A good fall weekend (and a really long update!)

The first signs of fall are starting to appear in our neck of the woods, and I couldn't be happier. Fall is my favorite season, but unfortunately in Kansas it's far too short. Like spring, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it period of what seems like a month and half, despite what the official start/end dates are. So, when we get that first cool day in September (and hopefully it doesn't wait until October!), I've got a uncontrollable urge to slip into jeans and long-sleeved shirts, eat something that involves the Crock-Pot and a spoon, and sleep with the windows open. I accomplished most of those over the past few days! YAY! The weather is verging on perfect, with highs in the upper 70s and overnight lows in the 50s. Now I just hope it stays this way well into October, although it could get a little cooler to allow for a jacket now and then.

One of the most obvious fall signs is the beginning of football season. I'm not as big of a football fan as I am a basketball fan (and I'm considering renouncing my Chiefs affiliation if things don't improve), but I do enjoy a good game now and then. However, the thing about football season that I DO love is that it brings with it MARCHING BAND season. I enjoyed marching band when I was in jr. high/high school in Iowa, and I still love watching marching bands now. I think a lot of the fun of a college football game is the halftime show!

One of the many reasons I love living in Lawrence is the annual Band Day Parade. It's usually on the second weekend in September (it was Sept. 8 this year), and high school bands large and small from around the area (and some as far away as near Wichita) travel to march in the parade and perform in the halftime show during the KU football game. The KU Marching Band always opens the parade, and it always ends with the local U.S. Army division's band. However, I think the day's biggest round of applause went to the Greensburg, Kansas, school band and their example of triumph over tragedy. In years past, Papa and G-ma Pontow have traveled here to watch the parade, but they were unable to attend this year's festitivies. We missed having them, but it was still a special day since we introduced Adele to her first marching band experience. The day was lovely--sunny and warm--and the bands were great, and a good time was had by all. Adele slept through the whole parade (maybe she found the cadences comforting), and woke up only after it was over. I met friends Rob & Kris and honorary grandparents Dick and Edie (Rob's parents, who have known Steve longer than I have!) downtown, so we didn't have to watch alone. I wish every day was Band Day!

Sunday brought more fun fall activities. South Park was the site of the annual Fall Arts & Crafts Festival, so we loaded up Adele and Skeeter and headed downtown for the morning. We spent a few hours checking out the booths (although Skeeter was a little too excited to be with all those people, so we avoided the major walkways) and, of course, had to indulge in some festival food. Steve had a brat, I had a steakburger, and we shared the Big Basket O'Curly Fries, a lemonade and a funnel cake. Ugh and yum all at the same time! We bought a few things--towels and scrubbies and a spiffy new dog collar for Mr. McWheeter--but we mostly just enjoyed being outside on a cool fall morning and spending time together as a family. If only every weekend could be like that weekend!

And now for the real reason you're here, an Adele update:
She had a quick weigh-in on Monday and tipped the scales at 11 pounds on the nose! She gained 17 ounces in just about as many days. We're happy about her weight gain for many reasons, but one of them is that this means that her urping isn't affecting her growth. It's unfortunate that she's still having spitting problems, but at least we know she's still thriving. She also got a round of vaccinations during the visit. I had to work, so Steve got to witness the event. He said she did fine for the most part. There was some screaming, which was to be expected, but I think overall she handled it well. Sadly, she's been poked so often in her young life, she's probably used to it by now. :( She did seem a bit fussier than usual that evening, and slept quite a bit more than normal. We also discovered she was running a slight fever, so we bought our first bottle of Infant Tylenol, which really seemed to help. We even managed to coax a few smiles out of her by the end of the night. Starting next month, she'll get her first RSV shot and will continue to get one a month through March. Thankfully my new insurance will cover all (or a good portion) of it. Right now Adele is covered by Medicaid, which might pick up any costs my insurance won't cover. However, we're not entirely sure how long she's covered by Medicaid, so I'm not planning to rely on that for much longer.

Yesterday we also met with the Early Intervention folks and set up Adele's case plan and determined what our goals are. Mainly, we want to be able to encourage her development in any way we can, and we also want to improve her feeding issues. I think Tiny K is going to be a great resource, and I look forward to working with them to make Adele the best Adele she can be! For the next month or so, we'll meet with our case manager every week (probably on Monday, since that's Steve's day off) and go over any concerns we have and identify ways we can accomplish our goals. I learned that we should be working with Adele to increase her wake times each day, since those are the times she's actually learning. I asked how you play with a baby who isn't really interactive yet, and they asked if she had a favorite toy, rattle, etc. I was embarrassed to admit that she has a Dad who works in a toy store and we don't have any toys! The horror! But we figured out a few ways we can entertain her when she's awake, and hopefully stimulate her learning/development at the same time. I think Steve and I will be learning just as much as Adele will be!

The only concerning thing that came out of the meeting was when the case manager asked if Adele had been diagnosed with any neurological problems in the hospital. Uh....not that I'm aware of. Well, I and a few others have noticed that every once in a while Adele's leg will twitch a little bit (sort of like when you scratch a dog in just the right place and their leg has a spasm). I notice it mostly when she stretches, and a lot of times during diaper changes. The case manager said it's probably just her immature nervous system, but I plan on asking the CMH doctors about it at our next appointment. I'm sure she's fine though. She never had any brain bleeds or any other issues that would be an obvious source for neurological problems. Still...can't help but be a little concerned until we get everything ruled out.

So, that's about it from our neck of the woods. Hope fall is creeping into your world and you're enjoying it as much as we are! In the meantime, here are some photos for your enjoyment. Additional photos can be found here! (My next photo goal is to capture her adorable smile!)

Hanging out at band day:


Naptime with Daddy: