I haven't posted in awhile so I'll try and catch you up.
Anna's been doing really well. She gets stronger every day and talks more and more putting words together as well as adding new words to her vocabulary. She only has about three more months left before she turns three and transitions to the Board of Education for her early intervention. She'll attend school five mornings a week which will be a bit of an adjustment from her two days a week. But all of her therapy will take place in school so once she's done at 11:30 am every day, we'll be free to have play dates, run errands and just live our lives! No more arranging my day over a hour therapy session later in the day. I'm definitely looking forward to that.
So as you can see by the date, we're a week away from Christmas. Anna has seen Santa from afar a couple of times now. She seems less intimidated by him every time we walk past him in the mall, but I'm not going to push it this year. Too many moms have told me that their child won't sit on his lap so I figured what's the point - we'll just wait until she seems more excited about it; doesn't make sense to me to push her into it.
She recognizes Santa now since we have a bunch of images of him on our tree. Uncle Michael brought her a Santa ornament and when asked who he was she said 'Santa' - very exciting!
Dave and I are getting over the flu so Anna has been with Grandma and Granddad (or as she calls them 'FaFa' and 'FaFa'!). We're so grateful to have them so close. Thanks for watching after her and keeping her well. I was informed this morning that she has a bit of a cough but that's not unusual for her so hopefully it won't amount to anything. We haven't come this far for Anna to get sick as well! At least we have the comfort of knowing she had a flu shot so hopefully that will fend off any truly evil germs!
Well, I have some more detailed stories to tell from the last six weeks or so of holiday fun starting with Thanksgiving, but I'll check back in a little later. Need to make up for some lost sick time!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Favorite Past Time
Before I go back to the story telling, I thought I'd post a picture of Anna partaking in her favorite past time. . . eating! Bon appetit!
Back to the Story
I left off awhile ago telling the story of Anna's entrance into this world. We had a event-filled first week which I'd like to detail here but I don't have time right now to get into it. So instead this is serving as a reminder for me to get to it already! I'll be back soon. . .
Halloween
I tried Anna's Halloween costume on her last night. She loved it and did not want to take it off. She wore the shoes around the house all afternoon until bed time. She even gathered up the remaining material and walked around the house with that until I finally took it away from her. She is such a girl! I'm not going to say anymore until tomorrow since her costume is a surprise for those who are going to see her (and they may read this before tomorrow!). But I will reveal the outfit and hopefully a good picture sometime tomorrow or soon after. Happy Halloween!
On the Telephone
When I went to pick Anna up at school on Monday, her class was outside. As I approached the play area, I saw her walking out of the playhouse. But I didn't dare interrupt because she was on the phone! She was walking around the 'house' and the playground with the play phone and would only give it up for her purse which she had brought to school that day! Too funny!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Mommy's Little Helper
A couple of weeks ago I decided to give Anna her first responsibility in the kitchen. When she finishes eating, she has to put her bowl and spoon in the sink. She's still a bit shy of reaching the sink well so most of the time they end up on the edge of the sink, but that's fine for now! Most of the time I have to remind her to place the items in the sink but recently she's been doing it on her own.
Yesterday afternoon I gave her some Cheerios before Pam arrived and left her to play while I worked on a project in the kitchen. I had my back to her when she finished and was surprised when she put the bowl in the sink without having to ask her to do so. She simply put it in the sink and returned to her cars. Such a big girl! Maybe tonight she'll make dinner!
Yesterday afternoon I gave her some Cheerios before Pam arrived and left her to play while I worked on a project in the kitchen. I had my back to her when she finished and was surprised when she put the bowl in the sink without having to ask her to do so. She simply put it in the sink and returned to her cars. Such a big girl! Maybe tonight she'll make dinner!
Milk
As I reported last month, Anna finally learned how to use a sippy cup but would only drink juice or water out of it, not milk. So I let her have milk in a bottle through the month of August. But after talking to the speech therapist, I decided to take the bottle away from her entirely since she is able to drink from the sippy cup and was just simply being stubborn about it (go figure!).
I thought she'd eventually give in to drinking her milk from the cup since she seems to like it so much, but the stubborn mule simply takes a quick sip to appease me and then gets to eating! I let it go for awhile since she wasn't making any progress even when I was being 'hard' on her and decided to ask the doctor when we saw her for her check up. After all, a couple of weeks without milk wasn't going to kill her!
Luckily the doctor had a great solution that worked very quickly. She suggested I mix the milk with drinkable yogurt. I bought it right away and gave her about 1 part milk to 2 parts yogurt. Anna was hesitant at first but gave into the deliciousness! Now I give her half and half and she's been doing well with it.
The only problem is that the yogurt has a lot of sugar, it's expensive and doesn't last long. So last night I bought some frozen strawberries and am going to mix it with the milk and half a banana. I was feeling lazy after I returned from the grocery store so I simply gave Anna the yogurt/milk mixture. But I'll try the 'smoothie' soon and let you know how it goes. Thanks Dr. Coy!
I thought she'd eventually give in to drinking her milk from the cup since she seems to like it so much, but the stubborn mule simply takes a quick sip to appease me and then gets to eating! I let it go for awhile since she wasn't making any progress even when I was being 'hard' on her and decided to ask the doctor when we saw her for her check up. After all, a couple of weeks without milk wasn't going to kill her!
Luckily the doctor had a great solution that worked very quickly. She suggested I mix the milk with drinkable yogurt. I bought it right away and gave her about 1 part milk to 2 parts yogurt. Anna was hesitant at first but gave into the deliciousness! Now I give her half and half and she's been doing well with it.
The only problem is that the yogurt has a lot of sugar, it's expensive and doesn't last long. So last night I bought some frozen strawberries and am going to mix it with the milk and half a banana. I was feeling lazy after I returned from the grocery store so I simply gave Anna the yogurt/milk mixture. But I'll try the 'smoothie' soon and let you know how it goes. Thanks Dr. Coy!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Frustration
One of the down sides to 2 1/2 is that Anna gets very frustrated very easily. She knows how to say 'help' but I'm not sure everyone around her understands when she does so she's taken to having small fits when things don't work out the way she wants or she can't reach something or she drops something or she can't do physically do something that cognitively she understands. I'm trying to teach her patience and how to ask nicely for help rather than getting worked up right away, but I think it's just something that time will take care of. I try to be patient myself with her and intervene before she goes berserk, and depending on the time of day and the situation, it works. Other times I just let her go and let her get over it herself. Doesn't usually take too long unless she's especially tired or hungry. Generally if she's playing by herself and starts to get annoyed, if I act as if I don't notice, she figures it out herself or asks nicely for help. It's when she catches me noticing her problem, that the freak outs are the worst. Can anyone say 'manipulative'?!
Practice Makes Perfect
Anna's OT and I discussed how to increase Anna's leg strength. She suggested having Anna walk and play on her knees. I used to do more formal sessions of therapy with Anna when she was younger and less capable. But it's as if she was paying attention to our conversation yesterday and came up with a game on her own. An hour or so after Joanne left, she was kneeling in front of my computer with a car on top of it and running it back and forth the top of it for quite some time. She took a break for dinner and then went back to 'work' afterwards. Now she's playing catch with Dave, but earlier they were crawling and she decided that rather than use her arms for help, she'd walk on her knees. Grant it, she used the couch for some support, but she only used one hand and she did it all on her own. I think she'd make a good personal trainer - very self motivated!
Throwing
Granddad found a ball while we were away on vacation together last week - a light weight wiffle type ball. He, of course, gave it to Anna. Anna, Granddad and Daddy had more fun tossing and rolling it around and crawling around the floor playing 'catch' and 'fetch'. Not only was it fun but it was also very funny - Anna didn't stop giggling the whole time they played. Not to mention, it turns out Anna has a pretty good arm for a two 1/2 year old. Now we have to work on the catching!
Hi Mimi
Anna is on the phone with Mimi as I write this and just said 'hi Mimi'. She's strung a couple of words together over the last ten days or so, but that was one of the clearest strings yet. I have a feeling that over the next couple of weeks (possibly a year to the day that Anna started walking) Anna will be have a huge speech burst. Her progress has been great, but I feel a true explosion coming. I'll look back come early to mid-October and see if I'm right! In the meantime, we need to work on the low tone in her mouth so her speech is clearer. The words are definitely here and coming faster and faster every day. Now we just have to be able to understand them!
Cheese
Anna is starting to say 'cheese' when we pull out a camera, still or moving. She stays still for about two seconds, lifts her head up and scrunches her face up and says 'cheese'. It's not her best look and she barely stays still long enough to capture it. As a result, I wind up with lots of blurry shots as I ultimately snap the picture after Anna's broken her 'pose', but it's always fun to see evidence of ever increasing understanding of the world around her. We just bought a new camera so hopefully between its increased speed and Anna's growing understanding of what's involved in taking a good picture, we'll have some better pictures to share over the coming months. I'd especially like a good one in front of the Christmas tree this year. I took over one hundred shots last year and wound up giving out a picture from our summer vacation instead!
Colors
Anna had OT yesterday and when Joanne asked her to point out colors, she named them with 100% accuracy. So receptively Anna understands the concept of color and can identify them. But ask her what color her shirt is or shoes or anything else for that matter and she says 'yellow'! If the item isn't yellow, I tell her to try again. Her second choice is 'blue'. Then she goes back to yellow or sometimes says 'pink'. I guess practice makes perfect!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Hickory Run State Park
Here is a picture of Dave and Anna at Hawk Falls at Hickory Run State Park. Since Anna is so terrible at posing for pictures, I was happy to at least get an 'action' shot that wasn't blurry. Enjoy!Play Time
Anna's increasing maturity is evident in her ability to play by herself for an extended period of time. I love to watch her play surrounded by toys making sound effects for the action on the floor. I especially like to watch her rediscover a toy that hasn't been played with in a long time. Inevitably her rediscovery highlights her increased skills and understanding and I am reminded of how far she's come in the last couple of years. It certainly helps relieve my fears of any permanent disability she may end up with.
Art
Anna has a magnetic drawing board that can be used over and over by clearing the screen with a swipe of the board. She refers to it as her 'art'. She loved it the very first time I showed it to her, but we keep it at Grandma's house so I rarely get to see her play with it and watch her progress. But this past week on vacation, Grandma brought it for Anna and it was by far the most played with toy of the week (other than Grandma and Granddad themselves, of course!).
When she first used it, she'd draw and someone would show her how to clear the screen. Usually she needed some help to move the piece back and forth to refresh the screen. Over the months she has gotten very efficient at moving it back and forth with her left hand while holding it steady with her right hand. I was so proud and relieved watching her wipe it clean over and over again with ease. Sometimes I regret certain toys I buy her, but this one was the best $10 ever spent!
When she first used it, she'd draw and someone would show her how to clear the screen. Usually she needed some help to move the piece back and forth to refresh the screen. Over the months she has gotten very efficient at moving it back and forth with her left hand while holding it steady with her right hand. I was so proud and relieved watching her wipe it clean over and over again with ease. Sometimes I regret certain toys I buy her, but this one was the best $10 ever spent!
PB&J
I forgot this part of our vacation story. Anna had her very first peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread. We stopped for lunch on our way back from a short trip to Hickory Run State Park and no one ordered anything that was a good item to share with Anna. So I decided it was time for her to taste her very first PB&J. She eats almond butter all of the time on our multi grain bread. Not quite the treat that this eatery offered. This was truly the PB&J experience as it was very messy on the whitest bread I've ever seen heaped with grape jelly. After a little surgery on my part, I handed pieces of the sandwich over to Anna. What a mess! She truly enjoyed it as made evident by the number of wipes it took to clean her up afterwards - I think it was four!
Block Party
We went to our neighborhood block party last Sunday and Anna had a blast. She enjoyed watching all of the older kids and even played with them a little. But her favorite part was walking up and down the driveways with steep slopes. It was as if she was training for her very own mountain climb. I was telling her OT about it today and noted how funny it is that she seems to know her weaknesses and seeks ways to improve her strength. If only I had her endurance and dedication - I'd be in pretty good shape!
But the funniest part of the block party was when dessert was served. Dave was standing with Anna at his feet offering her a strawberry. I guess this was an awkward way for her to eat because she told Dave to walk, ushering him over to a chair and patted the chair with her hand telling him to sit down. Then she moved in next to him and opened her mouth now ready to accept the strawberry originally offered. I love a girl who know what she wants and goes for it!
But the funniest part of the block party was when dessert was served. Dave was standing with Anna at his feet offering her a strawberry. I guess this was an awkward way for her to eat because she told Dave to walk, ushering him over to a chair and patted the chair with her hand telling him to sit down. Then she moved in next to him and opened her mouth now ready to accept the strawberry originally offered. I love a girl who know what she wants and goes for it!
2 1/2
Anna was 2 1/2 last Saturday. This milestone has brought improvements in all aspects of her life. Her speech and cognitive ability have improved, her play skills are continuously increasing and her willfulness has sky rocketed! I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Sometimes it brings a smile to my face that I have to quickly camouflage and other times it sends her to her room for a much earned time out.
Busy, busy, busy
Anna is a busy bee. Her fall schedule has her doing something every day of the week, with only her weekends free (and those are filling up fast - although not entirely for Anna!). Monday and Thursday Anna is in school. Tuesday Joanne comes to play (OT), Wednesday we play with Pam (speech) and Zeinab (PT) comes on Friday. School is only a half day but by the time we get home, it's lunch/nap time so it only leaves a few free hours in the late afternoon for free time and errands. Of course, it's nice to have some time to myself Monday morning to catch up on my chores. I'm back to work Tuesday through Thursday four hours each day so that only leaves Monday free for me. Her therapy sessions only last an hour but they prevent the freedom I'd like to have after work to take her somewhere or simply run some errands. I rush from work to my mom's and then home again so that we're home in time for Anna's sessions. They're helpful, of course, and Anna likes them, for the most part, but I'm looking forward to the days that all therapy is done in school - that will definitely free up our time for our own therapy and play time! And that day will be upon us soon enough as Anna will be three in less than 6 months - can't believe it! That reminds me, I better get in touch with her coordinator so we can schedule our tour. Time flies when you're having fun!
Vacation
We went to the Poconos this year for vacation. We left the Saturday after Labor Day, right in the heart of hurricane season! We had a few beautiful days and a few not so beautiful days (thanks Ike!). We rented a four bedroom house so there was plenty of room for Dave, myself, Anna and my parents. The house was in the middle of a gated community called Timber Trails and part of a larger community called Lake Naomi. We had access to a community center equipped with a gym, pool (closed for maintenance - bummer!) and recreation area. The membership also gave us access to the lakes/beaches and club house (restaurant), but we didn't get a chance to take advantage of that part too much due to the cool weather.
