He starts to walk away and the nurse says, “Dad look at your daughter!” He takes one look at her and I only hear my doctor yell, “Catch Him!!” Yes folks, my husband fainted. How cliché! His baby girl brought him to his knees. I hear him mumble, “I’m ok” and he attempts to get up and my doctors says, “You are not ok!! SIT DOWN! HEAD BETWEEN YOUR KNEES!!” *tears* So there I am, on a hospital bed, having all kinds of people violate me, my baby is surrounded by so many people I can’t even see her and my husband is somewhere on the floor. It’s funny now. They get him up and give him a chair and a wet rag for his poor head and the docs hand my daughter to me. Those of you who know B well, know that he's sooo not a fainter.

Gah! I wish I could describe how I felt the first time I saw her but there really are no words. There’s nothing that could explain how much I love her. Nothing. It was a crazy day but one I’ll never forget and we count ourselves blessed that despite the trauma, she made it out kicking and whimpering.

There are times I look back and the little what-ifs haunt me. Then I think about all the events surrounding her birth and I KNOW God planned it this way. One year later and I'm still in awe.

God is good.

The End.

Picture Overload

2008-10-21T06:55:00.003-04:00

Uncle Richard and Auntie Sharon are visiting from Jamaica and they came to see us this past weekend along with Uncle Martin and Auntie Suzie.

Uncle Richard was teaching her to crawl efficiently but she was having none of it. She was much more content to lounge on him.

Auntie Suzie has the cutest baby belly ever! I'm not sure if Syd remembers them from their last visit but she was sooo smitten by them this time. It was very sweet.

I think Uncle Richard was trying to get her to look at the camera.

Sydney's Favourite Things

2008-10-17T17:36:00.003-04:00

1. Mommy

2. Daddy

3. Grandy

4. This:

It's her birthday present from Grandy. She got it a little early because Grandy is going out of town and she wanted to see her playing with it before she goes. Clearly Sydney has no objection to that.

5. The Wiggles

We're back on lockdown

2008-10-07T18:39:00.003-04:00

RSV season is here. *sigh*

It means that Sydney can't go to ANY public places unless it's absolutely necessary. She will only be leaving the house to go to the doctor between now and April 2009 and visitors to our home will be limited. We've gotten so accustomed to taking her everywhere so it will be quite the adjustment but knowing that we don't have do this ever again makes it easier to bear.

The good news is that her birthday is 2.5 weeks away! I will be posting lots of things related to her birthday so stay tuned. I suspect I will be more emotional about it than I anticipate. I don't think I ever shared her birth story on the blog so that will be posted by the end of the week...along with more pictures, of course. You people are never satisfied! No matter how often or little I post pictures, y'all email/instant message me for more. She's a lucky girl to have so many people who care about her. Thank you all.

Happy Birthday Grandma Pat!

2008-09-29T15:04:00.002-04:00

As promised...

2008-09-13T22:33:00.001-04:00

The apple...

The tree...

The Great Hard Drive Collapse 2008

2008-09-13T14:15:00.003-04:00

After 3 years of faithful service (well, depending on how you look at it) my computer crashed on Wednesday morning. I spent the next 48 hours reviving it and trying to not cry. Thankfully, God gave me wisdom to do a backup of my most important pictures about a month ago and I had those pics saved elsewhere. If I lost all of Sydney's pics, I would have cried non-stop until Christmas. I aim to acquire an external hard drive to back up all my documents from now on because I lost everything else.

One new hard drive later, I am up and running but without half of the programs I had before. I'm trying to just be thankful that the thing works. I know pics are long overdue and I will post some before the day is out. I know you all have heard that one before. Do I get marks for good intentions? I will be out of town for school until September 23, so I'm motivated to post some pictures before I go.

Sydney will be home with Grandy (who will spoil her rotten before I get back) and Daddy. I'm going to miss her so, so much.

I hope she remembers me when I get back.

Where did my sedate little baby go?

2008-09-08T18:13:00.003-04:00

In the last 3 weeks or so, Sydney has become a whole new baby. She went from being tranquil and calm and sedate to being nosey and busy and loud in no time at all. I'm loving see her learn new things everyday although it means I can't do anything in peace anymore. The child is all over everything I'm doing all the time. If I'm on my laptop, and she's sitting beside she starts climbing all over me and bangs the keyboard. If I'm studying, she's turning pages and crumpling sheets.

So far, I've been able to restrain her but there is one battle that she is still waging. Napping. I would love for someone to explain to me how she can sleep like a PERFECT angel at night (about 11 hours) but will not nap during the daytime. You will recall that we fought this war months ago and she was doing fine. Then she discovered that life is just too interesting for naps and started fighting them again. I was able to get her napping beside me while I study but even that is not working anymore. She ONLY wants to sleep on a person during the daytime. If she falls asleep on any one of us and we attempt to put her down, it's all over. She'll stay awake and whine and fuss the entire time. She clearly wants to sleep but just will not settle down. There was one day last week where she actually napped in her bed for 2.5 hours and then 1.5 hours the following day but nothing since then.
It's just so puzzling because we don't do anything differently at bedtime and she will go right to sleep. No fuss, no resistance. Nothing.

Where's Super Nanny when I need her?

