Today was Flara's nine-month check-up, and we were quite pleased with the visit!
Best of all, she was up-to-date on shots and so did not have to have any! I was really feeling bad for the little girl.
Although Flara has been struggling to gain weight (usually an ounce or two a week... if even), she gained an amazing 8 ounces in the last 10 days! She tipped the scales at 13 pounds, 15 ounces. She also grew one-half inch so now measures 25.5 inches long. Of notable cause, she finally appeared on the real "big girl" growth chart! She's been charting on the preemie chart, but she transitioned over this time. Still adjusted for prematurity, she is about 35% for length (if a 6-month-old baby) and 12% for weight!
With this most recent growth spurt, she is literally eating straight out of our wallets. That's never an easy thing when you're on a super-tight budget! Thankfully, she was given the go-ahead to begin working on stage II foods, then progress to stage III foods within a few weeks. We get to switch off of the expensive preemie formula and start using "normal" formula, plus supplementing her with one bottle of Pediasure daily. Hopefully, this will result in better weight gain and save us a bit of money! =)
Her doc was pleased with the sound of her lungs, so we will not have to be referred to a lung specialist at this time (to follow up on the fast-breathing spells and blue hands and feet). Yay! Our pediatrician's best guess is that she is having some residual effects from scarring from being intubated.
She has been labeled 'delayed onset' in the matter of teething. I believe I've mentioned before that the roof of her mouth is considered 'high and arched,' which is a lovely result of being intubated as a newborn. If she doesn't have teeth erupt before her first birthday, then little Flara will be referred to a specialized pediatric dentist. A series of x-rays would be obtained to see how her little teeth are doing, and to further evaluate her palate, and ultimately, to determine if it's fully closed or would need some sort of medical intervention. Right now, it does not affect her ability to eat, so we can sit and wait.
If anything else happened at the visit, I cannot remember it right now. =)
We will follow up in about six weeks to check on her weight gain.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The death of a soldier.
Mike's Grandpa Veitz died last Thursday evening following an attempt to cardiovert his heart. This is done when the heart is misfiring in a rhythm that won't sustain life, so the heart is stopped, then shocked with the hopes that in the restart, the heart will resume beating with a normal heart rhythm. Unfortunately, the cardioversion was not successful, and Grandpa Veitz's heart never resumed beating. Although he had been in failing health for some time, the news was still unexpected and very sad. Without hesitation, Mike and I packed our bags, loaded the girls, and headed to North Dakota.
I'm writing this story to tell the tale of our military and those who serve in it. Walter Henry Veitz, 82, had served during the Korean Conflict, and from what his brother tells, saw some horrific things. Through the years that I knew Grandpa Veitz, he never mentioned his time in the service. He was always a jokester, and a man I really loved and greatly appreciated for the glimmer he had in his eyes... a tell-tell sign that he was going to trick you at cards or tell some sort of joke. He was a leathermaker, too, of which I had found a kindred spirit having done leather work myself when I was little 4-H'er. =)
Grandpa Veitz was buried in the National Cemetery outside Bismarck, North Dakota. I have never been to Arlington, or any National Cemetery for that matter, so my only idea of what it would be like was from the images I had seen on TV or in the paper. I did know that we had to be prompt on our arrival time as burials are occurring every hour eight times a day. Exhausting. I wondered if the soldiers helping with the service would be walking through the ceremony without much thought as they performed it repeatedly throughout the work day.
The grounds were well-manicured with the rows of headstones. A large area of new gravesites with the metal markers gave indication where the newest were buried. I was a bit taken aback at the number there, realizing how quickly our Nation's veterans are dying. Further up the hill, a small building stood with a chapel. To the left and waiting for our arrival and the ceremony, was a group of retired veterans serving as the Honor Guard, displaying our country's flags. Their faces appeared somber and respectful, and I still wondered how they perceived the number of ceremonies in a day.
We walked into the small chapel with two rows of seats and Grandpa Veitz's coffin draped in the American Flag at the front. This was framed by a series of tall windows overlooking the grounds and was topped by stained glass at the front. No lights were turned on, so the sunlight was casting long shadows in the room, and in my opinion, really added to the effect. At four posts around the casket were three Army soldiers (young, and still active duty, I would guess) and one older gentleman, a retired soldier. Looking through the windows, the Honor Guard stood solemnly. As the pastor walked through the final stages of the ceremony (we had attended a church funeral service prior), I kept watching the faces of all of the soldiers. Inside and outside. Emotions were actually showing on their faces, and it was then that I realized that they do take this seriously and were not marching through another ceremony.
As the service concluded, the sound of Taps played from over our left shoulders, the flag was removed from the casket, the careful task of folding the flag was begun, final shots were fired, a final salute, and then the flag was presented to Grandma Veitz. The Army soldiers had folded the flag with precision, then handed it to the retired veteran, who walked it to Grandma Veitz. Kneeling down, he stated, "On behalf of the United States of America, and our local VFW post, we present this flag to you..." As he said those words, his voice broke and tears welled up in his eyes. He paused for a moment, finished his words, then handed the flag to Grandma Veitz.
It was a beautiful ceremony.
I had wanted to be photographing the whole thing because it was such a thing of beauty, but I didn't know how anyone would feel about someone snapping photos, so I stood behind the row of chairs and held Noël.
It made me think a lot about all of our veterans and our troops currently serving. I thought of my cousin Troy, who has gone overseas two or three times, and how this ceremony will await him one day. I thought of how many families, young and old, are sitting through this as our country moves through a period of war. I thought of all of the heck our military receives... sadly. Many people are willing to risk their safety, lives, and families for our benefit, and many of them end up sitting in a chapel, listening to taps, and watching in slow-motion as the flag that draped the casket is folded up and presented to the surviving spouse or children.
I was really moved by the sincerity and honor and respect shown to Grandpa Veitz's body, and I know it's being played out across the country.
My final thought as we drove away... "I really like the military." All of it.
I'm writing this story to tell the tale of our military and those who serve in it. Walter Henry Veitz, 82, had served during the Korean Conflict, and from what his brother tells, saw some horrific things. Through the years that I knew Grandpa Veitz, he never mentioned his time in the service. He was always a jokester, and a man I really loved and greatly appreciated for the glimmer he had in his eyes... a tell-tell sign that he was going to trick you at cards or tell some sort of joke. He was a leathermaker, too, of which I had found a kindred spirit having done leather work myself when I was little 4-H'er. =)
Grandpa Veitz was buried in the National Cemetery outside Bismarck, North Dakota. I have never been to Arlington, or any National Cemetery for that matter, so my only idea of what it would be like was from the images I had seen on TV or in the paper. I did know that we had to be prompt on our arrival time as burials are occurring every hour eight times a day. Exhausting. I wondered if the soldiers helping with the service would be walking through the ceremony without much thought as they performed it repeatedly throughout the work day.
The grounds were well-manicured with the rows of headstones. A large area of new gravesites with the metal markers gave indication where the newest were buried. I was a bit taken aback at the number there, realizing how quickly our Nation's veterans are dying. Further up the hill, a small building stood with a chapel. To the left and waiting for our arrival and the ceremony, was a group of retired veterans serving as the Honor Guard, displaying our country's flags. Their faces appeared somber and respectful, and I still wondered how they perceived the number of ceremonies in a day.
We walked into the small chapel with two rows of seats and Grandpa Veitz's coffin draped in the American Flag at the front. This was framed by a series of tall windows overlooking the grounds and was topped by stained glass at the front. No lights were turned on, so the sunlight was casting long shadows in the room, and in my opinion, really added to the effect. At four posts around the casket were three Army soldiers (young, and still active duty, I would guess) and one older gentleman, a retired soldier. Looking through the windows, the Honor Guard stood solemnly. As the pastor walked through the final stages of the ceremony (we had attended a church funeral service prior), I kept watching the faces of all of the soldiers. Inside and outside. Emotions were actually showing on their faces, and it was then that I realized that they do take this seriously and were not marching through another ceremony.