Anna did go in the lake one day - Daddy didn't give her much of a choice! But as usual, she loved it after she got used to the cool water. She caught a little bit of a cold and I was concerned that it was going to be a repeat of last year's vacation (her very first cold on top of five teeth coming in - fun!), but luckily we only had one night of her in our bed breathing heavily due to congestion. The rest of the week, she had her very own room - definitely the way to travel! And even though her cough lingered, it didn't make for any completely sleepless nights for anyone so we got lucky.
Anna enjoyed the play area in the community center. She loved the train set and, of course, she had to take the stroller and a very odd looking hot pink baby/creature for a walk around the second floor of the center. We bought a bike seat for her and although not thrilled at first (she wanted to walk), she quickly adjusted and seemed to enjoy the ride. Of course, it was a bit of an adjustment for me as I'm not used to an extra thirty pounds on the back of my bike, but I grew more comfortable after I practiced with a weighted down diaper bag while she took a nap one day. I'm still not perfectly comfortable with it but found a local bike trail that I want to practice on with her when I get a free moment (unfortunately, Anna's busy schedule doesn't make it easy!).
One of the best parts of the bike seat was after a quick ride, the three of us returned to the house and were welcomed by Grandma. When Grandma asked Anna who she went on a ride with, she said 'Daddy and Mommy' quite clearly - her first string of words. Yay!
In other speech related news, she started saying 'all done' also quite clearly and seems to be saying phrases/sentences even though we can't quite understand what she's saying. It used to be that she'd put together a bunch of similar sounds, but now the babble sounds more complex and more like a language - a foreign one, but language all the same!
We returned last Saturday and had a busy day Sunday with two (not one, but two) picnics. Probably our last chance to swim this summer as the days are getting cooler but a fun way to end the season. Anna returned to school yesterday and had a little difficulty adjusting to life back at home. Nothing too horrible, but it's going to take a couple of more days, I think, for her to get used to being home and adjusting to her fall schedule.
So good bye Summer 2008. A pretty good one - Anna grew by leaps and bounds in and out of the pool. We're looking forward to seeing what her jam packed fall will bring. I'll keep you posted.
Anna did go in the lake one day - Daddy didn't give her much of a choice! But as usual, she loved it after she got used to the cool water. She caught a little bit of a cold and I was concerned that it was going to be a repeat of last year's vacation (her very first cold on top of five teeth coming in - fun!), but luckily we only had one night of her in our bed breathing heavily due to congestion. The rest of the week, she had her very own room - definitely the way to travel! And even though her cough lingered, it didn't make for any completely sleepless nights for anyone so we got lucky.
Anna enjoyed the play area in the community center. She loved the train set and, of course, she had to take the stroller and a very odd looking hot pink baby/creature for a walk around the second floor of the center. We bought a bike seat for her and although not thrilled at first (she wanted to walk), she quickly adjusted and seemed to enjoy the ride. Of course, it was a bit of an adjustment for me as I'm not used to an extra thirty pounds on the back of my bike, but I grew more comfortable after I practiced with a weighted down diaper bag while she took a nap one day. I'm still not perfectly comfortable with it but found a local bike trail that I want to practice on with her when I get a free moment (unfortunately, Anna's busy schedule doesn't make it easy!).
One of the best parts of the bike seat was after a quick ride, the three of us returned to the house and were welcomed by Grandma. When Grandma asked Anna who she went on a ride with, she said 'Daddy and Mommy' quite clearly - her first string of words. Yay!
In other speech related news, she started saying 'all done' also quite clearly and seems to be saying phrases/sentences even though we can't quite understand what she's saying. It used to be that she'd put together a bunch of similar sounds, but now the babble sounds more complex and more like a language - a foreign one, but language all the same!
We returned last Saturday and had a busy day Sunday with two (not one, but two) picnics. Probably our last chance to swim this summer as the days are getting cooler but a fun way to end the season. Anna returned to school yesterday and had a little difficulty adjusting to life back at home. Nothing too horrible, but it's going to take a couple of more days, I think, for her to get used to being home and adjusting to her fall schedule.
So good bye Summer 2008. A pretty good one - Anna grew by leaps and bounds in and out of the pool. We're looking forward to seeing what her jam packed fall will bring. I'll keep you posted.
Cheers
Anna loves when we toast at a family function or dinner. In fact she loves it so much that last night when I gave her a cup of milk after she finished her juice cup, she clicked the two together and quietly said 'cheers' to herself before taking a sip!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Second First Day of School
Anna started school again this morning after the school's short break at the end of August. There were a lot more kids than summer camp so drop off was much more chaotic. Anna said 'no' when we pulled into the parking lot and was hesitant about going inside. She followed me to her cubby but seemed happy as she pointed out the new mat in the cubby area. I walked her over to some kids playing in the back area and she said 'bye' and started to walk away. I leaned over for my hug and went to find the director to tell her my mom would be picking up Anna. I saw it as a good sign that she didn't follow me and didn't come looking for me as I left. I felt a little strange leaving her since I left her in an area where there was no teacher, but I didn't want to chance upsetting her by forcing her to go somewhere against her will. There were a bunch of kids in the back so I assumed it was okay that she was there. Plus, I didn't hear any loud screaming coming from the back so I knew that even if she was mildly upset, it was nothing that she wouldn't overcome quickly.
Even though she spent 5 weeks there over the summer, it still feels so new dropping her off at her first school. It seems so odd not being a part of this aspect of her life. She's spent a lot of time with my parents, but that is very different since my parents are practically her second parents. Not to mention, I get much more feedback from my mom than the teachers at school. I'm trying to accept that no news is good news, but I'm having a hard time letting go. I'm definitely playing by the school's 'rules' by biting my tongue every time I feel inclined to ask a leading question, but my brain goes on overload as soon as I walk out the door. I'm able to calm the voice within after a little while away from school convincing myself that it's nice to have some time away from Anna and that this is a good experience for her. But the questions start flowing once I pick up Anna without much more than a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye' from the teachers.
I guess I need to get used to this and look forward to the day that Anna will speak in complete sentences and jabber on and on about school as we head home. But for now, this will be good training for the day that comes, hopefully much later, when Anna will give me a simple answer of 'fine' when I ask her how her day went. Luckily, I think I have some time!
Even though she spent 5 weeks there over the summer, it still feels so new dropping her off at her first school. It seems so odd not being a part of this aspect of her life. She's spent a lot of time with my parents, but that is very different since my parents are practically her second parents. Not to mention, I get much more feedback from my mom than the teachers at school. I'm trying to accept that no news is good news, but I'm having a hard time letting go. I'm definitely playing by the school's 'rules' by biting my tongue every time I feel inclined to ask a leading question, but my brain goes on overload as soon as I walk out the door. I'm able to calm the voice within after a little while away from school convincing myself that it's nice to have some time away from Anna and that this is a good experience for her. But the questions start flowing once I pick up Anna without much more than a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye' from the teachers.
I guess I need to get used to this and look forward to the day that Anna will speak in complete sentences and jabber on and on about school as we head home. But for now, this will be good training for the day that comes, hopefully much later, when Anna will give me a simple answer of 'fine' when I ask her how her day went. Luckily, I think I have some time!
Breast Feeding
The nurses asked me if I was going to breast feed Anna. When I said 'yes', they showed me how to position her and tried to help her latch on. But she didn't latch on, instead she screamed the entire time we worked with her. After a few minutes of screaming and frustration, we decided to try again later. Anna calmed down immediately and fell back to sleep on my chest.
Dave finally joined us and my parents were there admiring the newest member of our clan. Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Michael arrived a little later for Anna's coming out 'party'. It was fun to show her off to my family while relaxing comfortably in my hospital bed. Part of me didn't want everyone to leave, but I knew it was time for us all to get some rest. Dave left shortly after my parents and brothers, and Anna returned to the nursery so Mommy could finally sleep!
They brought her to me throughout the night to breast feed, but she continued to 'refuse'. She screamed as soon as I cradled her on my chest and put her mouth to my breast. And she calmed down as soon I gave up.
The nurses reassured me that we'd figure it out the next day with the lactation specialists so I quickly returned to sleep not spending too much time worrying about it. After all, she was perfectly happy returning to sleep so maybe she just wanted to rest after our ordeal!
The problem solving started the next day. Laurie, my birth class teacher, was the lactation specialist and she spent quite awhile with the two of us trying to show Anna, and me, what to do. We decided that she had a weak suck so she showed Dave how to feed her with a tube. The tube attached to his finger which he placed in her mouth and she had to suck just as she would on a nipple or bottle. We fed her like this all day, trying to breast feed her at different points but to no avail.
The problem solving continued. Laurie told me to spend 'skin on skin' time with her, which would help her to become more comfortable, encouraging her to latch on. She also helped me try different positions and even gave us a bottle with a more difficult nipple which would help to strengthen her suck.
The nursery graciously used this bottle for one feeding at night but reverted to the typical bottle for the second feeding as the first one took close to an hour; the second one only took 20 minutes.
Anna was born on a Monday and it was now Wednesday. According to her chart, she was peeing and pooping well, and the pediatrician confirmed that she was doing great. She gave us an amount of formula to shoot for during a 24 hour period and we and Anna willingly obliged.
We were tired and frustrated but never imagined the real reason for Anna's difficulty. There's more to this first small struggle in Anna's life, but I will save it for another post. It's time for bed!
Dave finally joined us and my parents were there admiring the newest member of our clan. Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Michael arrived a little later for Anna's coming out 'party'. It was fun to show her off to my family while relaxing comfortably in my hospital bed. Part of me didn't want everyone to leave, but I knew it was time for us all to get some rest. Dave left shortly after my parents and brothers, and Anna returned to the nursery so Mommy could finally sleep!
They brought her to me throughout the night to breast feed, but she continued to 'refuse'. She screamed as soon as I cradled her on my chest and put her mouth to my breast. And she calmed down as soon I gave up.
The nurses reassured me that we'd figure it out the next day with the lactation specialists so I quickly returned to sleep not spending too much time worrying about it. After all, she was perfectly happy returning to sleep so maybe she just wanted to rest after our ordeal!
The problem solving started the next day. Laurie, my birth class teacher, was the lactation specialist and she spent quite awhile with the two of us trying to show Anna, and me, what to do. We decided that she had a weak suck so she showed Dave how to feed her with a tube. The tube attached to his finger which he placed in her mouth and she had to suck just as she would on a nipple or bottle. We fed her like this all day, trying to breast feed her at different points but to no avail.
The problem solving continued. Laurie told me to spend 'skin on skin' time with her, which would help her to become more comfortable, encouraging her to latch on. She also helped me try different positions and even gave us a bottle with a more difficult nipple which would help to strengthen her suck.
The nursery graciously used this bottle for one feeding at night but reverted to the typical bottle for the second feeding as the first one took close to an hour; the second one only took 20 minutes.
Anna was born on a Monday and it was now Wednesday. According to her chart, she was peeing and pooping well, and the pediatrician confirmed that she was doing great. She gave us an amount of formula to shoot for during a 24 hour period and we and Anna willingly obliged.
We were tired and frustrated but never imagined the real reason for Anna's difficulty. There's more to this first small struggle in Anna's life, but I will save it for another post. It's time for bed!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Stinky Feet
Anna is a sweaty girl. And one of the consequences of our little hothead is stinky feet! We kid her about this when we take her shoes off especially after a really warm day. Dave especially makes a big dramatic show of pretending to smell her feet and then making a 'stinky' face. She loves this and joins in the fun by bringing her own feet up to her nose to smell every time we take off her shoes or bring attention to her feet. She's quite the contortionist. Cirque du Soleil would be very impressed. Not only does she smell her own feet, but now she leans over really close to smell our feet when our shoes are off. It's too funny!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Labor Day
Back to my story telling. I was due March 11, 2006, but the day passed and nothing. But at about 3:15 am, March 12, I felt what I thought was my water breaking. It wasn't a gush that the movies tend to portray but a trickle, and according to my birth class, it could be just that.
I was sleeping in the other room on the futon because it was where I was most comfortable at that point in my pregnancy so I went in to see Dave. Since I had no other labor symptons, we decided to wait a little while to see what happened.
I couldn't sleep as I anticipated what was to come so I finished reading a breast feeding book I had taken out from the library. At about 5:30 am, I felt my first labor pain. I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for the last six weeks or so and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between one of those and a 'real' contraction. But as soon as the first one hit, I knew the difference. It wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. It felt like a cramp that started at the top of my belly and worked its way down. I started timing the contractions and took my temperature so I could report the news to the doctor.
Later that morning we called the doctor. Unfortunately he wasn't on-call so I had to speak to the on-call doctor. She said that if my water had broken that I needed to come in so Dave and I packed up and headed in. Once I settled in, the doctor came and said that even though I was having contractions, my water had not broken and suggested we go home.
We headed home and waited. I puttered around continuing to time my contractions. They were pretty irregular and although uncomfortable not unbearable. The doctor said not to come back until they were 5-7 minutes apart for about two hours so I continued to log them as the day ticked by.
As the day wore on, they became more frequent and more intense but still not regular. It was difficult to sit still at this point so I wandered around the house longing for a little rest.
My mom called at 8 pm and suggested I call the doctor. So I called, but she said that based on what I said I wasn't dialating and that the contractions needed to be more intense in order for me to dialate. More intense, what?!?!?!?!
So I continued to wander around the house every few minutes until the contractions passed. I finally took a shower for awhile, and although it provided some relief, there's only so long you can stand in the shower! It was around midnight at this point and we were both exhausted. Since I couldn't rest easily, we went upstairs to the guest room where we have a small tv and watched reruns. Dave suggested I lie next to him on the bed and squeeze his hand every time I had a contraction. But they were coming so fast that they didn't allow me enough time to get comfortable and rest briefly. Instead I continued to wander around the upstairs, briefly finding a comfortable position on the futon for a quick rest.
I finally called the hospital around 2 am and reached a nurse who worked with my doctor. She suggested I come in so they could check me since, by my report, I'd been in labor for 21 hours. So we headed to the hospital and settled in. The nurse came and reported that I was 8 cm! Dave and I high fived and quickly answered 'yes' when she asked me if I wanted an epidural. It had been close to 24 hours and I had barely sat, let alone rested, for the last 12 hours.
They sent Dave out of the room and the doctor came in to administer the epidural. They instructed me that I had to sit absolutely still while they gave me the needle. I asked how long it would take to start working, and they told me about 5 minutes. So I beared down on the pillow they gave me to hug and made like a statue!