I'm soo sorry!

2008-08-26T10:27:00.007-04:00

I'm doing a quick update with a few pictures or my mother and sisters will disown me.

The past two weeks have been so exciting! It's as if Sydney became so much more independent and active and curious overnight! She's interacting more with us and she definitely is at the stage where she knows the difference between the people who live with her and a stranger. If she doesn't know you, she's not going to respond to you until she feels comfortable. She also has a bit of separation anxiety now and always needs to know that we're close by. She's much more aware these days.

We did another therapy session last week and everyone was completely stunned by how much she has improved since we resumed her reflux medication. She sits unassisted and is actually happy about it! She laughs and plays and it's very clear that she is not in discomfort anymore. Of course, now that sitting is fun, she has no interest in lying down and tries her best to sit up even during diaper changes. She's also much more vocal and spends her days shrieking, squealing, laughing and blowing spit bubbles. The spit bubble thing is only fun when someone else is holding her.

These pictures were taken at therapy last week. I used my phone so the quality isn't the best.

These were taken when she had that cold a few weeks ago.

Well, it's official...

2008-08-14T13:47:00.003-04:00

my child HATES therapy. No, seriously. She HATES it. I know, I know...hate is such a strong word but she really HATES it.

I think I may have mentioned before how she's always happy and never really cries. I mean, she'll definitely let you know when she's not happy but it's really more like complaining or whining than actual crying. She usually never gets worked up enough to even produce tears, even when she's getting vaccinated. She doesn't cry when she needs to be changed, or when she's hungry or when you put her down. She gets very excited when she knows she's about to be fed but again, no crying. When she goes to bed for the night, there's no fussing and the few times she's awakened before morning there's been no crying. Everyone who's visited or doctors who have seen her have all said how pleasant and good natured she is. Well goodness gracious, why did no one tell us how very spoiled we were?? I laugh now at the times I've ever said she was hysterical.

She wasn't much of a fan of therapy from her first appointment but it was still more whining than crying. She cried through the second appointment but still nothing a kiss from Mommy couldn't fix. We had our third set of appointments yesterday. She was Little Miss Sunshine in the car on the way there and was smiling with the receptionist when we arrived. Then we get inside and the very second she realized what was going on, she started screaming. I mean, big crocodile tears and crying so hard she was shaking and heaving. It was a fit, the likes of which I never knew she had in her! It was even more distressing because the physical therapist doesn't do anything to her that we don't do at home. I make her sit, reach for her toys, roll over and over on the floor and she does all that there too.

She stopped crying when that appointment was over but as soon as we went into our room for occupational therapy and they put her in a high chair, the water works started again. My friends always get a little misty when they mention having to take their kids in for vaccines and now I can relate because I was about 5 seconds away from crying myself. The worst part was when she would look at me like, "Mom, why are you allowing this?" and reach her body toward me. B has a theory that she just doesn't like being told what to do. I don't know anyone like that.

Then, after trying everything else I remembered that there's a song that always gets her to relax. I've used it in the early days when we were introducing solids when she wanted no part of sitting and sometimes when she's having trouble falling asleep. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my mother for making me watch The Sound of Music so many years ago because Do Re Mi is now an integral part of my life. I started singing and the child stopped crying that very second. It was so shocking that the other therapists all came to watch. I had to sing that song for the remaining 15 minutes of the appointment and whenever I stopped she started crying again.

I'm only sorry that I didn't think about blessing them all with my awesome voice earlier.

Almost back to her old self

2008-08-06T14:27:00.002-04:00

Baby Girl is doing much better today! She was not very happy yesterday and was a little whiny and clingy but who can blame her? She sounded awful. This morning she woke up full of smiles and giggles and is improving. She's still congested but nowhere near as bad as yesterday or the day before.

We skipped our PT appointment this morning and rescheduled for next week so there's nothing new to report there.

I'm trying to be more consistent with updates so look for some pictures this weekend.

This thing ROCKS!!!!

2008-08-05T08:11:00.003-04:00

On the recommendation of one of her doctors, we bought this humidifier just before Sydney was discharged from the hospital. It was still pretty cold and dry when she came home and it seemed to help a bit. When we moved back to Florida we didn't use it much because we figured no place is more humid than Florida while completely ignoring how much the a/c can suck the moisture from a room.

We got it set up and running about an hour before we put Sydney to bed last night and added the liquid Vicks to the medicine cup. When I first put her down she had one coughing fit but it has been 11.5 hours and I haven't heard a peep from her since. Not even her usual night noises! No coughing, no struggling to breathe! Nothing! I dare say this is the best sleep she has ever gotten. I checked on her several times throughout the night and she was completely comfortable and relaxed and I could feel the difference in the room. I am amazed that this was the child who was coughing like crazy and breathing through 1/2 a nostril only 24 hours ago!

A week of firsts

2008-08-04T16:19:00.005-04:00

Last week was all about Sydney doing a few things for the first time.

On Sunday (July 27) she went to church for the very first time and she was a perfect angel throughout the whole service. She was quite fascinated with the singing and the lights and didn't even think about napping until about 10 minutes before the service was over.

Then, on Monday she graduated to her High Chair and we think she likes it a little more than her Bumbo seat.

Look at the big girl!

Then she moved to Stage 2 chunky food mid week and she's tolerated them just fine. No gagging whatsoever. That's a pretty big deal around these parts.

Last week was also the first time she peed on Mommy during a diaper change but we won't get into the details of that.

On Saturday, she met Aunt Rita for the first time. Aunt Rita always keeps in touch with us and now her primary goal is to get us to move to Tampa where she lives.

Occupational Therapy Evaluation

2008-08-04T15:45:00.001-04:00

Sydney had her first meeting with OT last Wednesday and she was actually very happy with her. We talked at length about her gag reflex but the therapist wasn't very worried about it especially since she's not having any major feeding or eating issues. She has also gotten better with the hand sucking and will only spit up now if we allow her to suck them for prolonged periods. In the beginning, she would gag and puke almost as soon as her hands hit her mouth. The therapist even tried to make her gag (so we could see exactly where the sensitivity in her mouth is) and the child refused to! The one time in her life I wanted her to attempt to puke and she gave us nothing. She's a stubborn one, that kid. Eventually she discussed some ways to help her practice gag suppression and we'll see how much she improves at the next visit.

She also tested her motor skills and hand eye coordination and she said she scored an A+ overall. She's still advanced for her adjusted age but still behind for her real age. That's not a concern at all since no one really expected her to even be functioning at her adjusted age considering that she was a 26 weeker.

The only issue she had was shared with the Physical Therapist (whom we say earlier that day) and it related to her obvious discomfort while sitting. She also agreed that it was most likely due to reflux and not a true indication of weakness in her trunk. In fact, if we can distract her enough she'll sit up just fine until the novelty of the activity wears off. She still burps a lot while sitting and recently started displaying more minor symptoms. The suggestion was to get her back on her reflux medicine (before she starts associating sitting with pain) and once her discomfort is eased, they are both convinced that she will tolerate sitting for longer periods. I spoke to her pediatrician about it today and he agreed, so we're going to see what happens.

Just yesterday she really got herself in a crawl position and actually managed to move herself a few feet just fine! My baby is growing up so fast and it's amazing to see.

We see PT again on Wednesday and OT again next week.

Maybe if I updated more often...

2008-08-04T13:17:00.003-04:00

I wouldn't be faced with the task of having to do three posts in one day.

This is just a quick post to say that Miss Thang has a head cold and is congested but happy and energetic as though nothing is wrong with her. She started coughing yesterday and it turned to major stuffiness that interfered with her breathing in the middle of the night. Thankfully, we already had 9 month well baby visit scheduled for this morning so we took care of everything then.

She doesn't have a bacterial infection (Praise the Lord) or an ear infection or bronchitis or croup or RSV and those were the things I was most concerned about. She has had her fair share of coughing fits today and she's still congested but the doc says she has nothing that requires major medication.

The recommended treatment: Saline spray to loosen the mucus, pedialyte to replace electrolytes since she's not eating much and the humidier with liquid vicks during the night. She also told me to use Vicks baby rub on her neck, chest and back and to rub some on her feet and cover with socks. I know that works for coughing since I have some girlfriends who already swear by it. The doctor said that if she couldn't actually hear how stuffy she was she wouldn't believe she was sick because she was chatting and playing with/banging her feet for the entire appointment. Right now, she's pounding me and chatting loudly.

I have two more posts with pictures coming this evening.

More info on that necklace

2008-07-21T13:06:00.003-04:00

No, it is NOT meant for chewing. The link I posted in the previous post explains how the necklace is supposed to work. Sydney never acknowledges that it's there, doesn't touch it and she can't (and shows no interest) put it in her mouth.

Another good weekend

2008-07-21T10:59:00.004-04:00

Uncle Dennis (Grandy's brother) and his wife, Aunt Anita came to visit us yesterday and we really enjoyed spending time with them.

Sydney and Aunt Anita

Sydney and Uncle Dennis.

Grandy and her babies

I love this picture so much it hurts! My (awesome, wonderful, superduper) friend Lisa, made this hat for her and I put it on her last week and she was cracking up. Look at that face!Onesie brought to you by Grandma Pat. :love:

Funny you should mention it

2008-07-18T10:58:00.003-04:00

A few people have asked about the necklace Sydney is wearing in the most recent pics. It's an Amber Teething Necklace and it was recommended to me by friends who say that the whole teething experience has been easier since their babies started wearing it.

Sydney is not really a baby that cries when she's in pain so it's difficult for me to tell if it helps or if it's just the way she is. We are so, so close to seeing that first tooth pop through and her teething symptoms have really intensified this week. She's great during the day when she wears the necklace and very restless at night after I take it off before bed. All week she's awakened at dark o'clock and has been mildly cranky and last night she did not have one uninterrupted hour of sleep. The teething tablets usually help too but did nothing at all for her last night. I know it usually gets worse right before it gets better so I hope this is the worst of it for now.

She's wearing the necklace now and has been "napping" for 3 hours. I'm assuming she feels a little better now. Either way, I think the necklace is cute so she'll keep wearing it.