As the service concluded, the sound of Taps played from over our left shoulders, the flag was removed from the casket, the careful task of folding the flag was begun, final shots were fired, a final salute, and then the flag was presented to Grandma Veitz. The Army soldiers had folded the flag with precision, then handed it to the retired veteran, who walked it to Grandma Veitz. Kneeling down, he stated, "On behalf of the United States of America, and our local VFW post, we present this flag to you..." As he said those words, his voice broke and tears welled up in his eyes. He paused for a moment, finished his words, then handed the flag to Grandma Veitz.
It was a beautiful ceremony.
I had wanted to be photographing the whole thing because it was such a thing of beauty, but I didn't know how anyone would feel about someone snapping photos, so I stood behind the row of chairs and held Noël.
It made me think a lot about all of our veterans and our troops currently serving. I thought of my cousin Troy, who has gone overseas two or three times, and how this ceremony will await him one day. I thought of how many families, young and old, are sitting through this as our country moves through a period of war. I thought of all of the heck our military receives... sadly. Many people are willing to risk their safety, lives, and families for our benefit, and many of them end up sitting in a chapel, listening to taps, and watching in slow-motion as the flag that draped the casket is folded up and presented to the surviving spouse or children.
I was really moved by the sincerity and honor and respect shown to Grandpa Veitz's body, and I know it's being played out across the country.
My final thought as we drove away... "I really like the military." All of it.
A little scare.
Flara has been having a few problems lately... for the past couple of weeks, really. We had noticed that she had begun to breathe faster at spells, whether she was resting or playing. I kept a watchful eye on it, then began to notice that she was also using some extra muscles above her sternum and clavicles to breathe. To add to that, her hands and feet starting turning very blue and would go ice-cold. I asked the nurse practitioner about it the Wednesday we were in the office to have Noël checked out for a urinary tract infection, and she said we should call the cardiologist.
The very next day, Mike's Grandpa Veitz died, so we loaded into our truck and began the 26-hour long trek to North Dakota. During the week in Bismarck, we noticed she was having more blue spells, so we told ourselves that we would call as soon as we returned to Tennessee. We drove straight through on our return trip, so we basically slept the whole next day and forgot to call. We remembered the following day, so I called the cardiologist and told them what she was doing. Very concerned, I was told to come in for the very first visit of the day. Also, I was very seriously warned that if Flara did anything different or 'funny,' we were to go straight to the ER... no hesitating. A bit concerned, we tried to not get worked up until we saw the doctor, but we were mentally preparing for the possibility of heading to Nashville for Vanderbilt Hospital on a dime's notice.
Flara and I arrived at the cardiologist's at 0745, and were quickly taken back to her first test. She had a post-ductal blood pressure taken (left foot, after the blood has passed through the heart and lungs), and it was normal. Her EKG gave no indication of any additional stress on her heart, and her oxygen saturation was between 92 and 100. Next, we went in for her echo. The doctor immediately noticed that her ventricles were of normal size. Next, he looked at her pulmonary artery, and it was back to normal size from previously being enlarged. The extra fluid in her lungs was looking better, so he declared that her pulmonary hypertension was resolved. He looked at her PDA (that extra little blood vessel that helps the blood bypass the lungs in-utero that is still open in Flara), and it, too, was a teensy bit smaller. Last, he noted that although the hole between her atria was still of the same size, some fibrous bands were criss-crossing over the hole indicating that Flara's heart is attempting to repair itself!!!! He was really pleased with the results, and said that based on his findings and the overall appearance of her heart and lungs, he could officially say that she is no longer in heart failure! We are so, so, soooo thankful for that, and ultimately give all the thanks to God!
As far as the breathing issues and hands and feet, he said that it's not being caused by her heart. He said that she has sluggish circulation, and that's simply a problem of prematurity that will have to be outgrown... like all of those other difficulties. He said that her little lungs are still recovering from missing out on the entire third trimester to grow.
