My Little Helper

I'll help, mama!

Ooh! Look at this one!

I found one for me!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 - Update

Uh Oh. . .look what I can do!

Olivia has started getting into everything (and I secretly couldn't be more proud.) Even though she hasn't really noticed them yet, I need to find a different place for my plants since she decided that she can climb onto the fireplace. I have found her toys in my desk drawer and noticed her trying to reach for things on our nightstands. I need to get serious about baby-proofing.

Oh, and I did take her into the doctor yesterday. They just called it another upper respiratory infection. Her lungs sounded good, her oxygen saturation was at 98, ears looked good, etc. That was reassuring to hear. We are using Simply Saline, a humidifier, and Motrin. Her cough has gotten a bit better. Hopefully, all three of us will start feeling better soon.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 - Update

Do you like my cute bow?

My mom went on and on about how cute I looked.

At least people will stop calling me a boy!

Well, I'm sort of in the blogging mood again. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't want every post to be about how bad I felt, so. . . I figured I should take a break. I had to share these adorable pictures of Olivia! Any idea where I can purchase more hair clippies for her? Things are going good here, even with Olivia's runny nose and awful cough, Ryan's awful cough and my sore throat and headache. I'm not sure what's wrong with all of us, but Olivia will probably make a trip into the doctor today. She coughs so much (especially at night) that she throws up. I'll let you know what we find out at the doctor.

Olivia is walking all over the place and is able to pull herself to a stand all by herself. She loves playing in her crib when she wakes up in the morning. There is nothing sweeter than hearing her talk to her stuffed animals in the morning. This morning, we realized that she can reach the table by her crib and had the Desitin in with her, so we'll have to start watching that. She has also started signing "more" and can tell you where her nose and her toes are. It seems she has started learning something new every day.

Just Some Pics

Come on, mom. Let's go to the zoo!

I'll drive!


The Glunt girls (Julia, Rebekah and Olivia)


Betcha can't pat your head and make a fist at the same time!

I'm a BIG girl!

Sunday, May 3, 2009 - Update

But, I wasn't done with our walk. . .

Just when I start believing that I haven't lost my mind, I go out in public like this. Oh, they're the same color. . .just two entirely different shoes!

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue about 6 months ago. I have been on multiple supplements as well as hydrocortisone during that time. I was told that it could take up to 2 years to see improvement because of the severity. Some days I feel okay, other days I feel pretty hopeless. . .like it’s never going to get better. The two major factors that tend to lead to adrenal fatigue are emotional stress and diet. I haven’t quite found a way to properly deal with everything that has taken place over the past 20 months, so I decided to begin seeing a therapist (after much coaxing from friends, family and doctors.) My therapist just so happens to be very knowledgeable about adrenal fatigue because she was diagnosed with it 7 years ago. She has only begun feeling better within the last year and that was after dealing with her food sensitivities and allergies, a large component of adrenal fatigue. I have long suspected that I have some food sensitivities/allergies. My therapist had to give up dairy and gluten and only after that, did her energy return. When your body is sensitive or allergic to a food, your adrenal glands pump out cortisol to combat it. When you react to stress in a negative way, your adrenal glands also pump out cortisol to combat it, which further exhausts them. Like anything that is overworked, your adrenals succumb to the exhaustion and can no longer keep up with the demand. The only way to deal with overworked adrenal glands, is to allow them to rest, which is why I’m on supplemental cortisol. I am also not supposed to get overly stressed (yeah, right) or do anything that makes my adrenal glands work too hard. Even vigorous exercise is not beneficial when your adrenal glands aren’t functioning properly because it makes them attempt to pump out even more cortisol. It’s sort of like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip.

I’m determined to feel better because I want Olivia to have a happy, energetic mother. My therapist thinks that she can help me. She also thinks that I might need help dealing with a bit of post-traumatic stress. I would think anyone who gave birth extremely prematurely or lost a child would deal with this as well. That still leaves my diet, which is something that I have to figure out how to do on my own. I know that bread does not make me feel very well, but I don’t know if it’s the gluten or the yeast. There is a blood test, I believe, that tells you exactly what you are allergic or sensitive too. I hear it’s quite expensive, though, and insurance doesn’t pay for it. I know that I have to do something about my complete lack of energy in order to do the things in life that I wish to do. Hopefully, I’m on the right track, but I could use some prayers along the way.

So, why am I telling you all this? Well, besides the fact that we’re all friends, right? It’s hard to feel like you are the only one experiencing a hardship or needing a counselor. Many of us tend to go through life with a fake smile on our face. . .not realizing that our struggles could help someone else. (Granted, a fake smile is better than no smile at all.) Many of you have been there for me and I want to be there for you. . .whether it’s because of infertility, premature birth, infant death, adrenal fatigue, etc. Or, just as a friend.

I’m still taking a bit of a blogging break, so I probably won’t have another post up right away. I promise I will try to take some pictures again soon. Olivia and I are both either really bothered by allergies or both of us are sick. . .again. I only hope she doesn’t feel as miserable as I do right now.