I couldn't believe how quickly and well it worked. After the pain I experienced, I couldn't imagine that I wouldn't feel anything. I can't say I got much sleep, but it was nice to be able to finally lie comfortably in the bed while the contractions continued without notice for a few hours.
My doctor came in around 7 am to check me and I had only dialated about 1 more cm so I still had one more to go. My water broke when they examined me last, and by 11am I was ready to push, finally! Luckily the epidural hadn't completely worn off so although I felt pressure, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that Anna never dropped. She was at -2 six weeks earlier and she was still there. After two hours, she was still at -2 and just wouldn't budge. Dr. Miller came in around 1 pm and said, 'what do you say we get her out of there?!' I quickly agreed.
They prepped me for a c-section while Dave went to call my parents. They rolled me into the operating room and told me I had to help them get me onto the operating table. I was so anxious for all of this to be over, I pushed myself onto the table with little effort. It all happened pretty quickly from this point on. Anna finally arrived at 1:49 pm.
They cleaned her up and brought her over to me, but frankly I was so exhausted at this point that I can't say I had that movie moment I was waiting for! I nodded and smiled with a small tear in my eye as they swept her away to the nursery with Dave following behind. They still had to deliver the after birth and stitch me up.
They brought me to recovery afterwards although I have no memory of this and I slept for awhile. I really have no idea to this day how long I was in there. I just remember shaking a lot and then finally hearing my mom and the nurse talking about knitting or something. When I heard this, I said, 'Have you ever been to the knitting store on Glen Ridge Avenue in Montclair?' From there, they took me to my room. Again they were very impressed with my ability to push myself onto the bed in the room after the long day and a half I had.
The nurses probably thought it was strange that I hadn't asked to see Anna, but I was so happy to not be in labor anymore that I trusted she was in good care and I enjoyed the relaxation of my room and the pampering of the nurses and my mom. Besides, I knew Dave was with her, and I knew they'd bring her to me when they finished all of their tests and routines.
Finally, I met my daughter. She was so beautiful! And I'm not just saying that! It was so amazing to finally see who I'd been taking care of for the last 40 weeks! She had lots of dark hair with a tiny little patch of blond that everyone thought was a bald spot. Everyone agreed she looked a lot like me as an infant.
Admittedly, I definitely felt some diappointment that after such a long labor I wound up having a c-section and a lot of the 'magic' that I had envisioned was probably just that, a dream. But now that it was all over, all that mattered was that she was here, she was healthy and it was over!
So there you have it. Anna Withington was born Monday, March 13, 2006, at 1:49 pm, weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.5 inches. Welcome Anna! We love you!
I was sleeping in the other room on the futon because it was where I was most comfortable at that point in my pregnancy so I went in to see Dave. Since I had no other labor symptons, we decided to wait a little while to see what happened.
I couldn't sleep as I anticipated what was to come so I finished reading a breast feeding book I had taken out from the library. At about 5:30 am, I felt my first labor pain. I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for the last six weeks or so and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between one of those and a 'real' contraction. But as soon as the first one hit, I knew the difference. It wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. It felt like a cramp that started at the top of my belly and worked its way down. I started timing the contractions and took my temperature so I could report the news to the doctor.
Later that morning we called the doctor. Unfortunately he wasn't on-call so I had to speak to the on-call doctor. She said that if my water had broken that I needed to come in so Dave and I packed up and headed in. Once I settled in, the doctor came and said that even though I was having contractions, my water had not broken and suggested we go home.
We headed home and waited. I puttered around continuing to time my contractions. They were pretty irregular and although uncomfortable not unbearable. The doctor said not to come back until they were 5-7 minutes apart for about two hours so I continued to log them as the day ticked by.
As the day wore on, they became more frequent and more intense but still not regular. It was difficult to sit still at this point so I wandered around the house longing for a little rest.
My mom called at 8 pm and suggested I call the doctor. So I called, but she said that based on what I said I wasn't dialating and that the contractions needed to be more intense in order for me to dialate. More intense, what?!?!?!?!
So I continued to wander around the house every few minutes until the contractions passed. I finally took a shower for awhile, and although it provided some relief, there's only so long you can stand in the shower! It was around midnight at this point and we were both exhausted. Since I couldn't rest easily, we went upstairs to the guest room where we have a small tv and watched reruns. Dave suggested I lie next to him on the bed and squeeze his hand every time I had a contraction. But they were coming so fast that they didn't allow me enough time to get comfortable and rest briefly. Instead I continued to wander around the upstairs, briefly finding a comfortable position on the futon for a quick rest.
I finally called the hospital around 2 am and reached a nurse who worked with my doctor. She suggested I come in so they could check me since, by my report, I'd been in labor for 21 hours. So we headed to the hospital and settled in. The nurse came and reported that I was 8 cm! Dave and I high fived and quickly answered 'yes' when she asked me if I wanted an epidural. It had been close to 24 hours and I had barely sat, let alone rested, for the last 12 hours.
They sent Dave out of the room and the doctor came in to administer the epidural. They instructed me that I had to sit absolutely still while they gave me the needle. I asked how long it would take to start working, and they told me about 5 minutes. So I beared down on the pillow they gave me to hug and made like a statue!
I couldn't believe how quickly and well it worked. After the pain I experienced, I couldn't imagine that I wouldn't feel anything. I can't say I got much sleep, but it was nice to be able to finally lie comfortably in the bed while the contractions continued without notice for a few hours.
My doctor came in around 7 am to check me and I had only dialated about 1 more cm so I still had one more to go. My water broke when they examined me last, and by 11am I was ready to push, finally! Luckily the epidural hadn't completely worn off so although I felt pressure, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that Anna never dropped. She was at -2 six weeks earlier and she was still there. After two hours, she was still at -2 and just wouldn't budge. Dr. Miller came in around 1 pm and said, 'what do you say we get her out of there?!' I quickly agreed.
They prepped me for a c-section while Dave went to call my parents. They rolled me into the operating room and told me I had to help them get me onto the operating table. I was so anxious for all of this to be over, I pushed myself onto the table with little effort. It all happened pretty quickly from this point on. Anna finally arrived at 1:49 pm.
They cleaned her up and brought her over to me, but frankly I was so exhausted at this point that I can't say I had that movie moment I was waiting for! I nodded and smiled with a small tear in my eye as they swept her away to the nursery with Dave following behind. They still had to deliver the after birth and stitch me up.
They brought me to recovery afterwards although I have no memory of this and I slept for awhile. I really have no idea to this day how long I was in there. I just remember shaking a lot and then finally hearing my mom and the nurse talking about knitting or something. When I heard this, I said, 'Have you ever been to the knitting store on Glen Ridge Avenue in Montclair?' From there, they took me to my room. Again they were very impressed with my ability to push myself onto the bed in the room after the long day and a half I had.
The nurses probably thought it was strange that I hadn't asked to see Anna, but I was so happy to not be in labor anymore that I trusted she was in good care and I enjoyed the relaxation of my room and the pampering of the nurses and my mom. Besides, I knew Dave was with her, and I knew they'd bring her to me when they finished all of their tests and routines.
Finally, I met my daughter. She was so beautiful! And I'm not just saying that! It was so amazing to finally see who I'd been taking care of for the last 40 weeks! She had lots of dark hair with a tiny little patch of blond that everyone thought was a bald spot. Everyone agreed she looked a lot like me as an infant.
Admittedly, I definitely felt some diappointment that after such a long labor I wound up having a c-section and a lot of the 'magic' that I had envisioned was probably just that, a dream. But now that it was all over, all that mattered was that she was here, she was healthy and it was over!
So there you have it. Anna Withington was born Monday, March 13, 2006, at 1:49 pm, weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.5 inches. Welcome Anna! We love you!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Anna the Artist
Anna has become quite the artist. She loves to color and finger paint. She uses every color she can get her hands on and has a very good attention span for it. Plain palates seem to be her favorite medium. I gave her a coloring book the other week and she didn't like it as much as the blank paper she had been using. Stifles the creativity, I guess! She also seems to really like different textures. She loves to color on her little table as it provides a contrast to the smooth paper. And when she's coloring on the easel, she loves to continue off the page to the white board underneath and the wood border on the side.
The other day I gave her some shaving cream to finger paint with, and she was enjoying that so much we added some actual finger paint into the mix. Unfortunately it all smeared together so nothing very pretty came of it, but she had a blast. It's a great range of motion activity for her arms and hands too!
For something a little different, I dyed some macaroni and helped her glue some down on paper, but she wasn't as interested in this activity. She did, however, enjoy the playdoh I made, but she kept pinching off tiny pieces and making a bit more of a mess than I wanted to clean on a regular basis so for now, we'll stick with the crayons and finger paint.
The other day I gave her some shaving cream to finger paint with, and she was enjoying that so much we added some actual finger paint into the mix. Unfortunately it all smeared together so nothing very pretty came of it, but she had a blast. It's a great range of motion activity for her arms and hands too!
For something a little different, I dyed some macaroni and helped her glue some down on paper, but she wasn't as interested in this activity. She did, however, enjoy the playdoh I made, but she kept pinching off tiny pieces and making a bit more of a mess than I wanted to clean on a regular basis so for now, we'll stick with the crayons and finger paint.
Hats
For someone who seemed utterly annoyed by anything on her head at this time last year, Anna can't get enough of them now! She's been happily wearing Dave's and my baseball hats and quickly returns them to her head whenever they fall off. The other day Dave found a red skull-like cap and everytime is fell off, she quickly requested its return. Last night I found an old beach hat of mine that shrunk in the wash so it fits her pretty well. She loved it and was actually angry with me when I refused to put it back on her as bed time approached. I'm happy she wants to wear a hat since we still have the rest of the summer to get through but I could do without the small tantrums she throws when she has a hard time getting them back on her pumpkin head!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Mommy
Back to present day. Anna has started saying 'mommy' rather than 'momma'. She must have picked it up this past weekend at the family reunion. There were a lot of older kids who call their moms 'mommy' so I wouldn't be surprised. It is so cute! After nursery school today, she started saying 'momma' again, but after a quick reminder from me, 'mommy' was quick to come back. I can't hear it enough!
I Love This Picture
Anna's first Christmas (I made the dress!). By this point Anna was 9 months old. We had seen the neurologist the month before and had scheduled an MRI. We were already seeing a PT and OT and doing lots of therapy on our own at home. Anna was improving but slowly. Belly time was still torture but she definitely seemed more interested in toys and was trying to use her right hand.Our pediatrician felt she had torticollis, which affects babies when they get stuck in one position for a long time inutero. This would explain the stiffness of her right arm, neck and torso but not any stiffness in her right leg however less significant it was. So we celebrated Christmas with her MRI only days away hopeful that the tests would come back negative and torticollis would be everyone's conclusion.
She was a big hit all in red Christmas Eve - it was nice to have a baby in the family again. Lauren and Patrick have grown up too quickly! Anna was a big hit smiling away for everyone and willingly going from lap to lap. And when bedtime came, she gladly retired to the guest room for a little while allowing the rest of us to celebrate downstairs. Everyone couldn't get over how easy she was and loved her even more for it.
When it was time to go home, we figured she'd fall back to sleep on the way home. Instead, she grinned at Grandma and Mommy the whole way home only to welcome her crib as soon as we got home and sleep until 7:30 am the next day! Couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift!
She was equally as good Christmas day staying awake for the presents and lunch and then happily going down for her afternoon nap at Grandma's while everyone arrived for the day's festivities. She happily took in all of the excitement and then once again cooperated when it was time to go to sleep allowing us to celebrate for the rest of the evening while she slept contently upstairs. Merry Christmas to us!
Christmas is a three day affair for our family so the day after Christmas wraps up the holiday. Anna went with the flow waking up at Grandma's and playing with her cousins while Dave and I lazed around at home. When I arrived she was gladly going about her routine surrounded by her 'new' family members. Grandma graciously agreed to babysit while the cousins went to the movies. She welcomed us once more as we came back for one last dinner with the whole gang. Anna was slightly less happy about going to bed that night but she quieted down quickly and gave us one more night to visit with everyone before everyone returned to their routines the next day.
December 27 came too quickly and it was time to say goodbye. It's always sad, but this year was even more so since no one wanted to say good bye to the smiling baby happily eating her lunch in the corner of the kitchen. Aunt Bev even shed a tear or two! Until next time everyone! We'll send pictures because you won't recognize her next time you're around!
Sitting Up
I decided to take a break from the story of Anna's entrance into this world and skip to about 7 months. Anna had learned to sit up and I was told that the spitting up would slow down a bit once this happened. But as you can see from the picture, no such luck. We had a bib on her most of the time and used the burp cloths as back up frequently. If it hadn't been fall, I think I may have kept clothes off her since all we did was cover them up anyway. But it was a bit too cold for that idea.Up until this point we were concerned that Anna didn't seem too interested in toys (this is pre-diagnosis). Her interest started to grow once she started to sit up but still mostly with her left hand. But it wasn't as though she never used her right hand so even though the doctor said we could see a neurologist or PT if we were concerned, we didn't rush for an appointment.
By the time Anna was close to 8 months, we had seen some improvement in her right hand when she was sitting and playing. But she didn't try to transition from sitting to lying down and vice versa, she despised being on her stomach and still leaned to her right with her hand fisted at times. It was time to make an appointment.
Third Trimester
The third trimester passed quickly with showers and people making a fuss everywhere I went. It reminded me of the weeks before my wedding only the presents were pink instead of stainless steel!
It was a very happy time. The only problem was at about two months before my due date, I could no longer get comfortable in our bed. I was most comfortable, of all places, on the futon couch in our guest room. So from that point on Dave tucked me in and we slept in separate rooms. It was a little lonely but worked out well when I couldn't sleep and had to turn the light on and read for a little while.
The three months passed quickly and March 11 (a Saturday) was upon us. We went out for dinner that night at a pub in Maplewood and sat next to a couple with an almost one year old daughter. We smiled at this cute little one knowing that we would be in their situation soon enough. And when the couple asked when I was due, we laughed and said, 'today'! A hamburger and fries wasn't the best choice for my possibly last meal before becoming a mom, but it sure tasted delicious!
It was a very happy time. The only problem was at about two months before my due date, I could no longer get comfortable in our bed. I was most comfortable, of all places, on the futon couch in our guest room. So from that point on Dave tucked me in and we slept in separate rooms. It was a little lonely but worked out well when I couldn't sleep and had to turn the light on and read for a little while.