Next on our day was an already-scheduled follow-up appointment with Flara's brain and developmental specialist. I was a bit in odds about this as she is sometimes a bit scolding on needing to work harder. We went into this meeting with the whole crew, and the doc walked in looking very tired. She said she'd had a day of total screamers, and her nerves were certainly worn out. Yikes! But, she assessed Flara and was SUPER pleased with the progress our girl has made, so my new homework assignment turned out to be small. She showed us how to help Flara learn to sit up and how to really get up on her hands and knees for crawling, and then one last exercise to help her learn to move her legs forward to walk assisted. By pressing the one little sitting 'button' as she calls them, Flara sat for a whole 5 minutes! That was amazing! Then, as she showed me the crawling position, I realized that my homework from the last visit was being utilized with Flara just in a different position... simply building off the past. By the time we finished, the doctor was really praising both the girls for being "so lovely" and kept telling Mike and me how much she appreciated how the girls acted. =) Yippee! Both girls have been so tired from the North Dakota trip, I wasn't sure how the office visit would go.
In the end, Mike and I were super pleased with our day. What we were expecting to be a day of turmoil turned out to be a day of pleasantries and our thanking our wonderful Savior for all of the good news!
We are also thankful for everyone who called, texted, or Facebooked us, and the many prayers!
The very next day, Mike's Grandpa Veitz died, so we loaded into our truck and began the 26-hour long trek to North Dakota. During the week in Bismarck, we noticed she was having more blue spells, so we told ourselves that we would call as soon as we returned to Tennessee. We drove straight through on our return trip, so we basically slept the whole next day and forgot to call. We remembered the following day, so I called the cardiologist and told them what she was doing. Very concerned, I was told to come in for the very first visit of the day. Also, I was very seriously warned that if Flara did anything different or 'funny,' we were to go straight to the ER... no hesitating. A bit concerned, we tried to not get worked up until we saw the doctor, but we were mentally preparing for the possibility of heading to Nashville for Vanderbilt Hospital on a dime's notice.
Flara and I arrived at the cardiologist's at 0745, and were quickly taken back to her first test. She had a post-ductal blood pressure taken (left foot, after the blood has passed through the heart and lungs), and it was normal. Her EKG gave no indication of any additional stress on her heart, and her oxygen saturation was between 92 and 100. Next, we went in for her echo. The doctor immediately noticed that her ventricles were of normal size. Next, he looked at her pulmonary artery, and it was back to normal size from previously being enlarged. The extra fluid in her lungs was looking better, so he declared that her pulmonary hypertension was resolved. He looked at her PDA (that extra little blood vessel that helps the blood bypass the lungs in-utero that is still open in Flara), and it, too, was a teensy bit smaller. Last, he noted that although the hole between her atria was still of the same size, some fibrous bands were criss-crossing over the hole indicating that Flara's heart is attempting to repair itself!!!! He was really pleased with the results, and said that based on his findings and the overall appearance of her heart and lungs, he could officially say that she is no longer in heart failure! We are so, so, soooo thankful for that, and ultimately give all the thanks to God!
As far as the breathing issues and hands and feet, he said that it's not being caused by her heart. He said that she has sluggish circulation, and that's simply a problem of prematurity that will have to be outgrown... like all of those other difficulties. He said that her little lungs are still recovering from missing out on the entire third trimester to grow.
Next on our day was an already-scheduled follow-up appointment with Flara's brain and developmental specialist. I was a bit in odds about this as she is sometimes a bit scolding on needing to work harder. We went into this meeting with the whole crew, and the doc walked in looking very tired. She said she'd had a day of total screamers, and her nerves were certainly worn out. Yikes! But, she assessed Flara and was SUPER pleased with the progress our girl has made, so my new homework assignment turned out to be small. She showed us how to help Flara learn to sit up and how to really get up on her hands and knees for crawling, and then one last exercise to help her learn to move her legs forward to walk assisted. By pressing the one little sitting 'button' as she calls them, Flara sat for a whole 5 minutes! That was amazing! Then, as she showed me the crawling position, I realized that my homework from the last visit was being utilized with Flara just in a different position... simply building off the past. By the time we finished, the doctor was really praising both the girls for being "so lovely" and kept telling Mike and me how much she appreciated how the girls acted. =) Yippee! Both girls have been so tired from the North Dakota trip, I wasn't sure how the office visit would go.
In the end, Mike and I were super pleased with our day. What we were expecting to be a day of turmoil turned out to be a day of pleasantries and our thanking our wonderful Savior for all of the good news!
We are also thankful for everyone who called, texted, or Facebooked us, and the many prayers!
Monday, May 31, 2010
The end of May.
