Saturday, February 21, 2009 - Update

Is it just me or does Olivia get cuter and cuter every day? And she loves to flip her pages, whether it's on her table, in her walker or her books. One day, she sat and looked through my scrapbook for 30 minutes or so. Every day, she discovers something new. If only she would drink out of something other than a bottle. I feel so unintelligent sometimes. . .I mean, who can't get their child to drink from a cup? I believe that the months of painful reflux is to blame when she didn't want to drink anything. We couldn't teach her to hold her own bottle because she didn't want anything to do with it. She associated it with pain. (After forgetting to give her the Prilosec one day last week, we've noticed that it has truly made a world of difference.) The months of not using her arms held her back as well, plus she doesn't like things forced in or around her mouth. We noticed that she loves to walk around and shake things. So, our next plan of attack is to give her a sippy cup full of ice so that she can hold it and shake it and familiarize herself with it. Hopefully, once she sees that it's not "bad" she can start drinking from it.

I've given up hope that I will one day become this new, peppy person. I might as well get rid of my list of "things to do when I get energy." My fatigue gets worse and worse and it makes me so angry. I hate being tired. I truly am grateful that I have a little girl who wakes me up at night because I came so close to not having that. I'd hate to sleep through a silent night or have a spotless house. That would mean that I wouldn't be a mom of this amazing girl. I have to have Ryan proofread my posts because I'm so tired that half of the time, they don't even make sense. I've tried everything and nothing works and I'm so frustrated. I think I'm just going to be tired forever.

Friday, February 20, 2009 - Update

Mommy got bored yesterday. . .
and I didn't want to wear pants.

This is so much fun!

I'm coming to get you!!

I need to use your phone. . .

But, I need to call daddy so he can come home and play with us!

Thursday, February 19, 2009 - Update

Well, it was another sleepless night last night. On Tuesday night, Olivia surprised us by sleeping throughout the night. So, we attempted to recreate everything that we did. . .even down to the temperature of our house and the pajamas that she wore. No such luck as she was up multiple times. She finally came to bed with us and my back is killing me from attempting to keep myself from falling out of bed. She is getting two more bottom teeth and apparently the teething tablets and Motrin didn't work as well as they did the night before.

I tend to agree that Olivia's shaking is nothing too concerning. It probably is a form of self-stimulation since she has a few other sensory issues. She also sometimes likes to bang her head against our headboard and laugh. There are a few quirky things that she does that I probably wouldn't think twice about had she been born full term. Okay, maybe I would a little as I can be a bit neurotic at times. Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. :) She tends to flap her arms a lot, but that dates back to her days in the NICU when she always did the chicken dance. She loves to ride in her pink car, but sometimes I think it is just so she can chew on the seatbelt. Some days she would rather chew on the baby food lid rather than eat the baby food. Again, all normal toddler things, but everything is scrutinized in greater detail with a micro-preemie. Weight gain is probably at the top of the list and she can't seem to break 17.5 lbs. At least she is not losing weight and with her constant level of activity. . .that's amazing. One thing that I know for certain is that Olivia is amazing. . .and that's not just because I'm her mom. I know that some of you agree as well or you wouldn't check in on her every day. Thank you for that!

Oh, and be sure to vote in the poll on the upper right side of the blog!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - Update

Here is an interesting comparison that I thought I would share. I think some people believe that premature babies are just "tiny" newborns. Those who know Olivia and other premature babies know that is not the case. So many things were underdeveloped when Olivia and her brother ventured into this world 17 weeks early. Can you imagine having to process the world around you with a brain that is not fully developed? And, not just your brain, but every other organ in your body. I continue to worry about the ramifications of that. It also reminds me of what a miracle she is.

Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a disturbing "habit" that Olivia is developing. At first, we thought that she only did it when she was mad. Then, she started doing it more and more. I intend to bring it up with her pediatrician at her 18 month check up next week, but I was hoping that I was just over-reacting. My parents saw it over the weekend and Ryan's mom noticed it today and all are a little concerned. She tenses up her fists and her whole body shakes. It's different than the shuddering that she used to do when she was younger. That was more of a quick fluttering (that happened when she went to the bathroom.) With this, her body is a lot more tense. It only lasts a few seconds, but sometimes she will do it multiple times in a row. If anyone has seen or experienced something like this, I would love to hear your feedback. I don't think a day goes by when I don't worry about her.

On to good news. . .Olivia slept through the night last night. We believe she is getting two more bottom teeth that may be contributing to the nighttime wakings. Hopefully, last night wasn't just a fluke and the trend will continue. Boy, was it nice to sleep all night long!! Grandma Mary is watching her today, so it's been nice to have a little "me" time. I can actually sit and think about what I'm going to write instead of hammering something out quickly during Baby Signing Time. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share. Lately, blogger has been doing some odd things to my pictures and I'm not sure why I can't get them centered. Hopefully, I'll get that figured out soon.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - Update

Today, Olivia and I went downstairs and did some spring shopping in our "Katie" tub. I always look forward to seeing what new clothes we will have passed down to us from Olivia's cousin. We discovered an adorable swimsuit (with a skirt and hat) and this cute hair bow. Kim, I hope you know how much we enjoy having these clothes.

Olivia and are both pretty tired today. I'm waiting for my doctor to check back with me to see if my fatigue is improving. I wouldn't know. . .it's kind of hard to tell when you are up every two hours at night. I know, I know. . .I need to let her cry it out. It just feels so neglectful on my part. Plus, she is so stubborn, I just know that I will cave before she will. She used to be such a good sleeper. . . I'm not sure what happened.

Prayer Request

I have been following a new blog for awhile and just wanted to ask for your prayers. Lauren was pregnant with quadruplets and lost Baby A a few weeks ago. She is now on strict bedrest, 3 cm dilated with her remaining triplets. She is currently 21 weeks pregnant.

http://laurensblog.greenfamily.net/

Please pray for Babies B, C, and D, Lauren and her family. They just need to at least get through a few more weeks. . .hopefully longer than that.

Monday, February 16, 2009 - Update

I've gotta knock that tower down!
I'm getting closer!

Olivia's eye appointment went okay, she still thinks eye doctors are the worst kind of doctors in the world. Like we thought, her eyes have steadily gotten worse. More than likely, she will need eye muscle surgery again and. . .more than likely, she will need glasses. It's not really a question of if. . .it's a question of when. Honestly, it breaks my heart because I don't want her eyesight to hold her back. As parents, we don't want anything to hold our children back. Of course, there is not a day that goes by where I am not eternally grateful for how well Olivia is doing despite her very challenging start. I know how lucky we are. I just want to do everything in my power to make sure she accomplishes whatever it is she wants to do in life. That's my promise, Olivia Paige.

Sunday, February 15, 2009 - Update

Money. . .a great motivator.
Reading stories with grandpa

Olivia has done quite a few exciting things this weekend. She has started taking a couple unassisted steps. She gets excited, however, and falls over. I think she also just likes to fall over and have someone catch her. She's getting closer and closer to walking. She has recently started shaking her head "no." Olivia can also climb the stairs. . .lickety split. When she gets to the top, she even reaches back and shuts the gate. Mom or dad, however, haven't made it through the gate yet, but it's really cute.

Olivia has an eye appointment tomorrow. I'm a little concerned because her eyes have started crossing a bit more lately. I just pray that we don't have to start patching again. That will be a nightmare trying to keep the patch on now that she's older. Luckily, Ryan is off work for President's Day so he is able to go with me. Tomorrow is a day full of a million errands (trying to take advantage of Ryan being home) so I'm not really looking forward to it.

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Sailing for watching Olivia this afternoon. It's always nice to hear that your child was an angel and didn't fuss at all while you were gone. It makes the time away that much more enjoyable. Ryan and I enjoyed our lunch date and Olivia enjoyed spending time with her grandparents. Now, if we can just get Grandpa Glunt well so that she can see her other grandparents as well. . .