Easter 2009

Happy Easter to everyone! Our day--well, weekend, actually--was great. My folks were here, I took Friday off, weather was fairly nice, and we had a great visit. Church services were good, too. This was the first year I'd really participated in Holy Week services. I know I'd gone to Good Friday services as a child, but I don't think I did much beyond that. This year I went to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil AND Easter Sunday. Whew. Mom joined me for Good Friday and Easter Vigil services, both of which were excellent. We decided that the Easter Vigil service is by far the BEST church service of the whole church year. (Yes, better than Christmas Eve!)

We have a few events and get-togethers coming up that we're looking forward to. Headed to Beloit next weekend for Jeremy's birthday--it will be the first time since Thanksgiving, I believe, that my whole family will be together. Can't wait to see my nieces and nephew, and let the little kids go crazy in the Grandparents' house. Ha! It should be fun! Next thing we know, it will be May, which brings Adele's 2nd birthday! Yipes. Then in early June, we're headed to BOSTON for a week! Whee! Got a line on a free place to stay and we found some decently priced flights and thought we may not get a better opportunity to go. You only live once, right? Besides, our friends Ben & Lindi, Carina and Izzy live there and have for, what 9 years?, and we've never visited! Izzy is Adele's age--more or less--so she'll have a playmate, we'll have someone to borrow kid gear from, access to a full kitchen/home, and better yet, a friend to hang out with and help us navigate the city.

Adele is doing fine, as usual. We're working on counting and letters. She's able to count to three on occasion, but isn't very consistent. She's got one and two down, though. One, two socks! One, two, toes! One, two, Elmo! She surprised us when she recoginzed A and B. They must be working on letters at daycare more than we are at home. C is still hit and miss--most of the time she says "A, B, moon!" Even her mistakes are adorable! ;) Still haven't received our 22-month eval for Ages & Stages (Tiny-k). Would like to receive that so we can see where she's charting.

Speaking of her birthday (I was while ago, anyway), we're thinking about getting her a twin bed. We still co-sleep, and she's gotten big enough now that she's the only one getting a good night's sleep. Most of the night she's spinning or kicking or flailing or talking and keeping Steve and I awake. Besides, it's time. She's almost 2, and that's old enough to be in her own bed. We contemplated getting a toddler bed, because at least we could use the mattress and bedding from her crib, but I think it may be helpful to have a bed an adult can lie in, in case one of needs to cuddle her to sleep. So, a twin bed makes more sense there. Besides she can use it far longer than she could a toddler bed. And of course, since it's me and I'm a big Mushy McMushersons, I'm already getting sad thinking about taking down her crib. Waaaaah! I don't know why I get emotional about something she's not even using! Sheesh.

Anyway, on to pictures...

Easter 2009. I had a better pic of her in her dress, but the computer ate it. :(

G-ma and Papa P.

For Grandma V.H.: Adele loves her new book!

Her hair is finally long enough for tiny, tiny, pigtails.

Don't know how well this photo will translate, but I was trying to show you how curly her hair is when it gets wet. This is her typical post-bath hair!

You say strawberry, I say bay-ya-ya

Ahhh, decoding toddler language can be so frustrating--for all parties involved. It took Steve and I forever to understand that "bay-ya-ya" was Adele-speak for "strawberry." The only way we even figured it out was when she pointed to a strawberry in a book and said "bay-ya-ya." Eureka! It seems for each word we decode, another unintelligible one is there to take it's place.

So, Adele is 22.5 months old now. I can't believe we're closing in on the 2-year mark! Since we don't see Early Intervention anymore, I have no gauge for where she is on the adjusted/actual age spectrum. We are still doing mail-in evals with EI, and the letter we got after we turned in her 18-month sheet (they have been going by her adjusted age) said she was doing well enough they'd start evaluating her based on her actual age. We'll get the 22-month in April and the 24-month in May. I'm anxious for those to see if she's getting close to being officially "caught up."

The weather has been beautiful (although we've had some terribly windy days), and we've been spending as much time as possible outside. Adele loves her tree swing and we broke out the sidewalk chalk and bubbles this past weekend. We've also been exploring some neighborhood playgrounds and parks. Our favorite so far is the Ryan Gray Playground for All Children. Since it's a fully accessible playground, there are ramps and walkways everywhere. Perfect for the toddler who wants to go everywhere! My only complaint are the slides. They have only metal or rollers (like a conveyor belt), and Adele seems to be scared of both kinds. She seems to like the plastic ones at other parks just fine. Ah, well. At least it's one less thing I have to drag her away from, right? She does seem to like the swings a great deal. (More pics after the video!)

From last Saturday, one of our gorgeous, wind-less, spring days.

Sunday's goin'-to-church outfit.
We don't do dresses very often, so I thought it was an event worth documenting.

We've been working with Adele on colors. She'll get 'em eventually.

Adelevideo: Dancing Queen

Who doesn't love video of a little kid dancing? Leave it to a toddler to figure out how to dance to ambient music. Does that type even have a beat?

(She gets her dancing skillz from Steve...)

Plugging along...

Sorry that my posts have become virtually non-existent. Not much to say these days, I guess. We were all sick for a while last month, so that knocked us out of commission for a while. Adele had pink eye in both eyes and a never-ending cold, and Steve and I both got hit with The Colds From Hell. It was a rough 2-3 weeks, there. But we're on the mend now and doing fine. And even with the bad cold that she suffered, Adele still seems really healthy for a preemie that goes to daycare. Well, maybe it's not that she's really healthy, it's that she's not any more or less UNhealthy than any normal kid. I hope that makes sense. She doesn't get Synagis shots this year, so I did have a few moments of panic when I thought about what COULD go wrong. But then, she's always defied the odds and done better than anyone expected she would.

I'm really enjoying the stage and age Adele is in, for the most part. I love her little personality and it's simply amazing to me how she seems to learn something new every day. I hear her attempting sentences, or at least phrases, which is so cool. Some of the middle words are pretty garbled, but I can tell she's trying to repeat what I'm saying. "Daddy's at work" becomes "Daddy bljkjdajd wok." You get the gist.

She is becoming very proficient with her table utensils and can easily stab with a fork and scoop with her spoon. (She's not perfect, by any means, and still uses her fingers quite a bit.) She can eat rice and not make a complete mess of things, which is a big improvement! (Much to Skeeter's disappointment, as that means his Hoovering services aren't as badly needed.) Her latest accomplishment and joy is eating a bowl of cereal all by herself. Steve and I were pretty amazed when she dug right in and ate it all without any help from us. Someone (ahemSTEVEahem) also taught her how to drink milk from the bowl. She's definitely her father's daughter! Dinner time has become somewhat of a challenge, however, because she seems to be in a finicky phase. Foods that used to be favorites, like scrambled eggs, are pushed away uneaten. One day she'll eat a HUGE serving of green beans (and then eat Steve and my portions, too) and turn her nose up at them the next day. Not much you can do when they won't eat anything and they don't seem to care, so we just let it go.

One issue that might be contributing to the mealtime problem is that she finally seems to be getting some of her molars! And poor kid, all four (top and bottom first molars) seem to be coming in at the same time. But really, it's about time, I say! I'm surprised she doesn't have more by now, quite frankly.

Unfortunately, Adele is still in a major tantrum phase. I suppose I should get used to it, as it's unlikely to go away for a while. The hitting tendencies have been curbed, thankfully, but she's still prone to the "drop and flail" at any given moment when she doesn't get her way. We're also dealing with a bit of separation anxiety in the mornings when I drop her off at daycare. That's a new one, since she's never, ever had issues with daycare and loves Renee and all the kids there. Hopefully that is a short-lived phase.

So, I suppose she sounds like your average 21-month-old, eh?

Anyway, on to photos!

Adele got these boots as hand-me-downs from Steve's step-sister's daughter (Adele's step-cousin??). She looooves to wear them around the house. Steve always sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating or working hard, and someone else has picked up the habit, too.

The next two were taken when she was really sick, hence the puffy red eyes and runny nose.

She's thinking up her next moment of mayhem.

"Hello, SRS?"
The next two photos are part of a likely-ongoing series called, "Please Don't Judge Me as a Mother by What You See My Child Eating in Photos."

She is clearly enjoying her hambuger (from our trip to Beloit last month).

"Oh, cereal. How I love thee!" At least that's what it sounded like to me...

Ka-ching!

Children's Mercy Hospital (Adele's NICU hospital) sends a periodical "wish list" brochure to my office. I guess at one point someone here made a donation or volunteered and we were put on the mailing list. I always look at the brochure because they include stories from kids who were treated there. I don't expect to see anyone I know, but I still like reading the stories. Anyway, their wish list is a list of items, big and small, that are needed throughout the hospital. Some are every day items like toys and journals and backpacks for kids. The items I find most interesting are the high-dollar items, because it really drives home how much intervention is needed for preemies like Adele. Here's a rundown of the costs, according to the wish list, of the items that assisted Adele at some point during her stay.