The three months passed quickly and March 11 (a Saturday) was upon us. We went out for dinner that night at a pub in Maplewood and sat next to a couple with an almost one year old daughter. We smiled at this cute little one knowing that we would be in their situation soon enough. And when the couple asked when I was due, we laughed and said, 'today'! A hamburger and fries wasn't the best choice for my possibly last meal before becoming a mom, but it sure tasted delicious!
Second Trimester
There's a lot more to tell about the second trimester. My morning sickness finally subsided and we went to my four month check up hoping to determine the sex of the baby. I was beginning to show and had finally given in to maternity clothes - at least pants.
We couldn't determine the sex 100% but the doctor had an educated guess that she was a girl. That was exciting news but we decided not to share it until we were sure.
We got thrown a monkey wrench when a blood test came back positive for the possibility of Downs Syndrome. We weighed our options and decided to do an amnio. The procedure was uncomfortable but gave me a day of rest and pampering as I wasn't supposed to do much afterwards.
We were told we would have to wait up to two weeks for the results. We tried to put it out of our minds but were having a hard time waiting it out. Luckily my doctor received the results a week later and called us with the exciting news that she was fine and, well, a she! We cried with relief and started making plans for our Anna.
It was fun to break the news of our baby girl and to start designing the nursery. We shared our scare with some but quickly moved beyond it - we had a lot to do and the holidays were quickly approaching and 2006 would be here before we knew it!
We couldn't determine the sex 100% but the doctor had an educated guess that she was a girl. That was exciting news but we decided not to share it until we were sure.
We got thrown a monkey wrench when a blood test came back positive for the possibility of Downs Syndrome. We weighed our options and decided to do an amnio. The procedure was uncomfortable but gave me a day of rest and pampering as I wasn't supposed to do much afterwards.
We were told we would have to wait up to two weeks for the results. We tried to put it out of our minds but were having a hard time waiting it out. Luckily my doctor received the results a week later and called us with the exciting news that she was fine and, well, a she! We cried with relief and started making plans for our Anna.
It was fun to break the news of our baby girl and to start designing the nursery. We shared our scare with some but quickly moved beyond it - we had a lot to do and the holidays were quickly approaching and 2006 would be here before we knew it!
First Trimester
At about 8 weeks the morning sickness (well, all day sickness really) set in. I had no appetite and ate a lot of saltines and drank a lot of seltzer. The heat of the summer didn't help either. I had gained a couple of pounds, nothing really significant but enough that combined with the nausea and heat made me uncomfortable.
We broke the news to some close friends but tried to keep it from the majority of family and friends until I reached three months. I was grateful for the end of the summer and a break in the heat thinking the nausea would end, but it would still be a few more weeks before I felt some relief.
But other than the nausea, there's not much to say about the first three months.
We broke the news to some close friends but tried to keep it from the majority of family and friends until I reached three months. I was grateful for the end of the summer and a break in the heat thinking the nausea would end, but it would still be a few more weeks before I felt some relief.
But other than the nausea, there's not much to say about the first three months.
Breaking the News
We got together with my family only two days after my pregnancy was confirmed to celebrate my mom's 61st birthday. We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant and headed back to my parents' house for birthday cake and presents. Dave and I had already taken my parents to see Cirque du Soleil the week before so she wasn't expecting anything from us let alone the absolutely best birthday gift ever!
After she opened my brothers gifts, I handed her a small box. Inside was a note that read, 'I'm pregnant'. My mom started screaming and jumping up to hug me and Dave as soon as she opened the box. My brothers couldn't imagine what was in the small box that got such a huge reaction. Quickly the news spread and everyone made their rounds of hugging and congratulations.
Dave and I had already picked 'Anna' for a girl and 'Jackson' for a boy but had decided not to share the names until the baby arrived (that didn't work out as planned, but that's a different story!). But our desire to keep the names a secret didn't prevent everyone (especially Michael) from trying to guess them. Of course, that turned into coming up with some rather peculiar names but fun all the same.
It was fun to talk about the baby but it still seemed rather abstract since I felt no different at this point and March seemed like an awfully long time away. But it was worth breaking the news short of the traditionally accepted first trimester, at least with my family. I know it made my mom's night, week and perhaps even her year!
After she opened my brothers gifts, I handed her a small box. Inside was a note that read, 'I'm pregnant'. My mom started screaming and jumping up to hug me and Dave as soon as she opened the box. My brothers couldn't imagine what was in the small box that got such a huge reaction. Quickly the news spread and everyone made their rounds of hugging and congratulations.
Dave and I had already picked 'Anna' for a girl and 'Jackson' for a boy but had decided not to share the names until the baby arrived (that didn't work out as planned, but that's a different story!). But our desire to keep the names a secret didn't prevent everyone (especially Michael) from trying to guess them. Of course, that turned into coming up with some rather peculiar names but fun all the same.
It was fun to talk about the baby but it still seemed rather abstract since I felt no different at this point and March seemed like an awfully long time away. But it was worth breaking the news short of the traditionally accepted first trimester, at least with my family. I know it made my mom's night, week and perhaps even her year!
March 11, 2006
I saw Dr. Miller on July 14, 2005, my mom's 61st birthday. I was about 6 weeks along and due March 11, 2006 - 34 weeks to go! He did an ultrasound and confirmed one baby. My fears of twins or even triplets due to the Clomid alleviated. Phew!
Getting Started
I had a hard time getting pregnant. I went off the pill in June 2004 with plans to 'try' in September since I was told it was better to get the pill out of my system first. By the beginning of October I thought I was pregnant. I couldn't believe my luck - first month trying and already pregnant. But it turned out I wasn't. A few months and a handful of pregnancy tests later, and still nothing.
So I went for my yearly check up and discussed the situation with my doctor. He said that because I have a long cycle, I probably wasn't ovulating and recommended Clomid, a fertility drug. Gulp!
After a conversation about Clomid, I took three months worth and went home. I was still a bit freaked out about the idea of a fertility drug regardless of its low multiples statistics so Dave and I decided to wait it out a couple of more months. But by the time April rolled around, we were ready to give it a try.
The first month, nothing, the second month, nothing but low and behold the third month rolled around and I was pregnant! It took a whole year from start to finish. It was now early July 2005.
The night of my positive pregnancy test my dad was being sworn in as the Bloomfield, NJ judge so we saw my mom, dad, brothers and aunts but decided not to say anything until I confirmed with my doctor. It was hard not to say anything since we had kept 'trying' a secret and were finally expecting. But we made it home without opening our mouths and waited for my doctors appointment just a few days away.
So I went for my yearly check up and discussed the situation with my doctor. He said that because I have a long cycle, I probably wasn't ovulating and recommended Clomid, a fertility drug. Gulp!
After a conversation about Clomid, I took three months worth and went home. I was still a bit freaked out about the idea of a fertility drug regardless of its low multiples statistics so Dave and I decided to wait it out a couple of more months. But by the time April rolled around, we were ready to give it a try.
The first month, nothing, the second month, nothing but low and behold the third month rolled around and I was pregnant! It took a whole year from start to finish. It was now early July 2005.
The night of my positive pregnancy test my dad was being sworn in as the Bloomfield, NJ judge so we saw my mom, dad, brothers and aunts but decided not to say anything until I confirmed with my doctor. It was hard not to say anything since we had kept 'trying' a secret and were finally expecting. But we made it home without opening our mouths and waited for my doctors appointment just a few days away.
Memory Lane Begins Here
Well, kind of! This is a picture of Anna when she was 5 months old on our first vacation with her in Weld, ME. I remember this moment quite vividly. I was cleaning bottles in the kitchen of the little cabin we rented on Webb Lake at the Kawahnee Inn and had placed her in her car seat so we could keep an eye on one another. I don't know what she was so happy about because there wasn't too much going on - she was just happy! I couldn't resist the precious grins, so I grabbed the camera and this is what came out. To this day, it's one of my favorite pictures. Anna is still usually this happy - unfortunately she is no longer as willing to show it on camera. But at least I have this blog to capture some funny anecdotes to reflect the happy toddler she is. Enjoy!Nostalgia
Anna is truly a little girl now - no longer a baby. But since I want this blog to reflect as much as her life as possible, I'm going to try and go back in my memory and post some entries about New Born Anna and Baby Anna - I hope you will enjoy the trip down memory lane regardless of how short it is!
Unfortunately, the pictures from this time period were posted on Yahoo! photos which no longer exists so I'm going to have to scan a few in order to share those with you. Luckily Dave's printer is also a scanner so I will do my best to at least share a few of my favorites over the next few postings. Until then. . .
Unfortunately, the pictures from this time period were posted on Yahoo! photos which no longer exists so I'm going to have to scan a few in order to share those with you. Luckily Dave's printer is also a scanner so I will do my best to at least share a few of my favorites over the next few postings. Until then. . .
Sweet Anna
The other night Dave, Anna and I were sitting on the couch. Anna was kneeling on my lap facing me so I asked for a kiss. Then Dave leaned in for one. Not only did Anna acquiesce once, but she went back and forth between the two of us kissing us several times in a row without hesitation of repeated requests from us. Then last night in the pool while Dave was holding her, I leaned in for a kiss and she started to do the same thing. It was so funny! I hope she never tires of indulging her silly parents, but I know that day will one day come. For now, we treasure every kiss from our sweet Anna.
Farmer Anna
We planted a small vegetable garden this year with strawberries, basil, tomatoes and beans. We've tried to engage Anna in the small garden by simply demonstrating how we plant, water and care for the plants as they grow and fruit. Well, last night Anna showed her interest in the garden when she started to pick the grape tomatoes and then proceed to throw them into the yard. I was impressed that she could get the tomatoes off of the vine. Unfortunately she didn't pick any ripe ones so we'll have to wait a couple of days for her choices to ripen a bit before eating!
Swimming
Anna continues to love the water. She's getting better at the dunking even though she still reaches for Dave every time I do it! She's definitely closing her mouth better and doesn't protest quite as much before and after the dunking. I've also taken to dropping her in the water from the edge while Dave catches her. She's not quite a fan but remarkably doesn't cry. She just once again reaches for Dave and says 'no' when she thinks I'm going to do it again.
In order to encourage a little independence in the water, we've taught her how to hang onto the edge of the pool. She even started to kick her a feet a little last night when prompted. I think most of her focus is still to hanging on for dear life, but it's still a good exercise for her arms, neck and back. So even if she doesn't kick at all, at least it's a different way to strengthen her core muscles. It also helps her get used to getting her face wet because inevitably she dips her mouth in before she musters up the strength to pull herself up.
Another great thing about the pool is that we've met a really nice family from First Mountain there. Their son Tate recognized Anna in the baby pool. And his little sister Sophie made quick friends with Anna by giving her some goldfish to eat. We've only run into them at the pool in time for a quick chat, but hopefully we'll get to know them a little better throughout the remainder of the summer.
In order to encourage a little independence in the water, we've taught her how to hang onto the edge of the pool. She even started to kick her a feet a little last night when prompted. I think most of her focus is still to hanging on for dear life, but it's still a good exercise for her arms, neck and back. So even if she doesn't kick at all, at least it's a different way to strengthen her core muscles. It also helps her get used to getting her face wet because inevitably she dips her mouth in before she musters up the strength to pull herself up.
Another great thing about the pool is that we've met a really nice family from First Mountain there. Their son Tate recognized Anna in the baby pool. And his little sister Sophie made quick friends with Anna by giving her some goldfish to eat. We've only run into them at the pool in time for a quick chat, but hopefully we'll get to know them a little better throughout the remainder of the summer.
Shoes
Anna loves shoes. She especially loves to put my sandals on and slide around the house in them. She's gotten pretty good at getting them on too. Last night she came sliding into the kitchen with each of them on the correct foot. She even tries to put her own shoes on, but they have straps that need to be fastened so she's not quite there yet. But she assists when I put her shoes on for her, and I catch her now again sitting and trying with all of her might to figure them out. I love to see the thought process going on even if she's not quite successful at the task at hand.
Another cool thing about shoes is that she can say 'shoe'. Not an easy sound that I thought she'd master very quickly but she's quite clear - no one has mistaken it for anything but 'shoe'.
Another cool thing about shoes is that she can say 'shoe'. Not an easy sound that I thought she'd master very quickly but she's quite clear - no one has mistaken it for anything but 'shoe'.
Delayed Reaction
So Anna has cried the last three times I dropped her off at nursery school. Last week was her third week so I thought we were in the clear. No such luck. At the time I thought she may have cried because she had a slight cold. She was still a little stuffy this morning so it's still possible that once her lingering summer cold ends, she may look forward to camp once more, but I'm not holding my breath!
Last Tuesday was the first day she cried. Let's just say the three hours that followed were difficult for me. I kept wondering how long she cried for and if she'd be a mess by the time I picked her up. But when I arrived, she was no worse for wear. She didn't cry when she saw me. In fact, she acted like she didn't quite want to leave. So on Thursday when she cried, I didn't feel quite as awful leaving without turning back.
This morning was a little more difficult because she seemed a little upset before we even left the house. She's a pretty brave kid so she didn't get upset again until we pulled into the parking lot. I quieted her quickly by pointing out the playground to her, but she wasn't convinced when we went inside and I started to leave. And to make things worse, the door was open so she started to follow me out. Luckily Susan grabbed her quickly and there were only a few kids there so hopefully Susan was able to snap her out of her funk quickly. I'm sure she snapped out of it pretty quickly. Perhaps we're arriving too early. Maybe if I leave the house five minutes later, there will be more kids there when we arrive which will distract her more. We'll see. . .
I have to leave to pick her up in a little over an hour so I only need to distract myself for a little bit longer. Here's to endless gossip on the Internet! Just kidding. . . I think I'll get a little work done - that surely passes the time quickly.
Thursday is actually an open house for families so we're invited to come back at 11:30 am instead of 12:30 pm to spend an hour watching and participating, I guess. I'll let you know.
Last Tuesday was the first day she cried. Let's just say the three hours that followed were difficult for me. I kept wondering how long she cried for and if she'd be a mess by the time I picked her up. But when I arrived, she was no worse for wear. She didn't cry when she saw me. In fact, she acted like she didn't quite want to leave. So on Thursday when she cried, I didn't feel quite as awful leaving without turning back.
This morning was a little more difficult because she seemed a little upset before we even left the house. She's a pretty brave kid so she didn't get upset again until we pulled into the parking lot. I quieted her quickly by pointing out the playground to her, but she wasn't convinced when we went inside and I started to leave. And to make things worse, the door was open so she started to follow me out. Luckily Susan grabbed her quickly and there were only a few kids there so hopefully Susan was able to snap her out of her funk quickly. I'm sure she snapped out of it pretty quickly. Perhaps we're arriving too early. Maybe if I leave the house five minutes later, there will be more kids there when we arrive which will distract her more. We'll see. . .
I have to leave to pick her up in a little over an hour so I only need to distract myself for a little bit longer. Here's to endless gossip on the Internet! Just kidding. . . I think I'll get a little work done - that surely passes the time quickly.
Thursday is actually an open house for families so we're invited to come back at 11:30 am instead of 12:30 pm to spend an hour watching and participating, I guess. I'll let you know.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sorensen Family Reunion
Dave's Aunt Barbara and Uncle Nick celebrated their milestones birthdays this past weekend so we had a family reunion in Albany.
We headed up Friday and ran into a bit of traffic but luckily still made it in time to have dinner with most of the family. Anna was thrilled to see Mimi - she ran right to her Mimi when we ran into her and Grandpa in the hotel lobby as we arrived. Anna kept saying 'Mimi, Mimi' over and over again and she didn't want to leave her when it was time to go back to hotel for the night.
Dave went out with his cousins for a little while, and I went back to the hotel with Anna for the night since it was getting late and I was still battling my summer cold. Anna was sad to see the evening come to an end but she calmed down after a short while and went to sleep on her new inflatable bed. She was a bit restless later in the evening but did pretty well considering the circumstances.
By 7:30 am she was raring to go and chanting 'Mimi, Mimi' over and over again. We met Mimi and Grandpa for breakfast downstairs, and then after a bit of confusion, headed to Aunt Barbara's to meet up with the cousins. After visiting with everyone for a little while, the group went their separate ways for a little afternoon fun. Anna went back to the hotel with Mimi for a rest, and Dave and I spent some time with his cousin and his fiancee. Since we didn't have a lot of time before the party, we went for a walk through a local college. It was nice to catch up with Craig and get to know his fiancee.
The party was a lot of fun and Anna was a big hit. She wore her strawberry sundress and charmed the family with her big smile and cheerful 'hi'. After dinner, the balloons came down and Anna had tons of fun marching around with a yellow one. Whenever she got a little too far away, I was able to quickly find her by spotting the yellow balloon floating just above the table lines! She had fun watching all of the older cousins run around and her older cousin Natalie took a strong liking to her which provided Dave and me with a bit of adult time (thanks Nat!), but mostly Anna enjoyed marching with her yellow balloon, goodie bag and red sweater and, of course, getting lots of hugs and kisses from Mimi.
Saturday was a late night and Anna was not very happy about the party coming to an end. But after returning to the hotel just before 10 pm, she settled down pretty quickly. Of course, the late night didn't prevent her from popping right back up at 7:30 am chanting 'Mimi, Mimi' again. So we packed up and headed to brunch at Aunt Barbara's. One last chance to visit and say our final good byes before heading home again. Anna enjoyed some time with her cousins drawing with chalk on the driveway and loved climbing up Aunt Barbara's plushly carpeted stairs. She and Mimi also had a chance to visit one last time, which was definitely the highlight of Anna's trip.
A little before noon, we were all feeling tired from the busy weekend so we decided to head home. Anna was sad to see the weekend come to an end and was especially sorry to say goodbye to Mimi but she quickly settled down for a rest in the car. Even though her rest was short lived, she was happy to play with me in the back seat before we stopped for a yummy pizza lunch in Mahwah. And since we were so close to our friend Karen's house, we stopped in for a visit with her and her little dog Mia. Anna was feeling refreshed and was happy to get out of the car for awhile.
But all good things have to come to an end. We made it home just before 5 pm for some much needed relaxation. We were thrilled that the weekend went so smoothly but also glad to be home
for some time to ourselves before the busy week started all over again.
Happy birthday Aunt Barbara and Uncle Nick and thanks for everything Smith Family! It was great to see everyone. Balboa!
We headed up Friday and ran into a bit of traffic but luckily still made it in time to have dinner with most of the family. Anna was thrilled to see Mimi - she ran right to her Mimi when we ran into her and Grandpa in the hotel lobby as we arrived. Anna kept saying 'Mimi, Mimi' over and over again and she didn't want to leave her when it was time to go back to hotel for the night.
Dave went out with his cousins for a little while, and I went back to the hotel with Anna for the night since it was getting late and I was still battling my summer cold. Anna was sad to see the evening come to an end but she calmed down after a short while and went to sleep on her new inflatable bed. She was a bit restless later in the evening but did pretty well considering the circumstances.
By 7:30 am she was raring to go and chanting 'Mimi, Mimi' over and over again. We met Mimi and Grandpa for breakfast downstairs, and then after a bit of confusion, headed to Aunt Barbara's to meet up with the cousins. After visiting with everyone for a little while, the group went their separate ways for a little afternoon fun. Anna went back to the hotel with Mimi for a rest, and Dave and I spent some time with his cousin and his fiancee. Since we didn't have a lot of time before the party, we went for a walk through a local college. It was nice to catch up with Craig and get to know his fiancee.
The party was a lot of fun and Anna was a big hit. She wore her strawberry sundress and charmed the family with her big smile and cheerful 'hi'. After dinner, the balloons came down and Anna had tons of fun marching around with a yellow one. Whenever she got a little too far away, I was able to quickly find her by spotting the yellow balloon floating just above the table lines! She had fun watching all of the older cousins run around and her older cousin Natalie took a strong liking to her which provided Dave and me with a bit of adult time (thanks Nat!), but mostly Anna enjoyed marching with her yellow balloon, goodie bag and red sweater and, of course, getting lots of hugs and kisses from Mimi.
Saturday was a late night and Anna was not very happy about the party coming to an end. But after returning to the hotel just before 10 pm, she settled down pretty quickly. Of course, the late night didn't prevent her from popping right back up at 7:30 am chanting 'Mimi, Mimi' again. So we packed up and headed to brunch at Aunt Barbara's. One last chance to visit and say our final good byes before heading home again. Anna enjoyed some time with her cousins drawing with chalk on the driveway and loved climbing up Aunt Barbara's plushly carpeted stairs. She and Mimi also had a chance to visit one last time, which was definitely the highlight of Anna's trip.
A little before noon, we were all feeling tired from the busy weekend so we decided to head home. Anna was sad to see the weekend come to an end and was especially sorry to say goodbye to Mimi but she quickly settled down for a rest in the car. Even though her rest was short lived, she was happy to play with me in the back seat before we stopped for a yummy pizza lunch in Mahwah. And since we were so close to our friend Karen's house, we stopped in for a visit with her and her little dog Mia. Anna was feeling refreshed and was happy to get out of the car for awhile.
But all good things have to come to an end. We made it home just before 5 pm for some much needed relaxation. We were thrilled that the weekend went so smoothly but also glad to be home
for some time to ourselves before the busy week started all over again.
Happy birthday Aunt Barbara and Uncle Nick and thanks for everything Smith Family! It was great to see everyone. Balboa!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Anthony
Our friend Anthony came for dinner last night and Anna couldn't stop saying 'hi' to him. He enthusiastically answered back but I wouldn't blame him if it got a little old! She did her own thing for the most part before and after dinner, but after we finished dessert and went into the kitchen to clean up Anna's outgoing personality really shone!
All of a sudden Anna walked up to Anthony and threw her arms around his legs. And then she proceeded to walk through his legs (the tunnel, as Dave calls it). We explained to Anthony that Dave started this game as a therapy exercise so, of course, Anna proceeded through Dave's 'tunnel' next. But she didn't want to leave out Anthony or me so she took turns throwing in a hug or two just to mix things up! For a kid that doesn't say much, she sure does manage to communicate with fun and affection!
All of a sudden Anna walked up to Anthony and threw her arms around his legs. And then she proceeded to walk through his legs (the tunnel, as Dave calls it). We explained to Anthony that Dave started this game as a therapy exercise so, of course, Anna proceeded through Dave's 'tunnel' next. But she didn't want to leave out Anthony or me so she took turns throwing in a hug or two just to mix things up! For a kid that doesn't say much, she sure does manage to communicate with fun and affection!
Toys 2 Sell
I bought Anna a Little Tikes table with two chairs from a woman I found on Craigs List. I saved about $40 and the table is like new. I thought I'd share her website since she resells toys as a hobby. When I picked up the table, I saw where she stored everything in her garage - everything is really clean (she power washes everything), and she even goes to the trouble of trying to replace missing items from various items, i.e., a phone from a kitchen set. Here's her website (her name is Barbara): www.toys2sell.com
FYI, she is in Wayne, NJ and only sells to those willing to pick up in case anyone is interested. . .
Coloring
I'm not sure when I first gave Anna crayons but it was probably not too long after her first birthday. I'd put her in her high chair and taped a piece of paper to her tray. She'd play for a little while but didn't have a very good attention span for it. She'd threaten to put the crayons in her mouth and then throw them when she was done and wanted out. I didn't push the issue too much since she was so young, but I was definitely looking forward to a time when we could work on creative projects together.
She gave up the high chair about six weeks ago so I've been hesitant about using crayons since we don't have a good place to use them. But after our play date with Lisa and Aly last week, I decided to give it a shot. Not only did she seem to really enjoy it at Aly's house, but she really did a good job covering the majority of paper with scribbles and swirls. Also, most of the artwork she's done in 'camp' has also shown a vast improvement from her high chair work.
So I taped some paper down on the slatted table we've been using for meals since Anna gave up the high chair. She had a ball - used all of the colors, held the crayon well and impressed me with her attention span for it. However, I wasn't very excited when it came time to clean up. It's one thing to wipe up banana or juice spills from this table but not too easy to get crayon marks out of it. So I found a used play table and chairs from a woman on Craigs List. It's in great shape and is a lot easier to clean up. Anna colored on it for the first time yesterday and she didn't want to stop when Pam came to play. Poor timing on my part, but I get so excited when I see Anna take an interest in something, especially something creative!
I think I'm going to take a portion of yesterday's coloring and turn it into a card for a special occasion down the road or maybe even make something for Dave's aunt and uncle whose birthday party we're going to this weekend. Do you think they'll appreciate it?! Well, not as much as I, but I'm sure it'll still bring a smile!
She gave up the high chair about six weeks ago so I've been hesitant about using crayons since we don't have a good place to use them. But after our play date with Lisa and Aly last week, I decided to give it a shot. Not only did she seem to really enjoy it at Aly's house, but she really did a good job covering the majority of paper with scribbles and swirls. Also, most of the artwork she's done in 'camp' has also shown a vast improvement from her high chair work.
So I taped some paper down on the slatted table we've been using for meals since Anna gave up the high chair. She had a ball - used all of the colors, held the crayon well and impressed me with her attention span for it. However, I wasn't very excited when it came time to clean up. It's one thing to wipe up banana or juice spills from this table but not too easy to get crayon marks out of it. So I found a used play table and chairs from a woman on Craigs List. It's in great shape and is a lot easier to clean up. Anna colored on it for the first time yesterday and she didn't want to stop when Pam came to play. Poor timing on my part, but I get so excited when I see Anna take an interest in something, especially something creative!
I think I'm going to take a portion of yesterday's coloring and turn it into a card for a special occasion down the road or maybe even make something for Dave's aunt and uncle whose birthday party we're going to this weekend. Do you think they'll appreciate it?! Well, not as much as I, but I'm sure it'll still bring a smile!
Sippy Cup Part IV
Once Anna mastered the sippy cup without the valve, I put it back in. This meant that she had to suck on the spout to get anything rather than simply pour the liquid into her mouth. Her stubborn refusal to use the cup came back and I felt so defeated. Here I had finally gotten her to use a cup rather than a bottle for juice and here we were again at the beginning with her flat out refusal to try the cup again.
I wanted to take the valve out again, but the speech therapist said that even though it was a step in the right direction having her use the cup without the valve, it was better to put it back in since the sucking would strengthen her mouth and tongue. I was concerned that I would turn Anna off to the whole cup 'thing' altogether but decided to tough it out.
Now that Anna had at least been open to playing with the cup and finally putting it in her mouth, Pam said she would get it with a little practice. And she was right. As soon as Pam left, I tried the tough love approach and spent about fifteen minutes forcing her to put it in her mouth so I could close her mouth around the spout and try and assist her until she successfully drank from it. I figured once she was successful, she wouldn't be so frustrated and would be more willing to try again. But after fifteen minutes of torture(!), I feared Anna would walk away from the experience hating not only her cup but me as well.
So since dinner was upon us, I decided to use Anna's love of food in my favor. Before receiving her next helping of something or her next 'course', she had to take a couple of sips from her cup. If I was happy with the way she held it and how she placed it in her mouth, she could have more. The first night she reluctantly took the required number of sips in order to continue her dinner. And about a half an inch of juice disappeared. Not much, but a start!
I was hoping after two or three meals, she'd get the hang of the cup and willingly drink when thirst struck. But the next couple of days didn't show the improvement I was hoping for. Even when she did drink, she did it so quickly, it was hard to believe she got anything from it. And her dislike of the cup was discouraging - she said 'no' as soon as I took it out of the refrigerator and would push it to the furthest spot on the table when I placed it next to her bowl. Not to mention the stand offs. At least the first couple of times she did what I said, albeit reluctantly, and we moved on. But the third, fourth and fifth meals lasted a long time as I waited for Anna to finally give in and drink in order to move on with her meal. She's stubborn but not as stubborn as her mother!
After about 5/6 days, my perseverance paid off. Finally, Anna surrendered a bit on Tuesday when we had lunch with Jen and Julia at a local bagel place. She must have really worked up an appetite and thirst from camp that morning. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that she wanted to look like a big girl in front of her friend. I still had to ask her to drink, but she did it quickly and took nice long gulps. I think she may have even initiated a sip or two - I was so pleased! And last night when we had dinner with Anthony, she picked up the cup and walked around with it taking sips along the way. She must have wanted to impress this infrequent visitor!
So I'm satisfied that she can definitely drink from the cup even though she still refuses to drink milk out of it. First things first, right?! We're going away this weekend so I'm just pleased that I can bring a sippy cup to the party rather than a bottle - that was beginning to get embarrassing!
I wanted to take the valve out again, but the speech therapist said that even though it was a step in the right direction having her use the cup without the valve, it was better to put it back in since the sucking would strengthen her mouth and tongue. I was concerned that I would turn Anna off to the whole cup 'thing' altogether but decided to tough it out.
Now that Anna had at least been open to playing with the cup and finally putting it in her mouth, Pam said she would get it with a little practice. And she was right. As soon as Pam left, I tried the tough love approach and spent about fifteen minutes forcing her to put it in her mouth so I could close her mouth around the spout and try and assist her until she successfully drank from it. I figured once she was successful, she wouldn't be so frustrated and would be more willing to try again. But after fifteen minutes of torture(!), I feared Anna would walk away from the experience hating not only her cup but me as well.
