Olivia News

So proud of her! Today she learned how to pump her own swing. So, all she wants to do is swing now. She is so proud of herself.

http://youtu.be/-TK1sk9yjL4

http://youtu.be/rGaoZJgMZoI

Olivia also tipped the scales at 33 lbs! We have worked so hard to get here. I bought some of these forks/picks last week to surprise her with. I think she will love them and it will really help her eat more. Right now she likes to eat with toothpicks.




She loves her kitty Kelsey. A lot!



On Friday I picked up her school supplies. Wow. Kindergarten. When did that happen? We talk a lot about school and I think she is feeling a bit more comfortable with the idea. She is just amazing!



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Fun At The Park

Abigail could have stayed in this swing all day!





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Tobey + Abigail

Tobey, our cat, can drive a person insane. Daily we play the " where did Tobey vomit today?" game. He chases my feet, he gets on the tables, he tries to eat your food if unattended for more than 5 seconds. He lays on top of whatever you are working on, he is always underfoot. . .the list goes on and on. But there is not one ounce of meanness in his body. No matter how many times he gets in trouble, he still loves unconditionally. Abigail had a death grip on his tail the other day and he simply looked at me like," Um, could you make her stop?" The other two cats prefer to stay away from the baby. Tobey simply adores my girls and that erases all of the annoying things he does. Well, most of the time. :-) Love him!




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My Funny Girls

Hmm, why is it when Abigail is actually sleeping and Olivia is having a sleepover with her cousin and I could be sleeping. . . . I can't? Drives me insane! Thought I would share some particularly comical things that have happened this week:

Abigail is obsessed with my phone, so I often just hand it over and let her play with it. The other day while she had it, I heard my dad say,"Hello? Hello?" LOL! She had somehow called my dad. So, if you get a weird call from me, it actually might be from Abigail.

The other night Olivia said,"To devour means to gobble up food!" Thanks to Word Girl, her new favorite show, her vocabulary is exploding!



And when we were leaving the eye doctor today, Abigail cried when I took the appointment reminder card away from her. So I grabbed her a business card to play with while we were walking out. I didn't realize she still had it until we got home and I found that she ATE half of it!



I thought she seemed a little too content on the way home. Holy cow, crazy girl! She will officially eat anything! She does have her first official tooth, though. Just gotta remember to write July 22nd in her baby book, bottom front left. ;-)

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Eye Appointment

Olivia had her follow up eye appointment today. In the words of her eye doctor, her eye surgery was very successful! In her glasses, she also sees 20/20 out of each eye. Great news all around!


Her kitty also sees great in her glasses. ( Olivia recently discovered that her first pair of glasses fit her kitty perfectly.) And, now that she is almost 6 years old, many kids wear glasses. And those that don't, want to wear glasses. This was not the case when she was 1 1/2 years old. :-)

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Monday, July 22, 2013

Olivia has a very special place in her heart for the elderly. She is absolutely fascinated by them and what they were like as kids. Daily she asks questions about her great great Aunt Mary, her great grandma Wanda and great grandma Mabel. Most are questions that I don't know such as "what was their favorite toy?" Or "who was their best friend?" So, we devised a questionnaire to send to them with all of Olivia's questions. She is so excited to learn more about them.

Today we were able to visit my grandma (great grandma Wanda) along with my sister-in-law and my cousin's wife and our kids. My grandma was able to see four of her great grand kids all together. (She has two more in Colorado and two more due in December.) My grandma lives in assisted living and it's really quite a beautiful place. Everyone has their own apartment with common areas throughout. Olivia really enjoyed seeing where everything was.



I have yet to tell my grandma this, but Olivia paid her about the highest compliment possible. Whenever we go to the zoo or Exploration Place or the Y we always tell Olivia (when she doesn't want to leave) that we have a membership so we can come back whenever we want. Tonight at dinner, Olivia asked "Can we get a membership there so we can go back whenever we want?" So, yes, I believe we will be visiting more often. ;-)

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Pinky

Well, Olivia has almost had her hamster for a year. He is such a sweet little guy. Seriously, he's like the best hamster ever. As you can tell, Kelsey loves him as well. This is her favorite spot. They often "kiss" through the cage. I think they would be one of those odd animal couples (ya know that are different species and best friends) but I'm not brave enough to put them together. Even if she didn't hurt him, she'd most likely snuggle him to death.


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8 Months

Abigail is 8 months old today!




I believe she is around 18 lbs. Abigail loves to eat just about anything. She sits up like a pro and can get most anywhere, but still isn't crawling. She can push up on her arms and get up on her knees. . .just not at the same time. Abigail still wakes up about 2 to 3 times per night, which is kinda exhausting. Her two bottom teeth are just about to push through. What a blessing she has been in our lives! Happy 8 months, baby girl!
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Chuck E Cheese

Well, I managed to go almost 6 years without my daughter knowing that Chuck E Cheese's even existed. We were invited to go hang out there with a friend today and I thought,"What the heck." LOL! And, I gotta say, it was the most fun I've ever had in a place that smelled like pee. . .and sweat. It was so so hot in there! But, I thought their pizza was even good. Maybe I was just hungry? Olivia had so so much fun! And Abigail was an angel, as always.




The little boy we met up with was concerned that Olivia was only going to want to play girly games. Psshhh. Olivia can keep up with the best of them. LOL! In fact, I think she wanted to ride the monster truck more times than he did. And she enjoyed shooting the spiders too. They both get along very well and are just too cute! Robby has a little sister who is about 11 months, so Abigail has a friend too.




Speaking of Abigail, she is pretty easy to keep happy. Give her food or electronics.




But, just don't take her breadstick away!



Or her remote! LOL! Who needs a girly girl, right? At least Abigail lets me put bows in her hair!



And she is so precious when she sleeps! Look at that lip! Love my girls so much! It was so wonderful to see Olivia running around today with her friend having a blast! She was having so much fun, in fact, that she didn't even notice the ever present stench of urine. Or maybe kids never notice when lured away by games, toys and rides. Haha!

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Hunger Games

This child has no problems eating! LOL! In fact, she finished a big bowl of regular Mac n cheese. I mashed it up a bit, but she had no problem eating it. And wanted more!

Olivia is doing very well. Since beginning feeding therapy and starting on an appetite stimulant, she has almost gained a pound. This is more than she has gained in the past year!! I briefly saw a 33 flicker on the scale! I'm so proud of her! And she is such a great big sister. They played puzzles for the longest time today.



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Hope

These past few days have been very trying for my entire family. I apologize that I cannot go into greater detail than that. I have prayed many prayers and the majority of them have been centered around hope.

Hope in God's love for us.

Hope that there are brighter days ahead.

Hope that God never forsakes us.

Hope in God's promises.

What does this world hold for us if we do not have hope?

Tonight I was getting the mail and received an envelope from the March Of Dimes. It felt a little bulky and I was curious as to what it was, so I opened it in my car before I went inside. In the envelope was a bracelet with the word: HOPE



I proceeded to bawl for what seemed like an hour (although I think it was only about 10 minutes.) I cannot put into words the comfort that it gave me as if God was putting his own arms around my shoulders.



No matter our circumstances, I choose to believe there is always hope.

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Family Pictures

My sweet Olivia

Olivia had an appointment with her pediatrician today to discuss why she has completely fallen off her growth curve. At this point, we aren't doing any aggressive treatment, but are needing to really boost calories. While we were there I was told something I have known ALL of Olivia's life.

She has severe anxiety and ADHD. This is very common in extremely premature children, well, even in those born before 37 weeks show a greater percentage of it. Here is just an example of her anxiety:

While there, the doctor asked me if her feeding therapist had suggested doing a "calorie count" on her. Olivia broke into sobbing tears," A calorie count?? I don't want to have that!! No!!!" And we had to talk her back down and explain that it is just something I write down on a piece of paper. Things like this happen multiple times a day and you really have to watch how you word things around her. And she is still sleeping in a tent at night. You know how most of us can't sleep with our legs outside the covers because it makes us feel unsafe for some reason? Who knows why we feel safer under the covers, but security is what the tent provides. Her doctor laughed," So, tent it is!"

Anyway, our challenge is to address her lack of weight gain in a way that doesn't increase anxiety. She may be deficient in growth hormones (which is common in preemies) but that would result in growth hormone shots daily which she wouldn't tolerate. Honestly, she would probably have to be sedated for even a blood draw. It may just be that she is not taking in enough calories, especially for her level of activity. So I have got to really try to boost her calorie intake without forcing her to eat anything. That's tougher than it sounds. And, Olivia is being prescribed an antihistamine that is also an appetite stimulant which will help calm her down as well. Maybe it will be one thing that helps all three issues? I can only pray. And pray and pray and pray.

We have come so far and are so blessed with how well Olivia is doing. Words can't describe how amazing she is! I always knew that there would be lingering issues to address and I just pray that I handle them with the grace and wisdom that only God can provide.