The end of May already... it's hard to believe.
This month has brought forth a lot of improvement with Flara. All at once... just as the 'brain doc' had said, Flara would begin to flourish.
We have still been meeting with Tennessee Early Intervention, a program for at-risk infants and children. They are great. I have a case worker who comes to our home, and she sends other folks to our home to help work with Flara and teach me more of what I can do to help her develop. Part of their program is assessing Flara's progress. Upon completion of her initial tests, she has a 25% delay in gross motor skills and a 25% delay in verbal communication skills. Based on these two delays, she would qualify to attend the Trula Lawson school at the age of 3 (if we so desired). The Trula Lawson school is here in town, and is a school geared towards little kiddos with delays. Although I ultimately plan on homeschooling my girls, it is nice to know that these programs are available to help little Flara.
Part of homework with Flara has been attempting to teach her to roll over. She finally mastered rolling from her tummy to her back, but just could not get the final 'oomph' to roll over from her back to her tummy. Finally, in the past week, she has made it over! Only a few times, but she has done it! Of course, she can only roll in one direction... towards her dominant right side. I think it's that darn brain bleed slowing her left side down again. Boo. But, we keep working on it. Eventually, I think she'll get there. =)
She also figured out how to hold a toy and pass it from hand-to-hand! I know it doesn't seem like much, but that one little task has been the big one that everyone has noted as indicating her miscommunication in her brain. Also, as she has become more body-aware, she still had not been fully realizing that she has little tootsies. This week, she found them! I have been more apt to let her sit in a diaper and leave her feet bare so she can find them and pull on them. She seems to be very pleased with their discovery. I'm tickled because that little foot grab tells me that she now knows that she owns feet. Amazing!
She had an unplanned visit to the ped's office this past week. She had water blister looking bumps pop up on her booty. I feared staph, so I called the office. We went in, and they confirmed that she did have a staph infection. We've been treating her with topical antibiotics, and after a week, her bottom looks much better. Poor little girl. In visiting with her doctor, we did get to put big girl on the scales. She is now 13 pounds 3 ounces! So, she is up 2 pounds from her last doc visit over 2 months ago.
She is really becoming interactive, and her love for Miss Noël is really blossoming. Well, between both of them, actually. Noël is really appreciating that her little Sis will laugh at her, so Noël does her best to ham it up for little Sissy. I am really enjoying watching the two of them interact, whether it's Noël sharing a book with her or bringing her toys or feeding her or kissing her... she's an excellent Big Sis. Noël holds Flara's hands, too, and makes her 'dance' and really enjoys having splash parties in the bath together. They both really light up over that.
As Noël's love for Flara grows, so does her gentleness in caring for Flara and her two baby dolls. Yep, Noël has three babies. =) As she scurries around changing diapers on all of them (although she gagged hard on real Sissy's 'shooooo.... poo poo' today) and arranging them in swings and bouncers, I can't help but think that she is really turning out to be a little Momma Hen... like her own mommy was as a little girl. It really tickles me because I sit and think that she is really stepping into the role that God designed her to be. Her love is selfless, really. She will even leave her supper because one of the babies needs something.... And, trust me... the girl loves her food!
I am really thankful for my little family. Mike, me, the girls, and ole stinky Dogg. Life can and has been really, really tough, but I look at our family and am filled with pure love and appreciation.
This month has brought forth a lot of improvement with Flara. All at once... just as the 'brain doc' had said, Flara would begin to flourish.
We have still been meeting with Tennessee Early Intervention, a program for at-risk infants and children. They are great. I have a case worker who comes to our home, and she sends other folks to our home to help work with Flara and teach me more of what I can do to help her develop. Part of their program is assessing Flara's progress. Upon completion of her initial tests, she has a 25% delay in gross motor skills and a 25% delay in verbal communication skills. Based on these two delays, she would qualify to attend the Trula Lawson school at the age of 3 (if we so desired). The Trula Lawson school is here in town, and is a school geared towards little kiddos with delays. Although I ultimately plan on homeschooling my girls, it is nice to know that these programs are available to help little Flara.