So since dinner was upon us, I decided to use Anna's love of food in my favor. Before receiving her next helping of something or her next 'course', she had to take a couple of sips from her cup. If I was happy with the way she held it and how she placed it in her mouth, she could have more. The first night she reluctantly took the required number of sips in order to continue her dinner. And about a half an inch of juice disappeared. Not much, but a start!
I was hoping after two or three meals, she'd get the hang of the cup and willingly drink when thirst struck. But the next couple of days didn't show the improvement I was hoping for. Even when she did drink, she did it so quickly, it was hard to believe she got anything from it. And her dislike of the cup was discouraging - she said 'no' as soon as I took it out of the refrigerator and would push it to the furthest spot on the table when I placed it next to her bowl. Not to mention the stand offs. At least the first couple of times she did what I said, albeit reluctantly, and we moved on. But the third, fourth and fifth meals lasted a long time as I waited for Anna to finally give in and drink in order to move on with her meal. She's stubborn but not as stubborn as her mother!
After about 5/6 days, my perseverance paid off. Finally, Anna surrendered a bit on Tuesday when we had lunch with Jen and Julia at a local bagel place. She must have really worked up an appetite and thirst from camp that morning. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that she wanted to look like a big girl in front of her friend. I still had to ask her to drink, but she did it quickly and took nice long gulps. I think she may have even initiated a sip or two - I was so pleased! And last night when we had dinner with Anthony, she picked up the cup and walked around with it taking sips along the way. She must have wanted to impress this infrequent visitor!
So I'm satisfied that she can definitely drink from the cup even though she still refuses to drink milk out of it. First things first, right?! We're going away this weekend so I'm just pleased that I can bring a sippy cup to the party rather than a bottle - that was beginning to get embarrassing!
Cheese
If you've followed my blog, you know that Anna is terrible when it comes to posing or performing for the camera. She acts like a moody teenager as soon as she sees Dave or me head for the camera. But on Anna's first day of 'camp', I decided I had to get a picture no matter what. Below is the result of me asking her to sit on the step, look at mommy and say 'cheese'! Well, she sure got the idea, but I have to say even though I'm her mother therefore a bit biased, she is much cuter than this. But this picture is still a keeper since it'll come in handy when she refuses to introduce me to her boyfriend or let me visit or at college! 
Hats
All of a sudden Anna has shown an interest in hats. Every time I make a crown for someone, she wants to put it on. She sees my or Dave's baseball cap and she snatches it and most of the time puts it on backwards! So cute. Of course, as soon as we take the camera out to snap a picture she makes it as difficult as possible to get a good shot. Frustrating! She even makes taking a video close to impossible since she keeps walking toward the camera or out of the shot. I have a feeling it's only going to get worse with age!
And Anna doesn't stop at traditional hats. She loves to drape towels and blankets over her head too. And the laughter escalates when Dave puts silly things on her head such as a small bag or even recently an orange traffic cone. Clearly the sillier the better!
If I had to predict Anna's profession based on her personality right now, I'd say a comedienne. She finds humor in so many odd situations and she constantly performing. As Granddad says, 'I can watch her all night'!
And Anna doesn't stop at traditional hats. She loves to drape towels and blankets over her head too. And the laughter escalates when Dave puts silly things on her head such as a small bag or even recently an orange traffic cone. Clearly the sillier the better!
If I had to predict Anna's profession based on her personality right now, I'd say a comedienne. She finds humor in so many odd situations and she constantly performing. As Granddad says, 'I can watch her all night'!
First Mountain - Part III
Well, Anna had a delayed reaction to camp. She cried Tuesday but not for long, gratefully. And when I picked her up, she looked happy as she played at the water table with the rest of the kids in her group.
It's so strange to see my baby already in a school setting with other kids and teachers. It doesn't seem strange to see other kids enter that world especially ones I didn't know as babies. But to see Anna already interacting in this way after a little over two short years. . . well, I'm sure most of the people reading this understand how times goes even faster once you've had kids.
She cried again this morning (Thursday) but, again, not for long. She was in her bathing suit sitting on her towel with her group when I arrived. Her teacher Allison told me she really loves the water. Sometimes I think I project my own opinions of things onto Anna so I was happy to hear this report from a relative stranger.
Anna didn't seem to want to leave even after I mentioned 'lunch'. I think she was hoping to go back in the pool! Perhaps we'll head over to the local pool when she wakes up if I can muster up the energy - I've been a little under the weather for the past three days. Hopefully the cool water will do me some good as we're heading to Albany tomorrow for the weekend and traveling is no fun when you're feeling crummy!
It's so strange to see my baby already in a school setting with other kids and teachers. It doesn't seem strange to see other kids enter that world especially ones I didn't know as babies. But to see Anna already interacting in this way after a little over two short years. . . well, I'm sure most of the people reading this understand how times goes even faster once you've had kids.
She cried again this morning (Thursday) but, again, not for long. She was in her bathing suit sitting on her towel with her group when I arrived. Her teacher Allison told me she really loves the water. Sometimes I think I project my own opinions of things onto Anna so I was happy to hear this report from a relative stranger.
Anna didn't seem to want to leave even after I mentioned 'lunch'. I think she was hoping to go back in the pool! Perhaps we'll head over to the local pool when she wakes up if I can muster up the energy - I've been a little under the weather for the past three days. Hopefully the cool water will do me some good as we're heading to Albany tomorrow for the weekend and traveling is no fun when you're feeling crummy!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Play Date
We had a play date with Aly and Lisa today. We went to their house so Anna took a few minutes to warm up but once she did, she had a great time playing with all of Aly's (and Emma's) toys especially the crayons and drawing paper. I was really impressed at her improved scribbling - camp must be having a big influence on this as they do a craft every time.
After playing for quite awhile, Lisa showed off her new guitar skills to her captive audience and then the 'girls' had a snack of Puffins which Anna seemed to enjoy. Aly loved Anna's hair and giving her hugs. At first Anna wanted to be left alone but eventually warmed up to Aly's 'advances'! I guess Aly liked having someone around more her size (she's the baby of her family). Right before we left Anna practiced going up and down the two steps going from the kitchen into the family room without holding on. She went down very well but still used her hands a bit going up. Regardless, it was fun watching her realize her new strength and ability and then proceed to practice until I finally interrupted her to go home for lunch.
Thanks Lisa & Aly - it was fun!
After playing for quite awhile, Lisa showed off her new guitar skills to her captive audience and then the 'girls' had a snack of Puffins which Anna seemed to enjoy. Aly loved Anna's hair and giving her hugs. At first Anna wanted to be left alone but eventually warmed up to Aly's 'advances'! I guess Aly liked having someone around more her size (she's the baby of her family). Right before we left Anna practiced going up and down the two steps going from the kitchen into the family room without holding on. She went down very well but still used her hands a bit going up. Regardless, it was fun watching her realize her new strength and ability and then proceed to practice until I finally interrupted her to go home for lunch.
Thanks Lisa & Aly - it was fun!
Therapy
So as I've reported, Anna started camp last week and has done really well with the transition. Unfortunately, she's been a bit ornery with her therapists over the last week. The independence she's exhibiting at school is not translating to our home therapy. I'm sure observing the other children helps her recognize her own autonomy at school whereas she has no peer pressure at home. So if she's not in the mood to listen or cooperate, she acts up a bit. I've sat in on the last two sessions (one OT, one speech), but I'd much rather relax or work upstairs.
One problem is that she has speech and OT right after her nap on Wednesdays and Fridays so she doesn't have a chance to 'wake up' before the therapists start making requests of her. On non-therapy days, we generally have a little free play and inevitably something to eat and/or drink. On therapy days there's not always time for this. I guess I'll just see how the next couple of sessions go before making any changes especially since we're having our EIP review soon. It wouldn't make sense to make changes before talking with the whole team first.
One problem is that she has speech and OT right after her nap on Wednesdays and Fridays so she doesn't have a chance to 'wake up' before the therapists start making requests of her. On non-therapy days, we generally have a little free play and inevitably something to eat and/or drink. On therapy days there's not always time for this. I guess I'll just see how the next couple of sessions go before making any changes especially since we're having our EIP review soon. It wouldn't make sense to make changes before talking with the whole team first.
First Mountain - Part II
Anna had her third day of camp yesterday (second week) and she did great. She seemed excited as we pulled into the driveway and went right for the book rack when we arrived. Since she seemed so comfortable right away even after four days away, I took off.
When I arrived to pick Anna up, the kids were inside as the weather was kind of questionable. Anna was in the back of the school so she didn't see me right away. It was fun to 'spy' on her a little watching her interact in her new environment with her teachers and fellow campers. As soon as she saw me, she came over and gave me a great big hug and showed me the rainbow fish they made earlier. This time, however, she didn't want to stick around. She took my hand and headed for the door - something tells me she was pretty hungry!
We're heading back tomorrow and fingers are crossed for another successful morning. If nothing eventful happens, I guess I'll put this topic to rest for a little while until there's something fun to report. Wish us luck!
When I arrived to pick Anna up, the kids were inside as the weather was kind of questionable. Anna was in the back of the school so she didn't see me right away. It was fun to 'spy' on her a little watching her interact in her new environment with her teachers and fellow campers. As soon as she saw me, she came over and gave me a great big hug and showed me the rainbow fish they made earlier. This time, however, she didn't want to stick around. She took my hand and headed for the door - something tells me she was pretty hungry!
We're heading back tomorrow and fingers are crossed for another successful morning. If nothing eventful happens, I guess I'll put this topic to rest for a little while until there's something fun to report. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
First Mountain Nursery School
Anna started school last week - well it's camp for the summer. She is going twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from 9 am to 12:30 pm. So far so good. The first day she walked right in and started playing with a puzzle. We were lucky because our neighbor's five year old also attends and she happily took Anna under her wing the first day and showed her the ropes. When I went to pick her up at 12:30 pm, she was certainly tired and happy to see me but no worse for wear.
Her second day went just as well. She said 'no' when we pulled up, but went right in and started to play 'tea' with some cups and spoons. She ignored me as I talked to her teacher and stocked her cubby. She 'no' again when I went to leave but quickly went back to what she was doing. This time when I picked her up, she seemed much more alert and wanted to show me the water table where she was playing. All of the other kids in her group ran to their parents crying; Anna just peaked her head through the slats of the fence and said 'mama'! I was so proud!
She had her third day this morning and this time she headed for the book rack. She didn't want to kiss or hug me good bye but made no fuss when I went to leave. Another little girl was crying and luckily Anna didn't seem bothered by her since sometimes Anna starts to cry when others are crying near her. Instead she seemed happy enough to explore her new environment. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Hopefully there will be nothing to report to the contrary when I pick her up in a couple of hours. Wouldn't it be nice if all transitions went this smoothly from here on out?!
Her second day went just as well. She said 'no' when we pulled up, but went right in and started to play 'tea' with some cups and spoons. She ignored me as I talked to her teacher and stocked her cubby. She 'no' again when I went to leave but quickly went back to what she was doing. This time when I picked her up, she seemed much more alert and wanted to show me the water table where she was playing. All of the other kids in her group ran to their parents crying; Anna just peaked her head through the slats of the fence and said 'mama'! I was so proud!
She had her third day this morning and this time she headed for the book rack. She didn't want to kiss or hug me good bye but made no fuss when I went to leave. Another little girl was crying and luckily Anna didn't seem bothered by her since sometimes Anna starts to cry when others are crying near her. Instead she seemed happy enough to explore her new environment. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Hopefully there will be nothing to report to the contrary when I pick her up in a couple of hours. Wouldn't it be nice if all transitions went this smoothly from here on out?!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Queen Anna
I make felted crowns for babies/toddlers. Anna calls them hats. I was taking a picture of one I made for a hemi friend in Michigan this morning and she kept saying 'hat, hat'. So I put it on her expecting her to take it off as fast as she could, but instead she proceeded to walk around with it for close to an half hour. She was quite a sight considering all she had on was a long t-shirt and her purple sandals. I couldn't believe how tolerant she was of it for so long - if only she'd keep her sun hat on for that long. Maybe I should try that one again, who knows!
Pool III
It's official, Anna is a water rat! Not only does she love to play with water but she also loves to play in the water. We've been going to the town pool quite a bit this summer and each time we go, she kicks and paddles more and more. We've been trying to teach her to close her mouth so she can put her face in the water. In fact, we dunk her a couple of times each session so she can get used to the feeling. She doesn't like it, but amazingly she doesn't scream when she comes up for air. She has caught on to me though and gets a little more agitated when she realizes what's coming next! We only do it two or three times throughout the 45 minutes to an hour that we're in the pool because I don't want to turn her off to the pool altogether. Gratefully she seems to like to put her mouth/face in the water as we swim along, but she still hasn't quite figured out that if she closes her mouth, she won't swallow a mouth full of water!
Yesterday we went to our neighbor's pool, and Dave put her on a raft for the first time. She absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the pool. At one point, she was sitting on the top step kicking away - I think she enjoyed the bit of independence it offered her. Last summer she enjoyed being in the water but really didn't move around at all. This year her improvement from the beginning of the summer to now is remarkable. The only thing she doesn't like is the first minute or so when the pool is a bit chilly, but once she's warmed up, she's willing to stay in for a long time with us. And if the pool is as warm as it has been since we've had such a heat wave, she can't wait to go in. Dave and I are swimmers so we're thrilled that she seems to be following in our footsteps. Hopefully next year she'll be tall enough to stand in the pool, which should make even a bigger difference as far as her swimming and independence in the pool is concerned.
Yesterday we went to our neighbor's pool, and Dave put her on a raft for the first time. She absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the pool. At one point, she was sitting on the top step kicking away - I think she enjoyed the bit of independence it offered her. Last summer she enjoyed being in the water but really didn't move around at all. This year her improvement from the beginning of the summer to now is remarkable. The only thing she doesn't like is the first minute or so when the pool is a bit chilly, but once she's warmed up, she's willing to stay in for a long time with us. And if the pool is as warm as it has been since we've had such a heat wave, she can't wait to go in. Dave and I are swimmers so we're thrilled that she seems to be following in our footsteps. Hopefully next year she'll be tall enough to stand in the pool, which should make even a bigger difference as far as her swimming and independence in the pool is concerned.