Family Fun Days

2008-07-16T19:33:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I last updated but we've been quite busy the last few weeks. I started school 1.5 weeks ago and I've been trying to get to the point where I feel like I have some kind of study routine going and that has meant less internet time. Those of you who know me well, know that I only love God and my family more than the internet and all the information it has to offer. I have been known to spend far too much time online and it was better to just avoid my computer for a few days while I got organized. We've also had family members visit and Miss Sydney has been enjoying meeting everyone.

First, her cousins Amanda and Joshua arrived two weeks ago to spend to summer with us. For the first few days Sydney wasn't quite sure what was happening and just stared at them all day. No laughing, talking, smiling...just observing. Now she's used to them and their antics and is happily chatting away again. It's good now because they're all up in her grill 24/7.

Amanda wants to help take care of her and hold her and feed her and bathe her. She's even changed a diaper.

Hey Syd! Over here!

Don't give me that look!

Joshua just wants to love on her. Once he's in the same room with her, he's compelled to kiss her or touch her. The feeling is mutual. When he lays beside her, she rolls to him and rubs his face.

This is true

Baby sleeps, Mommy studies.

Uncle Martin and Auntie Susie spent the 4th of July weekend with us.
"Uh Mom, why am I over here and you over there???"

She's pretending to be indifferent. :rofl:
Today she fell asleep, gripping that bar and everytime I moved her hand she put it right back. Who am I to decide what makes her comfortable?

Baby Mamas!

2008-06-29T22:09:00.002-04:00

If you love baby wearing, check this out!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

No purchase necessary!

Adventures in Baby Food

2008-06-29T14:21:00.003-04:00

Sydney has been eating solid food for about 6 weeks and it's getting better and better! We started out with one food every other day for a week and started a new food the following week. Two weeks ago, I started giving her some every day and she's been loving it. We had some gagging and minor puking issues in the beginning but there are absolutely no issues at all now...she's really adjusted to the texture. Thank God.

So far we've tried butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and pears and she's loved them all.

Today we tried peas and they were a hit! See?

Resurrection

2008-06-25T22:45:00.004-04:00

Today was one of those days. You know those days where you start to question everything and your mind can lead you to dark and questionable places. I had one of those days.

Then I stumbled across this blog and it just gave me a whole new perspective. The author of the blog is Angie Smith and she is the wife of Todd Smith, the lead singer of the Christian music group, Selah. If you're a Christian, trust me, you know Selah's music and have probably sung their songs in your church. Angie gave birth to their 4th daughter in April and due to many complications, the baby passed away two hours after birth.

That's heartbreaking enough, right? There's more.

Todd's sister is Nicol Sponberg, another Christian music artist who happens to sing one of my favourite songs of all time. Nicol gave birth to her second child Luke back in March and he passed away in his sleep (completely unexpectedly) when he was 10 weeks old. This family suffered the loss of two newborns in 7 weeks. Nicol sang at Audrey's funeral while holding Luke, having no clue just how precious that moment was.

It made me refocus and think about all the things I need to be thankful for and all the things I need to let go. My daughter is healthy, happy and developing and just who am I to wallow in small things? She's usually in bed by 9:30 but I let her sleep on me until 10:30 tonight. I just felt compelled to keep her close to me a little longer. Of course, I don't want to suggest that my feelings aren't valid because someone might be dealing with something worse but it's nice to gain a little perspective too. It gives me something else to pray about and I can keep the focus off my momentary failings or troubles.

Nicol's song is Resurrection. It's a song that Brian actually introduced to me and it's ministered to us through many waves and storms.

Resurrection
Nicol Sponberg

I'm at a loss for words, there's nothing to say
I sit in silence wondering what led me to this place
How did my heart become so lifeless and cold
Where did the passion go?

When all my efforts seem like chasing wind
I've used up all my strength and there's nothing left to give
I've lost the feeling and I'm down to the core
I can't fake it anymore.

chorus:
Here I am at the end I'm in need of resurrection
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead
What I've lost to the world what seems far beyond redemption
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again, again

You speak and all creation falls to its knees
You raise Your hand and calm the waves of the raging sea
You have a way of turning winter to spring
Make something beautiful out of all this suffering

chorus 2:
Here I am once again I'm in need of resurrection
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead
What I've lost to the world what seems far beyond redemption
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again, again

You have a way of turning winter to spring
Make something beautiful out of all this suffering

My child is afraid of the dark...

2008-06-22T09:48:00.004-04:00

but only during the daytime. Seriously. It took me a few days to figure it out and it's definitely true.

I've been thinking about establishing some sort of routine for Sydney as soon as she gives me cues that she's ready for them. I'll start studying for my Masters Degree in 2 weeks and I'm trying to create some order in both our lives.

After she slept through the night for the first time (about 6 weeks ago), I immediately started working on a bedtime routine. She gets a bath, spends some time loving on her Daddy who dresses her in her sleepwear and I fix her final bottle. I feed her, burp her, snuggle with her a bit and she's usually in bed and asleep by 9:30p.m. It's worked out great and she puts up ZERO resistance and goes right to sleep. Around the same time, we moved her out of our bed because it was getting less and less comfortable for all of us. A king sized bed and B and I were hanging off the edge. :laugh: We put her beside our bed and she never complained and slept peacefully every night until at least 7a.m.