Part of homework with Flara has been attempting to teach her to roll over. She finally mastered rolling from her tummy to her back, but just could not get the final 'oomph' to roll over from her back to her tummy. Finally, in the past week, she has made it over! Only a few times, but she has done it! Of course, she can only roll in one direction... towards her dominant right side. I think it's that darn brain bleed slowing her left side down again. Boo. But, we keep working on it. Eventually, I think she'll get there. =)
She also figured out how to hold a toy and pass it from hand-to-hand! I know it doesn't seem like much, but that one little task has been the big one that everyone has noted as indicating her miscommunication in her brain. Also, as she has become more body-aware, she still had not been fully realizing that she has little tootsies. This week, she found them! I have been more apt to let her sit in a diaper and leave her feet bare so she can find them and pull on them. She seems to be very pleased with their discovery. I'm tickled because that little foot grab tells me that she now knows that she owns feet. Amazing!
She had an unplanned visit to the ped's office this past week. She had water blister looking bumps pop up on her booty. I feared staph, so I called the office. We went in, and they confirmed that she did have a staph infection. We've been treating her with topical antibiotics, and after a week, her bottom looks much better. Poor little girl. In visiting with her doctor, we did get to put big girl on the scales. She is now 13 pounds 3 ounces! So, she is up 2 pounds from her last doc visit over 2 months ago.
She is really becoming interactive, and her love for Miss Noël is really blossoming. Well, between both of them, actually. Noël is really appreciating that her little Sis will laugh at her, so Noël does her best to ham it up for little Sissy. I am really enjoying watching the two of them interact, whether it's Noël sharing a book with her or bringing her toys or feeding her or kissing her... she's an excellent Big Sis. Noël holds Flara's hands, too, and makes her 'dance' and really enjoys having splash parties in the bath together. They both really light up over that.
As Noël's love for Flara grows, so does her gentleness in caring for Flara and her two baby dolls. Yep, Noël has three babies. =) As she scurries around changing diapers on all of them (although she gagged hard on real Sissy's 'shooooo.... poo poo' today) and arranging them in swings and bouncers, I can't help but think that she is really turning out to be a little Momma Hen... like her own mommy was as a little girl. It really tickles me because I sit and think that she is really stepping into the role that God designed her to be. Her love is selfless, really. She will even leave her supper because one of the babies needs something.... And, trust me... the girl loves her food!
I am really thankful for my little family. Mike, me, the girls, and ole stinky Dogg. Life can and has been really, really tough, but I look at our family and am filled with pure love and appreciation.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Funny Tall-tale of the Day
Noël has been really tired this week from lots of missed naps and late bedtimes. Apparently, we've been having just a bit too much fun in the Veitz household. =)
Around 4 this afternoon, she really started to rub her eyes. "Are you sleepy, Noël?" She looked at me, still rubbing her eyes, and gave me that long-drawn-with a funny inflection in the middle, "noooooooo."
Me: "You're not sleepy? You're rubbing your eyes."
She looks at me with a concerned face and stops rubbing her eyes.
She brings one finger to her face and points to her eye.
Noël: "Mammy, mys eyes outsie."
Me: "Your eye is ouchy? What from?"
Noël: "Mammy, mys eyes outsie. Is bock-bock." Translation: My eye is ouchy from a chicken.
Me: "Noël, a bock bock made your eye ouchy?"
Noël shakes her head very seriously yes.
Me: "So, a bock bock made your eye hurt?"
Noël: "Bock bocks mys eyes outsie." (Starts rubbing again).
Me: "Okay, you're rubbing your eyes not because you're sleepy, but because a bock bock hurt you?"
Noël: A very big nod 'yes.'
Then, she falls backwards dramatically on the couch with a really funny grin on her face.
The girl is a nut!
Around 4 this afternoon, she really started to rub her eyes. "Are you sleepy, Noël?" She looked at me, still rubbing her eyes, and gave me that long-drawn-with a funny inflection in the middle, "noooooooo."
Me: "You're not sleepy? You're rubbing your eyes."
She looks at me with a concerned face and stops rubbing her eyes.
She brings one finger to her face and points to her eye.
Noël: "Mammy, mys eyes outsie."
Me: "Your eye is ouchy? What from?"