Our Little Gardener
Anna was outside this morning with while I did some work in the garden. I gave her a bucket of water and a foam paint brush so she could 'paint' the back yard - a favorite outside game that Grandma came up with a couple of weeks ago. After she grew tired of 'painting', she decided to help me with the watering. She walked along the garden path with the watering can, albeit an empty one, and proceeded to water the garden for the remaining time we were outside. I think I'll give her a smaller watering can next time and put some water in it so she actually help out next time!
Sippy Cup Part III
Anna has finally figured out what to do with a sippy cup! Hooray!
I finally pinned her down (literally) last week and made her put it in her mouth so she could see that it's not poison. She didn't suck from it but still allowed it to be in her mouth - a good first step. She had speech later that day so I took the cup out to show Pam which one I used. I then placed it on the little table in the Great Room and watched Anna walk over to it, pick it up and put it in her mouth! So Pam encouraged her and showed her how to use it a little better. When I came downstairs after their session, Pam told me she used it throughout the entire session. I was so thrilled and Anna seemed pretty proud of herself as well!
Later that night I tried to give Anna her milk in the sippy cup - clearly I took it too fast. She started to drink but since she wasn't getting it fast enough, she put it down and refused to try again. I left her alone with it for a little while figuring that if she got thirsty enough, she'd try again. When she didn't go near it for about ten minutes, I asked her nicely to show me how she drank from her cup. She picked it up and walked over toward me and asked to sit on my lap. So we moved over to the couch where she proceeded to play with the cup but didn't drink from it. I started to get a little frustrated so I made her get down and placed the cup back on the table and told her to drink like a big girl. Big mistake! She picked it up and walked over to me in the kitchen, threw it down and started crying. So I decided enough was enough, made her pick it up and hand it to me and then gave her the milk in her bottle. I know that wasn't necessarily the best idea, but perhaps I took things too fast. Gratefully, she quickly gulped her milk down and peace was restored for the evening!
The next day I offered her juice in the sippy cup. Happily she didn't reject it, but she was clearly not getting much, if anything, out of it. She just wasn't understanding how or was unable to suck from it for maximum output. So I offered her another kind of cup. It was a spout cup with the valve removed so all she had to do was pour the water into her mouth - sounds easy, but this means she has to control the amount going into her mouth so it doesn't all just spill down her front! At first most of it wound up on her shirt, but after some practice, she managed to get most of it in her mouth - I was just impressed that after all of this time of flat out refusing to try, she was willingly holding it and putting it to her mouth.
Since that day she's been more and more accepting of the cup, well for juice anyway! I haven't attempted the milk again; I figured I'd give it a few more days before I introduce a little milk at a time when she's not too hungry/thirsty. For now I'm just thrilled that she's willing to use the cup at all - it's been a long time in the making!
I finally pinned her down (literally) last week and made her put it in her mouth so she could see that it's not poison. She didn't suck from it but still allowed it to be in her mouth - a good first step. She had speech later that day so I took the cup out to show Pam which one I used. I then placed it on the little table in the Great Room and watched Anna walk over to it, pick it up and put it in her mouth! So Pam encouraged her and showed her how to use it a little better. When I came downstairs after their session, Pam told me she used it throughout the entire session. I was so thrilled and Anna seemed pretty proud of herself as well!
Later that night I tried to give Anna her milk in the sippy cup - clearly I took it too fast. She started to drink but since she wasn't getting it fast enough, she put it down and refused to try again. I left her alone with it for a little while figuring that if she got thirsty enough, she'd try again. When she didn't go near it for about ten minutes, I asked her nicely to show me how she drank from her cup. She picked it up and walked over toward me and asked to sit on my lap. So we moved over to the couch where she proceeded to play with the cup but didn't drink from it. I started to get a little frustrated so I made her get down and placed the cup back on the table and told her to drink like a big girl. Big mistake! She picked it up and walked over to me in the kitchen, threw it down and started crying. So I decided enough was enough, made her pick it up and hand it to me and then gave her the milk in her bottle. I know that wasn't necessarily the best idea, but perhaps I took things too fast. Gratefully, she quickly gulped her milk down and peace was restored for the evening!
The next day I offered her juice in the sippy cup. Happily she didn't reject it, but she was clearly not getting much, if anything, out of it. She just wasn't understanding how or was unable to suck from it for maximum output. So I offered her another kind of cup. It was a spout cup with the valve removed so all she had to do was pour the water into her mouth - sounds easy, but this means she has to control the amount going into her mouth so it doesn't all just spill down her front! At first most of it wound up on her shirt, but after some practice, she managed to get most of it in her mouth - I was just impressed that after all of this time of flat out refusing to try, she was willingly holding it and putting it to her mouth.
Since that day she's been more and more accepting of the cup, well for juice anyway! I haven't attempted the milk again; I figured I'd give it a few more days before I introduce a little milk at a time when she's not too hungry/thirsty. For now I'm just thrilled that she's willing to use the cup at all - it's been a long time in the making!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Stuffed Cabbage
We went to Lynn and Bob's last night for dinner. My parents grew cabbage in their garden this year so they offered one to Lynn. She gladly accepted and generously offered to have us and some other neighbors in for stuffed cabbage. As usual, everyone chipped in and we met for cocktails and snacks around 6:30 pm.
Anna was into everything! First she sampled all of the chips and crackers and even snuck a little cheese when she thought she could get away with it - she had a lot of cheese the night before at Michael Formato's graduation party so we were trying to stay away from it especially since she had already had her dinner! Then she was onto the napkins and plates Lynn had put out for snacks. Luckily she steared clear of the wine glasses and someone's eye glasses resting on the table.
Then she was on to investigate the whole house. She really liked Ryan's bed since it was low to the ground. I convinced her to come out of there only for her to find the couch in the den that she managed to climb onto without much trouble.
Finally, time for dinner! Anna happily sat on my lap and sampled the stuffed cabbage and ate all of Dave's blueberries out of his salad. But when she was done with dinner, she decided it was time to party! Luckily Shannon was happy to follow her around for a little while until Anna decided it was time for her laps - she walked back and forth from Lynn's living room to the kitchen happily squealing the whole time. At about 8:05 pm I decided it was time to go, but Anna was enjoying herself so much that we decided to let her tire herself out a bit more rather than taking her home kicking and screaming.
At about 8:30 pm we decided it was time to rest everyone's ear drums and head home. Anna wasn't thrilled at first, but with a little extra effort on my part, she went to bed happily and slept until 8 am. I have to say it's so nice that she sleeps a bit longer in the morning after going to sleep later than usual. I only hope it stays that way!
Anna was into everything! First she sampled all of the chips and crackers and even snuck a little cheese when she thought she could get away with it - she had a lot of cheese the night before at Michael Formato's graduation party so we were trying to stay away from it especially since she had already had her dinner! Then she was onto the napkins and plates Lynn had put out for snacks. Luckily she steared clear of the wine glasses and someone's eye glasses resting on the table.
Then she was on to investigate the whole house. She really liked Ryan's bed since it was low to the ground. I convinced her to come out of there only for her to find the couch in the den that she managed to climb onto without much trouble.
Finally, time for dinner! Anna happily sat on my lap and sampled the stuffed cabbage and ate all of Dave's blueberries out of his salad. But when she was done with dinner, she decided it was time to party! Luckily Shannon was happy to follow her around for a little while until Anna decided it was time for her laps - she walked back and forth from Lynn's living room to the kitchen happily squealing the whole time. At about 8:05 pm I decided it was time to go, but Anna was enjoying herself so much that we decided to let her tire herself out a bit more rather than taking her home kicking and screaming.
At about 8:30 pm we decided it was time to rest everyone's ear drums and head home. Anna wasn't thrilled at first, but with a little extra effort on my part, she went to bed happily and slept until 8 am. I have to say it's so nice that she sleeps a bit longer in the morning after going to sleep later than usual. I only hope it stays that way!
Pool II
Dave and I took Anna to the pool on Saturday. We started at the baby pool. This time Anna went in on her own with a little coaxing. We brought some toys of our own this time so she proceeded to take her bucket and dump water all over herself but not necessarily on purpose - she acted surprised every time the cool water hit a dry part of her! Dave and I used the time to read and chat with other parents at the pool. It was nice while it lasted!
After some time we ventured into the big pool. Anna definitely wasn't thrilled with the cool water. But after awhile she was happy to be held and dipped as long as Dave or I carried her. She wasn't too excited, however, when we floated her on her back or stomach. So we switched gears and sat her on the edge and showed her how to kick and splash with her hands. Then I brought her to a more shallow area of the pool so I had more control over her and turned her facing me and placed my hands under her chest. She kept her head up well (so much better than last year)and let her legs fall behind her rather than try to climb me like she had only a few minutes earlier. I think she may have even kicked a bit. Since she seemed to enjoy this, I decided to give her a little more freedom and placed her on one of the steps so she could stand in deeper water than the baby pool. She seemed to like that so even though we were on our way out, I decided to take advantage of her enthusiasm and stay in for a bit longer.
All of a sudden she fell face first into the water! Yikes! I swept her up quickly and was expecting quite a scene, but I think she was more stunned than anything. She shook it off so we went for one more 'lap' to end on a high note and got out. As we walked away to get dried off and go home for lunch, she kept pointing back to the big pool and saying 'more'. I was so glad she liked it!
We went to find Dave who was already out and talking to a mom by the baby pool. Anna and I stopped to chat as well, and Anna surprised me again by going into the pool without any encouragement from either of us at all this time. She stayed close by but I liked that she initiated this one all on her own.
We're heading to the pool in a little while and meeting John and Tim there when they're finished working for the day. They wanted to check it out with us before committing to the summer. I hope they decide to join - it would be nice to have some more incentive to go through all of the preparation it takes to get over there - the sun tan lotion alone is enough to deter me!
After some time we ventured into the big pool. Anna definitely wasn't thrilled with the cool water. But after awhile she was happy to be held and dipped as long as Dave or I carried her. She wasn't too excited, however, when we floated her on her back or stomach. So we switched gears and sat her on the edge and showed her how to kick and splash with her hands. Then I brought her to a more shallow area of the pool so I had more control over her and turned her facing me and placed my hands under her chest. She kept her head up well (so much better than last year)and let her legs fall behind her rather than try to climb me like she had only a few minutes earlier. I think she may have even kicked a bit. Since she seemed to enjoy this, I decided to give her a little more freedom and placed her on one of the steps so she could stand in deeper water than the baby pool. She seemed to like that so even though we were on our way out, I decided to take advantage of her enthusiasm and stay in for a bit longer.
All of a sudden she fell face first into the water! Yikes! I swept her up quickly and was expecting quite a scene, but I think she was more stunned than anything. She shook it off so we went for one more 'lap' to end on a high note and got out. As we walked away to get dried off and go home for lunch, she kept pointing back to the big pool and saying 'more'. I was so glad she liked it!
We went to find Dave who was already out and talking to a mom by the baby pool. Anna and I stopped to chat as well, and Anna surprised me again by going into the pool without any encouragement from either of us at all this time. She stayed close by but I liked that she initiated this one all on her own.
We're heading to the pool in a little while and meeting John and Tim there when they're finished working for the day. They wanted to check it out with us before committing to the summer. I hope they decide to join - it would be nice to have some more incentive to go through all of the preparation it takes to get over there - the sun tan lotion alone is enough to deter me!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Pool
We went to our town pool for the first time on Monday. As soon as we entered the parking lot, Anna was pointing and saying 'pool' and 'wa wa' (water). I put her in the baby pool after a few minutes because all she was doing was walking around it. She didn't like it at first and tried to climb out, but I insisted she stay in and get used to the water. At first she just hung out by my side but soon enough an older girl (Mia; almost 4) came over and started playing with her. Before I knew it, they were in the middle of the pool and I had some free time to meet some other baby pool mommies!
I've been meaning to go back this week so that she doesn't have to get used to the whole experience all over again, but we haven't been back all week. Hopefully today will brighten up and we can head out late afternoon after OT.
I've been meaning to go back this week so that she doesn't have to get used to the whole experience all over again, but we haven't been back all week. Hopefully today will brighten up and we can head out late afternoon after OT.
Click
Something seems to have clicked with Anna's language. She's using words much more spontaneously and she goes about narrating her day with the few words she's especially good at.
She repeats words a lot faster when I model them for her and her receptive language has sky rocketed! I've felt for a long time that she knows what I'm saying but for some reason she wasn't big on pointing and identifying objects in books. All of a sudden she's doing it and very well at that. She even identifies items that I didn't think she would know. It's very exciting!
I think Sesame Street has really helped. She watches so attentively and repeats and responds throughout the show.
I'm sure we'll have articulation issues to deal with when she's older, but for now the speech therapist said to focus on adding words to her vocabulary. With practice and exercise, the clarity will come!
She repeats words a lot faster when I model them for her and her receptive language has sky rocketed! I've felt for a long time that she knows what I'm saying but for some reason she wasn't big on pointing and identifying objects in books. All of a sudden she's doing it and very well at that. She even identifies items that I didn't think she would know. It's very exciting!
I think Sesame Street has really helped. She watches so attentively and repeats and responds throughout the show.
I'm sure we'll have articulation issues to deal with when she's older, but for now the speech therapist said to focus on adding words to her vocabulary. With practice and exercise, the clarity will come!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!
This month has been a difficult one as Anna has made some big girl transitions (see 'Ugh'). But we made some adjustments and she has returned to her normal self, basically! In fact, this past Friday was my birthday , and she was especially wonderful - I guess it was her birthday gift to me!
As I said, Friday was my birthday, but since we were having a barbecue celebration the next day, I decided to make it a typical Friday and prepare for the party rather than asking my mom to watch Anna while I pampered myself (which is what I've done for the past few years)! Dave gave me an outdoor chest for the deck in the morning and a promise to take me to a Mets game later in the summer. Anna had PT and then she played nicely for the rest of the morning while I cleaned the house. She was so funny - she has some matchbox cars that she absolutely loves and she spent the morning driving them around the couch, the floor, the window and anywhere where there was a smooth surface.
Then when it was time for a nap, she happily sat with me and read some books and then off to sleep without a fight (recently she's been crying, albeit briefly, but a bit upsetting all the same)for three hours! She's a good napper, but recently she's been a little bit inconsistent so I was very happy to have three hours to myself. Then at 4 pm, she was happy to hang around for awhile while Dave and I got ready and then off to Grandma and Granddad's for my birthday dinner.
Dave surprised me after dinner with a visit from my friend Claire (who I didn't think I was going to see until the next day for the barbecue). He gave us money and treats and sent us to the VI for cosmos and then to the movies to see 'Sex and the City'. Anna went home with daddy and they were having so much fun together that she didn't go to sleep until almost 10 pm!