A Short Break

I've decided to take, what will hopefully only be, a short break from the blogging world. I need some time to regroup. I still miss Logan horribly. I still haven't figured out how to deal with the loss of my son while also being there 100% for my daughter. Just when I seem to gain a foothold, I always fall back down and I get so very tired and sad. Thanks to all of you for your continued support. I will leave you with some pictures of Olivia (to tide you over.)

Monday, April 27, 2009 - Update

Looking a bit disheveled

Don't we all feel a bit disheveled from time to time? Although I don't look nearly as cute. . .

At the suggestion of Olivia's speech pathologist, we put most of her toys away. We are only leaving two toys out at a time. It was hard to get Olivia to focus on one thing when she had so many choices available. If something would get too hard, she would just go on to something else. Also, by putting the toys up, she has to learn to ask for stuff and point instead of having it at her fingertips. Having a teaching degree, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't catch onto this myself, although we'll see if it helps. It has helped our living room look more like a living room. Olivia did, however, find her toys stashed behind the chair and crawls back there from time to time. She seems to appreciate that I help her choose which toys to play with for the day as I rotate them in and out. Of course, she still has the playroom downstairs that looks like Toys R Us where she can go crazy. . . I gotta quit buying her stuff.

Sunday, April 26, 2009 - Update

Every day, I am so amazed by Olivia. She is doing so many big girl things. We put some of her favorite stuffed animals in her crib and now, in the mornings when she wakes up, we hear her playing with them. She carries them around her crib and talks to them. I made the mistake of putting her laughing/talking Elmo in there last night. Nothing like waking up to the laughs of Elmo coming through the monitor. As I mentioned before, she places items into containers and is attempting to stack blocks. She drinks out of a straw like a big girl and loves apple juice and strawberry milk. We're meeting our milestones. . .one step at a time. She is amazing!!

Oh, and be sure to vote in the latest poll!

Saturday, April 25, 2009 - Update

Because we only have two guinea pigs left, we decided to put them back in cages. They haven't been in cages in 5+ years. It's so much easier to clean cages rather than pens. Today I thought the guinea pigs could use a little exercise and might be a little lonely.

Enter Olivia.

She loves the guinea pigs (or any animal for that matter) and had such a good time chasing Harrison around. She kept getting angry, however, because he wouldn't sit still so that she could pick him up. Then, he kept running into small spaces where she couldn't reach him and it frustrated her so very much. Harrison was such a good sport and didn't seem to mind that Olivia kept pulling on his hair.

Nice piggie!

But, I can't reach you under there!

Awwww

Friday, April 24, 2009 - Update

Today we mastered the concept of "put it in." We have been working on this for quite some time. Olivia now puts her shapes into the bucket instead of just taking them out. Because she didn't really make use of her arms until after her eye surgery, she is a bit delayed in this area. Olivia decided that she didn't want to take a nap today, so I thought we'd use the extra time to work really hard on this. When I tell her to "put it in" she puts not only the shapes into the bucket, but my computer mouse, her socks and anything else she can find. . .then, she looks up at me for praise. It's really very adorable and I'm so proud of her. I can't tell you how difficult this seemingly simple task has been. Little does she know, but now she can help me put her toys away. :)

Little Miss Attitude

Olivia has developed strong opinions lately. For instance, she did not want to stop during our walk to talk to the neighbors and she REALLY didn't want to stop so that I could take her picture. Check out that pouty lip! She also doesn't care a lot for her formula, or regular milk or even chocolate milk, but if you add a bit of strawberry Nesquik powder . . .that's a different story. Olivia doesn't want to stay in her stroller the whole time when we're out and about. She wants to walk a bit too, which is fine as long as she holds my hand. Concrete plus an unsteady toddler might not have such great results. Her walking is getting better and better. She doesn't quite fully understand how to stand still. If she's following you and you stop to do something, she can't follow you anymore. Instead of standing and waiting for you, she will walk around in circles until she can follow you again. It's pretty funny. More and more, however, she's starting to venture off places by herself and I'm so proud of her when she does that. Many people love the newborn stage. Even with the attitude, I'd have to say that this stage is one of my favorites as you get a glimpse into their likes, dislikes and what makes them tick. I enjoy watching her grow into a very sweet, active and loving little girl. It's a very rewarding stage of parenting. . .if only she'd say mama. . .

Thursday, April 23, 2009 - Update

My first wagon ride.
Things that make you go hmm.

Me and my Grandma Sailing

Grandma Sailing is off work today, so we have the opportunity to spend a weekday with her. Of course, she's helping me clean my house when we should be doing something fun. It is a beautiful day outside. . .actually a little bit on the warm side. I'm afraid to spend too much time outside because 1) I don't want Olivia to get more of a sunburn and even with sunscreen on there are always parts you miss and 2) wasps have decided to congregate around our house. For those of you who don't know. . .I am terrified of wasps or anything with a stinger. I can take spiders, snakes, etc, but wasps completely paralyze me with fear. The other day, I was pushing Olivia in her swing and a wasp landed right by her. I wanted to grab her and run, but I was literally frozen in fear. So, this weekend. . .guess what Ryan gets to do? Then, we also have to contend with the birds who are trying so desperately to build a nest in our grill.