Noël: "Mammy, mys eyes outsie. Is bock-bock." Translation: My eye is ouchy from a chicken.
Me: "Noël, a bock bock made your eye ouchy?"
Noël shakes her head very seriously yes.
Me: "So, a bock bock made your eye hurt?"
Noël: "Bock bocks mys eyes outsie." (Starts rubbing again).
Me: "Okay, you're rubbing your eyes not because you're sleepy, but because a bock bock hurt you?"
Noël: A very big nod 'yes.'
Then, she falls backwards dramatically on the couch with a really funny grin on her face.
The girl is a nut!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Rolling with laughter...
Okay, not necessarily together, but both are happening with FlareBear now!
I discovered the roll-overs when I put her in Noël's bed-formerly-known-as-Crib for a nap a couple of days ago. I think we have it established through pictures that my babies sleep in manners not kosher with the current campaigns... thanks to reflux issues gone mad. But, anyways, I put Flara in the crib and walked away. Some period of time later, she was awake and crying. When I went to retrieve her, she was on her back! And, she looked SHOCKED! Hooray! Big girl rolled over!
It has happened several times since, and many times today! It makes me happy and a bit proud to know that our 'homework' is paying off! She's also leaning hard to the sides when we're playing with her on her back and starting to get the motions down that she will need to learn to roll over from her back to her tummy. Oh, how fun!
During bath time a few nights ago, she let out a short little chuckle when I washed her neck. That little chuckle delighted me, but that was all she would offer. Well, today, I was playing with her, and tickled that little neck, and she really got to chuckling! It was so cute! So, over and over again, like a meanie, I kept tickling her neck and making her laugh! It was great. =) I can't describe her little laugh. It's really funny... not a traditional laugh or chuckle that I normally hear from babies. It is just distinctively Flara.
Those little milestones sure brighten my day. It makes me feel like we're maybe starting to get somewhere!
On Big Sister news... she is still doing great in her big girl bed. I think that has to be the smoothest transition ever. She's so good at big girl bed, that on the third night, she started crawling into bed by herself! She is big enough (in her eyes!) to not need her mommy or daddy to put her in bed. =)
Tonight, she is sleeping with a pillow for the first time. REALLY big girl!
On the name news, she has renamed her mommy. No longer does she call me by 'ma ma' or 'mom mom' or 'mommy.' I am now a short and forceful "MAMMY." That really cracks me up!
I discovered the roll-overs when I put her in Noël's bed-formerly-known-as-Crib for a nap a couple of days ago. I think we have it established through pictures that my babies sleep in manners not kosher with the current campaigns... thanks to reflux issues gone mad. But, anyways, I put Flara in the crib and walked away. Some period of time later, she was awake and crying. When I went to retrieve her, she was on her back! And, she looked SHOCKED! Hooray! Big girl rolled over!
It has happened several times since, and many times today! It makes me happy and a bit proud to know that our 'homework' is paying off! She's also leaning hard to the sides when we're playing with her on her back and starting to get the motions down that she will need to learn to roll over from her back to her tummy. Oh, how fun!
During bath time a few nights ago, she let out a short little chuckle when I washed her neck. That little chuckle delighted me, but that was all she would offer. Well, today, I was playing with her, and tickled that little neck, and she really got to chuckling! It was so cute! So, over and over again, like a meanie, I kept tickling her neck and making her laugh! It was great. =) I can't describe her little laugh. It's really funny... not a traditional laugh or chuckle that I normally hear from babies. It is just distinctively Flara.
Those little milestones sure brighten my day. It makes me feel like we're maybe starting to get somewhere!
On Big Sister news... she is still doing great in her big girl bed. I think that has to be the smoothest transition ever. She's so good at big girl bed, that on the third night, she started crawling into bed by herself! She is big enough (in her eyes!) to not need her mommy or daddy to put her in bed. =)
Tonight, she is sleeping with a pillow for the first time. REALLY big girl!
On the name news, she has renamed her mommy. No longer does she call me by 'ma ma' or 'mom mom' or 'mommy.' I am now a short and forceful "MAMMY." That really cracks me up!