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Feeding Therapy Update

Olivia's feeding therapy is going well. She is working on taking smaller bites and swallowing things completely before taking another bite. This week we have various food to try and Olivia colors them in after trying and then rates them with a happy or sad face. Her therapist is happy with her willingness to try new food, but perplexed by the small amount that makes her full. And, even when she seems to eat a lot, her weight still doesn't reflect that. We are back down to 31.5 lbs. This is where we were a year ago. So, we go to see her pediatrician on Wednesday to see what the next steps are. Most likely it will be to see a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. I just want to get it all done before kindergarten and we are quickly running out of time! Even in the best of circumstances, you can never seem to completely outrun the effects of extreme prematurity.

I have started making all of Abigail's food in hopes to also get Olivia to eat it. Olivia is more apt to try it if she helps me make it and it doesn't come from the baby food aisle. LOL! We made sweet potatoes last night and I put Olivia's in a fancy cup with cinnamon sprinkled on top. And she didn't like it. But, she said," Even though I don't like it, mama, I still love you!" :-). Sweet girl. Abigail on the other hand, will eat anything! And if she sees you eating, you'd better have something for her to eat too. My two girls could not be more opposite when it comes to food! Please continue praying for Olivia's health and growth. We have got to get some pounds on her!


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Polka Dots

Olivia at 11 months

Abigail at 7 months

Busy Day

A friend of mine from high school is in town this week visiting her new baby nephew. It's been a few years since we've been able to get together. Today we decided to take my kids plus our nieces to lunch and the zoo. Olivia was so incredibly grumpy today! Not quite sure where my happy girl was. Maybe the fireworks kept her up? That alone was enough to exhaust me!



I've never had four car seats in there before! It was quite the party van!


Fun at the zoo!


Izzy (5 1/2) Ella (2) Olivia (5 1/2) and Abigail (7 months) was napping in her stroller.



Olivia refused to be in this picture.



And this one. See what I mean? Grumpy!



We got back home and were exhausted, hot and stinky. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting a shower PLUS getting all three girls bathed. Now we are headed to my brother's house to see my aunt and uncle who are in town. Is it bedtime yet?

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Happy 4th of July!

Abigail was a very happy newborn. Then she went through a really colicky phase. I remember one night when Ryan and I wondered if she even liked us. LOL! But, now she is just the happiest baby! She smiles at everyone and is such a joy!

Here she is flashing her baby blues in honor of the red, white and blue! Happy Fourth Of July!


For the past, well, at least 9 years we have celebrated with Ryan's brother and family. Yesterday they packed up and started their new journey in Arizona. I'm very happy for them, but it's kinda sad. Especially from Olivia's point of view who can't judge distance and worried they were moving to another planet. Olivia and I are going to go sit out on the play set in a bit and watch the fireworks from the top of the slide. Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable night!

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Giraffe Tent

For the past week Olivia has slept in a tent in her room.


Lately she has had a lot of nighttime anxiety. She has been unable to get to sleep and cries and pleads to sleep with me. We rarely had this issue before I let her sleep with me while pregnant ( my snoring drove Ryan to the couch.) One night I even let her stay up to watch The Little Mermaid thinking she would just fall asleep during it. I woke up at 1 am with Abigail and she was still awake! Last week, we put the tent up in her room and haven't had problems since. Olivia even sleeps with the light off and before she would leave her lamp on. She crawls in her tent with blankets and stuffed animals and snoozes away. I'm wondering if she feels more secure in the tent? It is pretty cozy for being on the floor. Regardless, we can't have a tent taking up 1/2 of her room forever. I'm thinking we might get this for Olivia for her birthday:



I don't know, but I've got to think of something or that tent will be up forever. I'm still wondering if we will ever get her pool put away or if we will just keep moving it every few days so it doesn't kill the grass. LOL! Oh, my crazy girl!

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Monday, July 1, 2013

So, we are calling Abigail's first word "baba." She says it all the time. You would think that she is too young to understand what it means, but I swear she does. She only says it when she wants a baba. And she also signs the word "please" while she's saying baba. She is brilliant I tell ya! So, I'm sure that's why, instead of crawling, she flips over on her back and scoots where she wants to go. LOL! Her brilliant mind has discovered that scooting on your back is superior to crawling. You should see her chase the cat around on her back like a little upside down inchworm. Hilarious!




I thought Olivia's quirkiness came from being born 17 weeks early, but maybe we just have quirky kids. LOL! Quirky and super cute!




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