She woke up around 8 am the next morning and was such a good girl all morning while Dave and I cleaned up the back yard and prepared for the party later that afternoon. She wasn't as excited about taking her nap as she was the day before, but she still settled down within a reasonable time frame and slept for a couple of hours allowing me to run to the store for some last minute errands.
She woke up when the guests arrived and took a few minutes to warm up to all of the strangers. But soon enough she was running around the back yard with Granddad in tow. She especially loved the ten foot parachute I bought for the party and had a great time with Daddy, Granddad, Uncle Tim and Uncle John tossing her around in it. She ate an entire hamburger, had a bunch of corn and then proceeded to eat all of the macaroni salad off of my plate. When it was time for cake, she gladly sat on Grandma's lap and spooned herself some vanilla ice cream and frosting and then climbed on top of Granddad for her share of the enormous fruit salad my mom brought.
So Saturday was another late night since she didn't go to bed until the last guests left at 10 pm. We didn't think it was worth fighting with her about bedtime while there were still little ones around. But as soon as we said good night to Spencer and Devon, into the crib she went. She stopped crying before I even closed the door!
Unfortunately something was bothering her because she woke up crying twice. She used to wake up several hours after going to bed when she went to bed late, but gratefully she seems to be growing out of that habit. So I was a bit aggravated since I was really tired from the day's activities. I gave her Tylenol the second time she woke upand then sat with her for a few minutes. I then put her in her crib telling her it was really late and everyone else was sleeping. She started to get upset when I offered her her blanket. But I told her to calm down and turn on her side, and she willing turned over not to make another sound until 9 am the next morning!
Just when I'm at my wits end with her, she seems to come out of her craziness only to have learned more words and understand even more than she already does. I have to remember to remind myself of this when things get nutty because the sooner I come to this realization, the better I deal with her and the easier things become. It's not always easy when you feel frustrated and constantly 'on call'. But that's one of the reasons I started this blog - so I can go back and remind myself of how hard it used to be and how much we have all learned together!
As I said, Friday was my birthday, but since we were having a barbecue celebration the next day, I decided to make it a typical Friday and prepare for the party rather than asking my mom to watch Anna while I pampered myself (which is what I've done for the past few years)! Dave gave me an outdoor chest for the deck in the morning and a promise to take me to a Mets game later in the summer. Anna had PT and then she played nicely for the rest of the morning while I cleaned the house. She was so funny - she has some matchbox cars that she absolutely loves and she spent the morning driving them around the couch, the floor, the window and anywhere where there was a smooth surface.
Then when it was time for a nap, she happily sat with me and read some books and then off to sleep without a fight (recently she's been crying, albeit briefly, but a bit upsetting all the same)for three hours! She's a good napper, but recently she's been a little bit inconsistent so I was very happy to have three hours to myself. Then at 4 pm, she was happy to hang around for awhile while Dave and I got ready and then off to Grandma and Granddad's for my birthday dinner.
Dave surprised me after dinner with a visit from my friend Claire (who I didn't think I was going to see until the next day for the barbecue). He gave us money and treats and sent us to the VI for cosmos and then to the movies to see 'Sex and the City'. Anna went home with daddy and they were having so much fun together that she didn't go to sleep until almost 10 pm!
She woke up around 8 am the next morning and was such a good girl all morning while Dave and I cleaned up the back yard and prepared for the party later that afternoon. She wasn't as excited about taking her nap as she was the day before, but she still settled down within a reasonable time frame and slept for a couple of hours allowing me to run to the store for some last minute errands.
She woke up when the guests arrived and took a few minutes to warm up to all of the strangers. But soon enough she was running around the back yard with Granddad in tow. She especially loved the ten foot parachute I bought for the party and had a great time with Daddy, Granddad, Uncle Tim and Uncle John tossing her around in it. She ate an entire hamburger, had a bunch of corn and then proceeded to eat all of the macaroni salad off of my plate. When it was time for cake, she gladly sat on Grandma's lap and spooned herself some vanilla ice cream and frosting and then climbed on top of Granddad for her share of the enormous fruit salad my mom brought.
So Saturday was another late night since she didn't go to bed until the last guests left at 10 pm. We didn't think it was worth fighting with her about bedtime while there were still little ones around. But as soon as we said good night to Spencer and Devon, into the crib she went. She stopped crying before I even closed the door!
Unfortunately something was bothering her because she woke up crying twice. She used to wake up several hours after going to bed when she went to bed late, but gratefully she seems to be growing out of that habit. So I was a bit aggravated since I was really tired from the day's activities. I gave her Tylenol the second time she woke upand then sat with her for a few minutes. I then put her in her crib telling her it was really late and everyone else was sleeping. She started to get upset when I offered her her blanket. But I told her to calm down and turn on her side, and she willing turned over not to make another sound until 9 am the next morning!
Just when I'm at my wits end with her, she seems to come out of her craziness only to have learned more words and understand even more than she already does. I have to remember to remind myself of this when things get nutty because the sooner I come to this realization, the better I deal with her and the easier things become. It's not always easy when you feel frustrated and constantly 'on call'. But that's one of the reasons I started this blog - so I can go back and remind myself of how hard it used to be and how much we have all learned together!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Talking
We've been working for about six months on Anna's speech and it's coming along, but it sure is a slow process. There are times when I'm extremely frustrated (and I'm sure she is too). At least I have last year to look back on to help me through my exasperation. Last year at this time, all she could do was scoot around on her bottom to get from place to place. She didn't crawl, pull herself up, kneel; she just scooted around cleaning my floors with her seat! And at this point last year we had been doing OT and PT for 6/7 months so I was definitely frustrated wondering when and if she would ever reach a point where things would come more easily to her.
Then October came and Anna started walking. I was excited but also concerned that she would get frustrated every time she fell because she couldn't pull herself up yet. This was the case for sure, but it didn't last long, gratefully! She soon realized that the only way to not feel so annoyed by falling was to pick herself up so she did! And once she started pulling herself up not long after her first unassisted steps, she really had a huge learning burst. Now I watch her and can't believe how easily she gets around. In fact, she just started climbing on top of the couch by herself. Not exactly where I want her to play, but it's a good therapy tool, nonetheless! She still has fine motor skill issues and her gross motor skills are still weaker than other kids her age, but she certainly manages to hold her own whether home or out and about.
So I try and relate this story to her speech. Right now she's 'scooting' - doing what she can to get what she wants verbally but still struggling to really communicate at the same speed her brain is inputting information. Hopefully by October, if not sooner, she'll have another huge burst and words will come more quickly and she'll start stringing words together to get her point across a lot faster and more effectively. I know she has a lot to say right now - she's constantly pointing and 'grunting' and when I give her a word to associate with what I think she wants, she happily repeats. I guess I just have to focus on teaching and not worrying, after all time will tell!
Then October came and Anna started walking. I was excited but also concerned that she would get frustrated every time she fell because she couldn't pull herself up yet. This was the case for sure, but it didn't last long, gratefully! She soon realized that the only way to not feel so annoyed by falling was to pick herself up so she did! And once she started pulling herself up not long after her first unassisted steps, she really had a huge learning burst. Now I watch her and can't believe how easily she gets around. In fact, she just started climbing on top of the couch by herself. Not exactly where I want her to play, but it's a good therapy tool, nonetheless! She still has fine motor skill issues and her gross motor skills are still weaker than other kids her age, but she certainly manages to hold her own whether home or out and about.
So I try and relate this story to her speech. Right now she's 'scooting' - doing what she can to get what she wants verbally but still struggling to really communicate at the same speed her brain is inputting information. Hopefully by October, if not sooner, she'll have another huge burst and words will come more quickly and she'll start stringing words together to get her point across a lot faster and more effectively. I know she has a lot to say right now - she's constantly pointing and 'grunting' and when I give her a word to associate with what I think she wants, she happily repeats. I guess I just have to focus on teaching and not worrying, after all time will tell!
Pig Tails
Well, they are certainly not perfect, but the best I could do with a very squirmy two year old. Not only does she not sit still when I want to do her hair, but she also puts her hands all over her face and head making it next to impossible. So I tend to put her in the little rocking chair she's sitting in here and putting PBS Sprout on for her. And if you think she's actually looking at the camera in the picture, don't be deceived - she's actually watching Sesame Street, by far the best show for kids on TV!
Ugh!
Anna is officially two! Well, as many of you know, she turned two in March (and it's June 19) so she's been two for awhile. What I'm talking about is the terrible twos! The last few weeks Anna has just not been her noraml happy, cooperative self! I guess it couldn't last forever!
It started with her throwing food and her bottle and then her pacifier! The pacifier was a quick fix - we just got rid of it. Anna only used it during nap time and bed time, but I was pretty nervous about her having difficulty falling asleep without it especially if she woke up in the middle of the night. We just finished our third week without it, which is definitely a good thing. She's done a lot better than I thought she'd do without it, but with the good comes the bad! Anna used to look forward to going to sleep. In fact, at nap time, I simply changed her diaper, gave her her pacifier and said 'see ya later'! Now she's been a bit more unpredictable. Overall, she only puts up a small fight about going to sleep, but occasionally she really has a fit. Tuesday night, it took close to an hour to get her to settle down and go to sleep. Luckily once she's asleep, she sleeps until around 8 am, but I have to say there are nights when I wish she hadn't given up the pacifier so quickly. I was willing to let her go until 2.5 before weaning her off it, but instead she went cold turkey! Even though she mostly wimpers a little, it's still upsetting to leave her for the night in that state rather than the happy little girl eagerly rolling over and going to sleep!
The food has been a different story - she has been really ornery about how she eats it, not necessarily about what she eats. It seems that our big girl doesn't enjoy the high chair that much anymore and isn't that interested in spooning food herself anymore. She's perfectly capable of it even though it's a bit of a mess, but she always wants me to help or at least stand close by while she does it. I've been trying to teach her that if she doesn't do it herself, she doesn't get it, but that lesson is not exactly working. When I first take it away, she cries, but then she gets over it and moves on. I'm thinking it may be a lesson for another time!
Currently we've been letting her drink her milk in the morning while she watches Sesame Street. Then I give her some banana and some cheerios and she's set until a snack with grandma or lunch time. Grandma still uses the high chair because lunch is a messier meal. And then at dinner time, she sits in the high chair, and she, Dave and I eat together. But for some reason, she gets annoyed when I present her with a bowl so I've been simply putting pieces of food on the tray. I'm trying not to give into her every whim, but I also don't feel like fighting with her over something that will seem trivial in a few months' time! And we haven't given up on the spoon feeding, just not making as much of an issue over it so we're not constantly battling with her. If I've learned one thing over the last few weeks, it doesn't pay to tell her no and give her time outs. She just gets really mad and continues to do what I don't want her to do. So I'm trying to take a more light-hearted approach and go with the flow. After all, she still eats everything I give her, and she won't be two forever!
It started with her throwing food and her bottle and then her pacifier! The pacifier was a quick fix - we just got rid of it. Anna only used it during nap time and bed time, but I was pretty nervous about her having difficulty falling asleep without it especially if she woke up in the middle of the night. We just finished our third week without it, which is definitely a good thing. She's done a lot better than I thought she'd do without it, but with the good comes the bad! Anna used to look forward to going to sleep. In fact, at nap time, I simply changed her diaper, gave her her pacifier and said 'see ya later'! Now she's been a bit more unpredictable. Overall, she only puts up a small fight about going to sleep, but occasionally she really has a fit. Tuesday night, it took close to an hour to get her to settle down and go to sleep. Luckily once she's asleep, she sleeps until around 8 am, but I have to say there are nights when I wish she hadn't given up the pacifier so quickly. I was willing to let her go until 2.5 before weaning her off it, but instead she went cold turkey! Even though she mostly wimpers a little, it's still upsetting to leave her for the night in that state rather than the happy little girl eagerly rolling over and going to sleep!
The food has been a different story - she has been really ornery about how she eats it, not necessarily about what she eats. It seems that our big girl doesn't enjoy the high chair that much anymore and isn't that interested in spooning food herself anymore. She's perfectly capable of it even though it's a bit of a mess, but she always wants me to help or at least stand close by while she does it. I've been trying to teach her that if she doesn't do it herself, she doesn't get it, but that lesson is not exactly working. When I first take it away, she cries, but then she gets over it and moves on. I'm thinking it may be a lesson for another time!
Currently we've been letting her drink her milk in the morning while she watches Sesame Street. Then I give her some banana and some cheerios and she's set until a snack with grandma or lunch time. Grandma still uses the high chair because lunch is a messier meal. And then at dinner time, she sits in the high chair, and she, Dave and I eat together. But for some reason, she gets annoyed when I present her with a bowl so I've been simply putting pieces of food on the tray. I'm trying not to give into her every whim, but I also don't feel like fighting with her over something that will seem trivial in a few months' time! And we haven't given up on the spoon feeding, just not making as much of an issue over it so we're not constantly battling with her. If I've learned one thing over the last few weeks, it doesn't pay to tell her no and give her time outs. She just gets really mad and continues to do what I don't want her to do. So I'm trying to take a more light-hearted approach and go with the flow. After all, she still eats everything I give her, and she won't be two forever!
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Stairs
Anna still primarily crawls up the stairs, but we've been working on strengthening her hips, legs and balance so she can walk up and down them. A couple of weeks ago we were on the front 'porch' saying goodbye to Anna's speech therapist and Anna shocked me by hanging onto the railing with her left hand and walking down the six or seven stairs to our front door without any prompting. It certainly took a lot of effort, but I was impressed at her initiative and ability.
I thought that was going to be the beginning of her consistently trying to walk up and down stairs, but instead she still resorted to crawling. She was starting to put her foot on the next step instead of her knee, but she wasn't ready to go up without placing her hands on the next step as well.
Over the last couple of days she's been hanging onto the railing with both hands and walking up the first few steps of the stairs in our front hallway. So I'm looking forward to her reaching this 'stair' milestone over the next few weeks. And based on past experience I bet I'll have news of other unexpected milestones that come as a result of this pending accomplishment. I'll be sure to report back.
I thought that was going to be the beginning of her consistently trying to walk up and down stairs, but instead she still resorted to crawling. She was starting to put her foot on the next step instead of her knee, but she wasn't ready to go up without placing her hands on the next step as well.
Over the last couple of days she's been hanging onto the railing with both hands and walking up the first few steps of the stairs in our front hallway. So I'm looking forward to her reaching this 'stair' milestone over the next few weeks. And based on past experience I bet I'll have news of other unexpected milestones that come as a result of this pending accomplishment. I'll be sure to report back.
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