** Update** Ryan took care of the wasps when he got home from work. Whatta guy!!

Praying for Kayleigh

I have been following this blog for quite some time. Things suddenly have taken a turn for the worse and this family needs a lot of prayers. I have added a Praying for Kayleigh button on my sidebar.

Spring Is In The Air!

I loved being outside today.

Okay Kaleb, on the count of three. . .look anywhere but the camera! 1-2-3!

Cousin Aidan


Look mama! A goat!

Oh, I want to pet you!

No little lambie. . .these are MY snacks!

Come back! I wanted to pet you too!

We went to the zoo for a bit today with Grandma Mary, Aunt Kim, cousin Aidan and cousin Kaleb. We had a great time, although I feel like an awful mom because Olivia got a bit sunburned. We weren't gone that long, she had a jacket and hat on part of the time and the shade pulled down on her stroller. We were rushing out of the house, however, and forgot her sunscreen. There goes my mother of the year. . . .

Olivia could have spent all day in the petting zoo. She was squealing and laughing with delight when the goats and sheep came up to her. I tell ya, that girl is going to be an animal lover like her mama. Watch out Ryan! It sounds like there are more beautiful days ahead this week! Hooray!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - Update

Just thought you'd enjoy some more adorable pictures of Olivia in glasses.




Olivia and I spent Monday afternoon at Tanganyika Wildlife Park. It is literally only about 2 minutes from our house, so I went ahead and got a membership. I was hoping that a 2 adult membership would include me plus ANY adult that I wanted to take with me, but it can only be Ryan. I am looking forward to having a new place to walk around with Olivia. I'm still a bit disappointed in the animals that they have out on exhibit. You can tell, however, that the animals they do have are hand-raised because they are very friendly. We had fun interacting with the colobus monkeys. There was a tiny baby monkey that came up to the cage and was playing with Olivia. Olivia would squeal and the baby would jump up on the bars and then run and jump on his mom and squeal. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Most of the animals there come right up to see you.

I love watching Olivia interact with animals and people. She really knows how to turn on the charm as she tilts her head and shyly grins. We take a trip to the mall about once a week (to share a pretzel with cheese) and she waves at everyone. Some of the people that she waves at don't seem that approachable to me, but some of them even wave back. There were a few dogs at the March for Babies and Olivia would squeal and laugh when she saw them. Of course, I noticed that all of the other children (some younger than Olivia) who saw the dogs would point at them. Olivia doesn't point and I'm not sure what that means. She got just as excited (or even more so) than the other children. I've decided, however, to stop worrying about her developmental delays and what they possibly mean. What does it matter? I love her just the way she is and I wouldn't change a thing about her. I'm doing my very best with her and she does her best every day. I just want her to be happy and she is one of the happiest little girls I know. That's what matters.

Monday, April 20, 2009 - Update

Good Morning, Everyone!

I hope you had a good weekend.

I sure did!

Mommy, do you see what I see?

(I had to throw this picture in. . .it cracked me up! I'm not sure what I was doing.)

Things are going pretty well with Olivia's glasses. She wears them about three times a day for about 15 minutes. We're working our way up. I'm getting more used to seeing her in glasses and she does look adorable. It's kind of difficult because we're making her wear her glasses and her shoes. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think putting on her glasses is easier than putting on her shoes. Her toe-walking has gotten really bad and although the shoes don't help completely, we see a big difference. She is feeling better and now I am not feeling too well. I woke up at 4 am with a horrible headache and it still has not gone away.

Olivia lost a little bit of weight while she was sick (and we worked so hard for those ounces!!) I am not too worried about her weight, but I have read that some former preemies have to take growth hormones to help them gain weight and I think that is what her doctor is worried about. Anybody who can shed some light on that? Honestly, I just want to see her in a 2T by fall so that she can continue wearing Katie's old clothes. There are some adorable outfits downstairs waiting to be worn!!

March of Dimes in Ohio

Make a Smilebox slideshow I just had to ask Amanda if I could share the highlights from their March for Babies that they held in honor of Olivia and in memory of Logan. It is just too sweet!

I'm smiling because. . .

I'm smiling because. . . .

The March for Babies was a great success. We feel so blessed to have so many friends and family supporting us in this.

Yesterday wasn't rainy or windy.

My friend, Amanda, in Ohio and her two boys put on their own March for Babies yesterday in support of us. How awesome is that?

While at the walk, Angie, got us tickets to see New Kids On The Block on July 3rd. Woohoo!!

I feel awful today. . .achy, headache, sore throat. Why does that make me smile? Because it is today and not yesterday during the March for Babies.

I'm so proud to be Olivia's mother. She is so incredibly amazing!

Oh, and did I mention that we won the t-shirt contest?