We then decided that we would move her out of our room and into our room! Eek! She had spent 4 months sleeping really close to us and we were not sure how well she would take it. We tried it a week ago and it went off without a hitch! I think I was more anxious that first night than she was! Thank goodness for baby monitors.

Then I decided to take it a step further. Shame on me for trying to push my luck. She's been taking longer, fewer naps instead of sleeping on and off throughout the day so I figured we could try to establish a daytime nap routine too. I mean, she has a bedtime routine and an eating routine...why not a nap routine too? It did not go so well.

Due to her reflux, she became very accustomed to sleeping on someone during the daytime or sleeping in her swing and she just was not ready to let go of that. I darkened her room at nap time (when she was obviously tired) and put her in her crib. Instead of sleeping, she fussed, whined and cried for about an hour. I held her, rocked her, shushed her, sang to her. She was NOT happy.

Finally, after about 4 days of doing that I put her back in her Pack N Play, which was still in our room. She feel asleep in 5 minutes and slept for an hour!! I started thinking that maybe she just didn't like sleeping in the crib but that didn't make sense because she sleeps fine at night. Then it occurred to me that my room was well lit in the daytime and her room was dark because I thought she needed that to sleep. I opened the blinds, put her in her crib and she's napped wonderfully in there ever since. It's totally dark in there at night but she won't sleep in the dark during the daytime. Go figure! She'll still whine occasionally but it's nowhere near the hysteria of the first 4 days. This child never ceases to amaze/confuse me!

She loosened her grip on the bear before I had the good sense to take this picture. She was literally hugging it before. It's the first "toy" we ever bought her and she had it in the incubator in the hospital. Can you believe she used to be the same size as it is? :cry:

This is how she sleeps every night. Hands behind her head, flat on her back. Grandy says her Dad used to sleep the same way. Her head is usually more centered but you get the idea. She had fallen asleep while we were playing. Poor baby and her boring Mommy.

I'm not quite sure what look B was going for here but I think she looks so cute...I just had to post it.

My girlfriend Sonny, sent these sunglasses as part of an outfit and they have come in sooo handy! She does not like the sun in her eyes at all and she loves, loves wearing these. She never fusses when I put them on. Isn't she cute?!?!?!?
One of these days I'll find shoes that fit her feet.

Picture Time!

2008-06-18T09:18:00.004-04:00

Daddy likes having his back scratched and Sydney likes scratching people. It's a match made in heaven

This is not the best picture but I love her little dimple. :love:

I have so many friends with daughters who say people always assume their baby is a boy even when they are dressed from head to toe in pink, flowers and frills.

More pictures this weekend!

Physical Therapy Evaluation

2008-06-18T08:45:00.002-04:00

I took Miss Lady for her PT eval yesterday and I'm happy to report that they are very happy with her progress! She agrees with the neurologist and says she's advanced for her adjusted age and is very close to being caught up for her real age. Of course, she still has until she's age 2 before anyone would be concerned about her ability to do certain things. The therapist said based on what she saw, she expects Sydney to be caught up to her peers by her first birthday.

I told her about her sitting up a few weeks ago and then refusing to do it ever since then. She acts like she's in pain when I try to sit her down too. The therapist said she sees that very often with babies who have had severe reflux because sitting actually aggravates the acid in the stomach and makes them very uncomfortable. Most babies learn to sit up by leaning forward and using their hands for support and they do that until they're strong enough to be fully upright. Somewhat similar to this:

That position does not make a refluxy baby happy at all so many babies just skip that stage or do it rarely until they can be upright. So, even though she's not actually spitting up anymore and isn't in need of medicine she still has some symptoms. Based on her adjusted age, she's not expected to be sitting up yet so we're not worried about it at all. I'll continue feeding her in her Bumbo seat and go from there. It also explains why she's quite happy to reach UP for toys but not across or down. "Extending" the body actually eases her discomfort. I'm just grateful that she's so much better and happier than she was when the reflux was at it's worst.

The therapist also said she actually doesn't require any therapy but, like everybody else, she just wants to see her occasionally to make sure she continues to do well. She typically sees her patients weekly but doesn't want to see us again for another month, when she will evaluate her progress again. Yay!

We're waiting for an appt with the Occupational Therapist who will help her overcome her gag reflex. At this rate, we may not need her because my girl has managed to suck her hands and not gag and puke ONCE in the past 24 hours. That, my friends, is worthy of a celebration! She sucked her hands all the way home yesterday and not once did she come close to gagging. It usually took about a minute of hand sucking before that happens.

She's sooo chatty lately too! I love it! As we speak she's chatting away to herself in the mirror. :love:

Happy Fathers' Day!!!!

2008-06-15T07:56:00.002-04:00

Happy Fathers' Day to all the wonderful Dads we know. Sydney's Daddy has requested a day of leisure and steak for dinner. She's making him breakfast in bed and giving him first dibs on the Sunday paper too. She's a good daughter.

A very special shout out to Uncle Che today. We love you!

I know I've been slacking with the picture posting but part of that was because our camera was missing for a few weeks. It's been found and I'll try to get some pictures today.

Now for the good news!

2008-05-28T15:58:00.002-04:00

"Mom, this baby is a miracle." Those were the words uttered by Sydney's neurologist at our last appointment. It was our first appointment with him but he did receive her medical records in advance so he basically decided what to expect before he even saw her. When he walked in the room, she turned her head around to look at the door and he said, "Is she always that alert? Is this the baby born at 26 weeks?" He did a thorough physical exam and tested her neurological development and was very impressed. He said based on the amount of fluid that was on her brain, he didn't even expect her to be meeting milestones for her adjusted age, much less her real age but she's doing everything she's supposed to be doing and then some. Her motor skills are sharp, her reflexes are great , she has perfect head control and she's vocalizing. She spent the entire appointment just chatting and squealing away.

He said if no one told him she was a preemie he wouldn't know just by looking at her and he's had 25 years experience. He said based on her size, he would just assume she was an average 5 month old. I can live with that. :laugh: I am always thrilled when men of science call her a miracle because I know it's hard for so many doctors to say. He also asked me what we were doing because it was obviously working and I told him we were praying. He said, "Wow. Well keep on doing that." Go God!

I did tell him that my only concern was her extreme gag reflex and he said most babies do gag a lot when they become fascinated by their hands but it's more severe in micro-preemies who have had to endure feeding tubes down their throats 24/7 for weeks on end. Vomiting is a very common problem among preemie parents everywhere. When I look at the blogs of my friends, it's a recurrent theme. He said he's happy that she IS eating and swallowing because some babies have difficulty even with that. During the appointment he told me that he didn't think she needed any therapy for anything else (wow!) but he wanted her to see the occupational therapist for an evaluation to discuss tips and tricks to combat the gagging. It's his belief that she will merely outgrow it but of course, we don't want to ignore it.

The Atlanta neurologist also recommended another MRI in about one month, to check the fluid on her brain and check her eyes again. Based on how much they had to drug her the first time around, I was DREADING it. If they had to drug her like a horse when she weighed 7 lbs, then would have to drug her like an elephant now. It took her a week to get over being sedated like that and she stopped breathing a few times along the way too. He said if she had even one sign that suggested that she was regressing or not developing, he would be ok with an MRI but now he's not comfortable with drugging her like that to find out what we already know. He said as of right now, she's advanced for her adjusted age and only behind for her real age because physically, she's not the size of a 7 month old yet. A lot of babies with stable hydrocephalus do outgrow it as their brains mature during the first 12 months of life and a cranial ultrasound will work for that too. He also confirmed that she definitely can see and he didn't notice anything serious with her vision. Of course he wanted to make sure I was comfortable with not doing an MRI and I was thrilled! As it was getting closer to the time the first neuro recommended we get the repeat test, I was getting more and more anxious. There goes God - teaching me to be anxious for NOTHING again.

He does want us to keep our appointments with the ophthalmologist and of course he's going to watch her development closely. He says he typically sees babies with neurological issues monthly but he was so happy with her, he doesn't need to see her again for 4 months when she becomes more mobile. If I have any issues or concerns then of course I'll contact his office.

I am just always so blessed, humbled and amazed after all these doctors visits. Thank You Jesus.

The BIG news of the day: SHE SAT UP FOR 2 WHOLE MINUTES THIS MORNING!!!!! I'll take a picture later.

Jesus Take The Wheel

2008-05-28T15:37:00.003-04:00

My apologies for the delay in posting that update I promised but the past few days have been very challenging in our house. Our issues with Sydney's gag reflex have worsened and I spend pretty much all day trying to prevent her from gagging on her hands and puking. She loooves to suck her hands even when her teeth aren't bothering her and if she does it for prolonged periods, puking is inevitable. The socks/gloves worked for a bit but she has now figured out how to get her hand in her mouth even when she's wearing them. She doesn't gag as quickly with the socks on but it still happens. She has also figured out how to take the socks off. The kid is a genius. A genius who is so used to puking, she's not motivated to stop.

When she takes a nap, I still have be upstairs because I never know if she's going to sleep for 10 minutes or an hour and as soon as she's fully awake, the sucking starts and I try to not let her spit up when she's lying on her back. This morning I put her on her mat so I could make a few calls and she puked twice in 10 minutes and once while I was holding her but distracted because her doctor called me back. The amazing thing is that she's now sleeping through the night (9:30p.m.-7a.m.) and while she does suck her hands during the night, she does not spit-up. I think it may be because she doesn't fully wake up so the sucking isn't as forceful.

In some ways it's worse than the reflux because we were pretty sure that if we held her upright for 2 hours after a meal, she wouldn't spit up. The gagging can happen at any time. She's 95% over the reflux now and I have not given her any medicine for it in almost two weeks so we're happy about that. It's very frustrating seeing her struggle with this and know there's very little I can do about it. She does gag when I feed her one meal of solids per day but I dance/act like a circus monkey, it distracts her long enough to suppress it. If I allow her to suck her hand after she eats, she pukes and then is immediately hungry. It means I'm constantly feeding her if I let her out of my sight for 5 minutes. Once she gets her hands in her mouth, there's no stopping it. It's a catch 22 because I want her to use her hands and play with her toys and get used to different textures and things but she likes to play with one hand and suck the other. :sigh:

Anyway, please keep her in your prayers. We really appreciate it.

