Archive for March, 2009
We’ve been a little busy lately and have failed to post some of what’s been going on! Anna is now a big 3 year old, and has wasted no time in her desire to be a “big kid.” She wants to do everything that the “big kids” are doing. Today Neal took her sledding for the first time on a pretty big hill near our house. She did great sledding by herself and wanted to sled down the big hill just like the “big kids” were doing, which necessitated her climbing up that huge hill many times! Neal was really proud of her, and I’m sad that I missed it!!
Speaking of other big kids…we have a rather large baby in our house. Noah had his 2 month appointment a couple of weeks ago. The little man tipped the scales at 13 lbs (97+th percentile) and measured 23.5 inches in length (95th percentile)! What can we say…we have large children! Other than his size, he is healthy and doing well. As Neal posted recently, Noah has started smiling and talking a lot. He’s really such a happy baby. Anna’s 3 year appointment saw her measuring at 39 inches tall (95th percentile) and 33.5 lbs (75th percentile). She’s fallen off her growth curve a little in weight, but she had been sick the week prior to her appointment. We aren’t terribly concerned about it and neither is the doctor.
March was a very busy month for us. We did another round of constraint therapy with Anna down at Children’s Hospital. Anna was so cooperative with it all, and gained quite a bit of strength in her left hand/arm during this round. At about the same time, she transitioned from early intervention therapy services to therapy through the school district. She started district-based preschool the Tuesday after her birthday, and seems to like it. I guess I should say we *think* she likes it, but honestly she doesn’t like to talk too much about it, which makes Neal and me a little nervous. We’re also not sure how much “therapy” time she’s receiving and what the level of quality is. The other day I asked her if she’d seen one of her therapists that day, and Anna told me that she had and that they watched a movie. Huh? What’s the therapeutic value of a movie? Having been so incredibly hands-on during Anna’s therapy sessions in the past, not knowing what’s going on while she’s having therapy at school is more than a little frustrating for me. I’m thankful we are able to augment her district-based therapy services with private OT and PT sessions.
This week marks the end of my maternity leave. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I will very much miss my shadow that’s been with me 24-7 for the last 11 weeks. On the other hand, I’ve not had a moment to myself in 11 weeks, so work will be somewhat liberating. I feel less angst about leaving Noah at daycare than I did when I left Anna. Noah will be attending the same daycare as Anna, so the surroundings are familiar to us. We know the caregivers in the baby room (they took care of Anna when she was wee), and have a very good relationship with the center’s director. Still, it’s hard to leave your baby with others because no one can care for him like us. I hope his first day is not too stressful – I imagine mine will be.
March 30th, 2009
Happy birthday, dearest little one! Three years ago today you were born into this world.
I can’t even believe it. It seems like just yesterday. And it seems like ages ago, too. Granny and Papa are coming for a visit next week, and we’ll have a little party with family then.
But today you will open presents from your Grandad and smile.
Today Oma and Opa will come for brunch and give you hugs.
Today you will get to eat chocolate and “pinkalicious” ice cream.
Today we’ll take you out to Red Robin and get you a pink balloon.
Today your daddy and mommy will try their very best to make you laugh and giggle. Because that is the very best sound in the entire world.
Have a very happy birthday, my love!
And here’s wishing you many, many, many more.
March 15th, 2009
Just a quick note to let folks know I just posted some new photos on the Flickr site, including a short movie of Mr. Noah smiling!
Oh, and Anna’s been doing just great with her new cast (which is very, very pink!). Seriously. We’re all amazed at her positive attitude and she’s getting some really good therapy done. Her new therapist said that the cast might just make it all simpler for her, in a way, by removing the constant conflict in her mind about which hand to use for each and every task.
March 7th, 2009
So it has been awhile since we last posted. Pretty much everyone in the house has been sick! Anna had a suspected case of pneumonia and Neal, Noah and I have had colds. We’ve been using hand sanitizer like crazy, but I’m not sure how effective it is when the preschooler is running around sneezing and coughing on everyone and everything. Anna has yet another cold that has turned her into a sloppy, runny-nosed, weepy-eyed monster. I feel so badly for her, but the whining does grate on the nerves after awhile. She’s so generously passed this most recent cold on to her father, who is battling it with copious amounts of vitamin c and coldeeze lozenges.
We took Noah in to the doctor shortly after his 5-week milestone to make sure that his cold hadn’t turned into something more serious (namely, pneumonia). He weighed in at 11 lbs. 13 oz! Looking at him, it is hard to believe he is only 7 weeks old. He’s now wearing some 3-6 month clothing! Anyway, his cold hadn’t turned into anything more serious, but it certainly has proved to be long-lived. He still has a stuffy nose 2 weeks later!
We’re starting another round of intensive constraint therapy for Anna this week. Starting today we’ll be wearing a cast on her right arm to encourage her to use her left. I know it sounds strange to say it, but we are actually looking forward to this session, as Anna’s been more and more stubborn about using her left hand. We think she is in need of a “cognitive reset” that the casting seems to provide. Unfortunately, she’ll be casted on her birthday again this year (we were in Alabama last year at this time).
Speaking of birthdays, Anna will be 3 this month! It is so hard for me to believe that 3 years have passed since she was born. Lately we’ve been looking at lots of pictures and videos of when Anna was Noah’s age (Anna’s been curious about what she was like when she was a baby), and that has been a true walk down memory lane. With her third birthday comes the end of our early intervention home therapy services. She’ll be receiving therapy through the school district now, and starts at our neighborhood preschool two days after her birthday. We’re hoping that she fits in there and enjoys her two mornings per week.
Other than those developments, things are pretty “normal” (if you call having zero control and limited sleep “normal”). We’re learned a few things:
- You can sleep just about anywhere, and do so on a near nightly basis.
- You can sleep through just about anything if you are tired enough.
- You cannot please everyone all the time, so please the one that is screaming the loudest first.
- Bouncy seats, swings, and anything else that keep the baby quiet and sleeping are gifts from God.
- Changing diapers doesn’t seem nearly as critical and urgent for the second child as it did for the first.
We hope to post some pictures and videos in the near future. Noah is actually smiling now, which is such a joy to see.
March 4th, 2009