• Breast pump -- $1,200 (there were three on the NICU floor for 96(?) babies/nursing moms, and now I feel guilty for complaining that there weren't more available)
• Infantometer -- $1498 (a combination scale/height measuring device)
• Infusion pump -- $3,213 (delivers medication, fluids or food over several minutes or hours)
• Cribs -- $3,405 (they didn't seem THAT fancy, but whatever...)
• Transport monitor -- $5,400 (allows nurses to take patients to other areas of the hospital while still monitoring vitals)
• Infant CPAP machine -- $9,500 (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is the step between the ventilator and nasal cannuula)
• Incubator -- $33,655 (!!!)
• Critical care ventilator -- $40,000 (The machine that breathes for babies who can't do it themselves. Adele was on and off the vent for the first 2-3 weeks of her life.)

TOTAL -- $97,871

Of course, we were just "renting" the machines for a period of time, but still. It gives you a better idea of WHY it's so expensive it is to care for these little babies and how easy it is to rack up a million-dollar hospital bill in the blink of an eye. There was plenty of other equipment (not to mention medications, supplies, etc.) used during her three-month stay that I can't even begin to estimate the cost of. I wonder what the final bill was for her stay? Hmmm....maybe I should call to see if I can get an itemized record for her file.

Not sure what the point of this post is (ha ha), only that I thought this information was interesting!

On a completely unrelated note, I have an extra-long weekend starting tomorrow. Adele's daycare is closed Thur and Fri and then I have Monday off for MLK day. Adele and I decided to go visit G-ma and Papa Pontow for a few days. We'll come back Saturday morning and spend the rest of the weekend with Daddy since he also has a long weekend. Yay! Maybe if Gma and Papa are lucky, Adele will show off her new tantrum throwing skills! Ooooo...fun!

To all those who are experiencing this deep-freeze, stay warm! I'm ready for spring. :)

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope your holidays were happy. Our Christmas was fantastic and a whirlwind of grandparents and cousins and traveling, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Adele made out like a bandit despite the fact that she didn't really seem to care or understand what all the fuss was about. She's set in the toy and clothes departments for a long time, that's for sure. And, thanks to a couple of Christmas gifts, a new word has been added to her vocabulary: Elmo.

Speaking of vocabulary, it seems to me as though she tripled her word bank overnight. I doubt it's THAT many words, but it's enough now that I can't count them easily or even remember most of them when I do try to count them. Unfortunately, she didn't learn how to say "Gam-ma" (grandma) until after our last grandparent visit. In fact, I think she said it for the first time just as we were leaving Wichita after our lunch with Steve's family. Good timing, kid!

I know I said a while back that I'd quit with the "this time last year" comments, but it really is so odd to think back to this time last year and realize how much Adele has changed. I think last holiday time we were still fighting reflux and begging her to drink just a few more ounces of (ridiculously expensive) formula. I know we were thickening every bottle and had tried baby cereal once or twice, maybe. And I think she was just starting to sit up on her own. Man, looking back at my post from this time last year, I can definitely see how much things have changed, especially in Adele's language skills. It will be fun to see what changes this year brings!

Today I noticed what appears to be a new tooth sprouting on the bottom. If you're keeping track, this will be tooth number seven. Yes, she's almost 20 months old (okay, 17 on the low end) and still only six teeth! Since there is a new one coming up, I hope that means the rest are on their way shortly. Now if only toothbrushing time could be more fun for everyone involved.

Well, Adele is handing me her broom, so I guess that means I've got to wrap it up. I'll leave you with a few pictures and our wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

The day after Christmas playing with her pound-a-peg toy (and wearing her new penguin slippers!) She looks like such a big kid here!

Cars for Christmas

All snuggled into her Sesame Street/Elmo kiddie couch/fold-out bed.

If you're the praying type...

...I know a family that can use them.

Kayleigh Freeman was born June 23 weighing 1 pound. She's been in the NICU since then (177 days, I believe), fighting hard to stay alive. She's endured more than any child should have to, and unfortunately, it seems she's losing her battle. Please offer up your prayers, thoughts, vibes, whatever your "thing" is, to this family that they may find comfort, strength and peace during this difficult time. http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/

I don't want to this post to become about Adele and our journey, but I will say that it is days like this that I hug Adele a little tighter, give her just one more kiss at night, and thank God that our story had a happy ending.

Count your blessings, folks.