Memorial Day 2007

2008-05-26T12:38:00.001-04:00

Disclaimer For the confused Jamaicans: I am NOT pregnant again. Today is Memorial Day and this video was one year ago on Memorial Day 2007

Finally! Some Video

2008-05-23T15:57:00.006-04:00

I have an awesome update but don't have the time to post it until later. In the meantime, here's some new video and a few pics to appease you until then. Yes Grandy, I'm talking to you...

Chatting and blowing spit bubbles:

I did a double take when I saw this one. She looks so much like B!

How awesome is God?

2008-05-15T17:03:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember me posting about Nate, Tricia and Gwyneth a few months ago. I am happy to report that Tricia had a success double lung transplant a few weeks ago and is doing incredibly well and little Miss Gwyneth was discharged today!!! She was born at 24 weeks, weighing less than 1.5 lbs but she has beaten all the odds against her so far. Her biggest problem was gaining weight and for a micro-preemie that's just fantastic. I am amazed at how big God is and how he still delights in performing miracles everyday. The family still has a long road ahead of them with Tricia's recovery and therapy and monitoring Gwyneth's health but the events of the past few weeks have been big steps forward.

Anyway- Martina McBride

You CAN spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You CAN chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy
And it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all YOUR heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
love em anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway, YEAH,

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway

I sing
I dream
I love anyway, yeah.

Teething Bites

2008-05-08T14:52:00.003-04:00

It really, really does. The little one has been very cranky since the whole process began but thankfully some days are better than others. Some days you simply can't get anything done because she's very needy and clingy when it hurts the most. Who wouldn't be? She has also taken to chewing her hands all.the.time and she's so aggressive too! It would be no problem for us and we wouldn't care at all since it does comfort her but she has SUCH a strong gag reflex that she gags 100% of the time and all her food comes up. The reflex is caused by her spending so much time with the vent and feeding tube down her throat and it happens when she's trying to "talk" too since she uses some of the same muscles. Therapy should help with this and it is a very common problem among preemies. If she spits up these days, 9 times of 10 it's due to her sticking her hands in her mouth. We have been spending a lot of time holding her hands and playing with her hoping to distract her but the second you stop, she gags herself. Yesterday I changed her and went to wash my hands and she gagged in the minute I was gone.

Finally, this was the solution that we came up with:

We used those after she came home and was scratching her face all the time. I was not her favourite person after I put them on but she's had them on most of the morning and has not gagged once. She's still sucking but can't get her fingers into her mouth. She gets so frustrated when it happens, especially when she's squealing and laughing. It's as if she's saying, "Why does that keep happening? All I want to do is talk and chew my hands!"

As my friend Rebecca said, "Being a baby is *almost* as hard as being a Mommy." How true.

How hard is it to take a picture?

2008-05-08T11:25:00.002-04:00

Take One:Mmm...No, that's not gonna work. One More

I suspect that if she could talk she would be yelling, "Put.Me.Down!!"

One More.

No. No. No.

This is it now! This is the one, right?

:rofl: I guess not.

Finally! This one is a little hazy but I love it!!!

Bonus pics for Grandma Pat

Things that are not ok...

2008-05-06T19:44:00.002-04:00

Random strangers touching babies! Ugh! I never knew maternal instinct/rage could be so strong but everyday I'm shocked at how riled up I can get in defense of my daughter. A few days ago we were waking around the store and I was wearing Sydney in my baby carrier. The one I have looks like this one and it is FANTASTIC!

Sydney is so comfy and snuggled in it and we don't have to always lug the stroller around when we go out. It's been really, really nice. Anyway, it's not as easy for people to get close to her as they would if she were in a stroller but a woman (who clearly lost her mind) managed to do so. The first thing she did when she approached was to touch my child on her cheek. Exqueeeeeze me?!?!?! I don't know you! We really haven't been too anal about the germ thing but we definitely don't want people we don't know touching her. I started to move away and she managed to touch her on her arm, again. It took everything I had in me to not hit her! I don't know you! I don't know where your hands have been and could not have made it any harder for you to touch her, except wrap her in a sheet. Thank God for Jesus. Grandy saw the whole thing go down and I think she was gonna knock out the woman too. We wiped her off and I spent the rest of the day avoiding situations where anyone could try that again.

Brian was not amused when I told him about it and proceeded to wipe her all over again himself. :laugh:

It is NEVER ok to touch someone unless you know for certain it is ok with them. I think I've calmed down now...

You know what's awesome?

2008-05-05T16:43:00.002-04:00

Ceiling fans, lights and a/c vents.

For Real. Just ask Sydney. She smiles and squeals and enjoys them tremendously. It's the cutest thing ever and I'm loving seeing her practice using her "voice."

She gets cuter by minute and I'll work on video to prove it. :love:

More pictures coming soon!

Happy Birthday Auntie Marsha!!!

2008-05-03T15:05:00.001-04:00

Outfit brought to you by Grandy!

Random Pictures...

2008-05-02T15:34:00.005-04:00

from the past week.

:love:
This is true.
Gran Gran, Happy Birthday!!! These 3 are for you. She was all smiles for Daddy this morning.

Genius at work
She's tries to eat anything that comes near her mouth. :laugh:
My husband truly thinks she's his toy! He insists the glasses were only on long enough to take the picture.
All dressed up to see the doctor. Outfit brought to you by her Auntie Trish.
"Mommy, will you please stop kissing me for once?!?!?!?!? Sheesh!"

Guess who's a big girl??

2008-05-02T14:50:00.002-04:00

If you guessed Sydney, you're right! We visited the pediatric specialist today and Miss Thang did her best to amaze him. She weighs 13.75 lbs and is 23.5 inches long. Her weight is right in line with her peers at 6 months and her length is closer to that of a 4 month old. Her adjusted age is 3 months 1 day, so this is excellent progress! There's not a day that goes by that we don't marvel at how much God has allowed her to thrive. He was very impressed with how energetic, alert and strong she is and he kept referring to her as a "little tiger." :laugh: She did not submit to her examination readily. By the time it was over and after all the fighting, she fell asleep immediately. She also got 2 of her 4 six month shots today and she took them well. It was over 3 hours ago and she's happy and smiling... with the help of a dose of Tylenol of course!

He also gave the go ahead for us to start solid food, with one new vegetable per week for now. We will only do it for one meal per day and increase as she grows. He also made arrangements for us to see the neurologist in a few weeks to set up all her therapy and do an evaluation to decide when to do her next MRI. I'm actually very excited about starting her therapy sessions since she's so aware now. God is good! I can't say it enough.

Pictures to follow later today.

A Dress!!

2008-04-27T12:05:00.003-04:00

Sydney wore a dress for the first time ever yesterday! We think she looked soo cute! It was one of many outfits from Auntie Sam, Uncle Che and her cousins Amanda and Joshua, aka The Cowans. :love:

See for yourself:

No, she's not sweating. Auntie Trish was just a little generous with the moisturizer

Someone is 6 months old today!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-25T11:35:00.005-04:00

God is good! Sydney is doing great and surprising us every day. She has also started teething. Yes, you heard me. Teething. I didn't want to believe it, considering her adjusted age but it's definitely true. She gets cranky in the evenings but she's handling it pretty well and sleeping through the night. On the recommendation of friends, we have been giving her teething tablets and they really, really work. Many, many thanks to "Gran E" aka Auntie E and Gran Gran for the teething ring and blankets. She's been chomping away on them too. We can actually see the outline of the teeth under her gum so we may see a tooth any day now or not for a few months. :laugh:

She also had a very big day yesterday. We went out of the house and it didn't involve seeing a doctor! We all went to the outlet mall yesterday and she did so well. I'm so proud of her. RSV season is basically over so we will be taking her out more and more as long as we don't have to be in a confined space - like church :( . She was just so fascinated by everything around her! It was wonderful to have a normal day out with her.

I'm not sure what this game is called but they seem to be enjoying it. :rofl:

Meet my baby sister, Tricia, who is visiting from Jamaica. She looks like a baby but she's older than you think. :love:

Shopping is tiring!
The most delicious hands...ever!
I bet you can't guess who sent her this shirt. :rofl:

I love my daughter

2008-04-20T11:12:00.002-04:00

I bet you all didn't know that.

She's just so much fun and everyday a little more of her personality emerges. I love her little hands and feet, her smiles, the way she's just so fascinated by everything she sees.I love the way she just curls up into a ball and sleeps on my chest. I love her eyelashes (they are long and curly and perfect), her eyes and the way she looks at her Daddy. It's hard to believe that she literally could fit in the palm of my hand 6 months ago.

I know I've said this before but I really think we're turning a corner with the reflux now. I'll keep seeing that until it's true. She hasn't spit up much this week and we have been able to put her to bed within 15-30 minutes of eating without any problems. I will be happy when it is behind us.

This week I will be working on setting up her appointments so that she can start her physical and occupational therapy next month. She's been doing so well at hitting her developmental milestones and we want to keep it that way.

Look for more pictures by Wednesday!

Picture Day!

2008-04-12T21:43:00.001-04:00

Better late than never!

She weighs over 13lbs now. :eek:

Life in Sydneyland

2008-04-04T10:06:00.003-04:00

One of these days I'll figure out some kind of routine for the little one. As it is now, she's spending a lot of time sleeping during the day and not enough at night. She's been changing so much lately and she's learning to do something new everyday. She looooves interacting with us and her smiles are getting bigger and much more frequent. I'm hoping we will get a real laugh out of her very soon. What she's doing now is more like smiling followed by a grunt. :laugh:

She has also figured out how to get her fingers in her mouth. It used to be that she would just suck her fists when she's hungry but now she's putting her fingers in her mouth even when she's full. She's still not perfectly coordinated so, sometimes she pokes herself in the nose because she missed her mouth. She does not find that funny at all. :rofl:I was hoping to avoid finger/thumb sucking but when she gets the paci she sucks for a few seconds until she decides it's just not as good as her fingers.

We have access to a great library system and I was contemplating taking her for story/fun time when RSV season is over but when I went to the library yesterday, there were more than 25 babies in the class. I suspect that the germ factor may be too high with so many babies. There is SO much that we want to do with her and it's so hard to be patient but her health does come first.

Her reflux seems to be emerging again and none of us are happy with that. It's so very frustrating and we're praying it gets better soon.

I don't have any new pics but will try to get some outside our house and in the community over the weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Auntie Sam!

2008-04-01T09:43:00.001-04:00