If you Facebook, then these are old news, but here's a smiley Flara! She makes it hard to capture grins on camera, but if her Mammy sings, she lights up! Her favorite song is "In Christ Alone." =)
This is big stuff Noël practicing her modeling poses! ha! She was sporting all sorts of funny stances, so I kept snapping. Here, I asked her to 'give me serious.'
Friday, April 16, 2010
A triumphant day. =)
Today has been an official 'big girl' day for Noël. I know many of you know that Noël's potty-training has been an ongoing thing in our house. I have always stated that my way of raising my kids is very 'laissez faire.' Thus, I tend to generally allow Noël (and now Flara) to do things when she is ready... at her own pace. Of course, I add some directing, but I don't push.
So, with my laissez-faire approach, potty training has just been hit or miss. She has days where she strictly wants to go on the big girl potty, and days where she only wants a diaper. I'm fine with that. Today, though, she decided from early morning that she needed to use the big girl potty, and use it she did! In the entire course of her waking day, we only had one booboo on the floor that resulted in a very loud "ooooooohhhh" from the disappointed Noël! I was quite proud of my girl!
The next big success was that she is sleeping for her first night in her big girl bed!!!!! She's had her bed set-up for months, but I've been allowing her to play on it and get used to it, but haven't pushed her to sleep in it. Some days, I might ask her, but she always tells me that she's not ready and attempts to climb into her crib.
Tonight, however, she sat in her bed with the owl pillows pulled over her. She told me she wanted to sleep there! After getting her all-ready for bed, I started bringing all of her little buddies and blankies into her bed. "Noooo, noooo, nooooooo" she told me. I think she was beginning to feel just a bit nervous about leaving the safe confines of her crib. "Oh, honey, you'll be fine. You're such a big girl. I know you're ready! Plus, all of your little friends are sitting here cheering you on!" She smiled. Then, she looked worried. "And, you can leave your bowl of Cheerios right here, and in the morning, if you make it, your daddy will give you the biggest high-five ever!"
Well, that did it! She smiled really big and rolled onto her tummy. I kissed her goodnight one last time, prayed with her that she would feel peace and comfort in her big girl bed, assured her that I would keep her door propped open for a while so she would feel okay, tucked her in, turned out her light, then walked out of her door holding my breath in anticipation of the little girl running after me in tears. Did it happen? Nope! I heard one little word from her, and it's been quiet since! I am so proud of my big girl!
I waited one hour, then pulled her door shut. Nothing. =)
Big girl day has been a success!
So, with my laissez-faire approach, potty training has just been hit or miss. She has days where she strictly wants to go on the big girl potty, and days where she only wants a diaper. I'm fine with that. Today, though, she decided from early morning that she needed to use the big girl potty, and use it she did! In the entire course of her waking day, we only had one booboo on the floor that resulted in a very loud "ooooooohhhh" from the disappointed Noël! I was quite proud of my girl!
The next big success was that she is sleeping for her first night in her big girl bed!!!!! She's had her bed set-up for months, but I've been allowing her to play on it and get used to it, but haven't pushed her to sleep in it. Some days, I might ask her, but she always tells me that she's not ready and attempts to climb into her crib.
Tonight, however, she sat in her bed with the owl pillows pulled over her. She told me she wanted to sleep there! After getting her all-ready for bed, I started bringing all of her little buddies and blankies into her bed. "Noooo, noooo, nooooooo" she told me. I think she was beginning to feel just a bit nervous about leaving the safe confines of her crib. "Oh, honey, you'll be fine. You're such a big girl. I know you're ready! Plus, all of your little friends are sitting here cheering you on!" She smiled. Then, she looked worried. "And, you can leave your bowl of Cheerios right here, and in the morning, if you make it, your daddy will give you the biggest high-five ever!"
Well, that did it! She smiled really big and rolled onto her tummy. I kissed her goodnight one last time, prayed with her that she would feel peace and comfort in her big girl bed, assured her that I would keep her door propped open for a while so she would feel okay, tucked her in, turned out her light, then walked out of her door holding my breath in anticipation of the little girl running after me in tears. Did it happen? Nope! I heard one little word from her, and it's been quiet since! I am so proud of my big girl!
I waited one hour, then pulled her door shut. Nothing. =)
Big girl day has been a success!
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