Standing!

Markus and I often stand Willa on our laps and say, "Standing". Our voice gets a little higher at the -ing part - that's the best way I can describe it in writing. Anyway, this morning I heard Willa around 5:30 so I went over to feed her. When I walked in, she was kneeling at her crib. I fed her, changed her diaper, and put her back to bed so I could get more sleep. I heard her coughing and then talking (ba ba ba ba) and then I was fast asleep.

I heard her about an hour later so I walked into her bedroom and ta-da, there she was STANDING! Standing in her crib! Standing (say it with a higeher pitch at the end)! Tonight we'll lower the crib even more to prevent any booms in the night. We lowered it a few weeks ago when she started sitting up, but now it has to go even lower. I'm not sure why I'm so excited, I suppose because she's getting closer to walking.

When we were at my parents' house a few weeks ago, Willa crawled over to the couch, put her hands on the edge, lifted one leg and then another so that was her official first time standing. She just never did it again. Lately, though, she's been crawling and kneeling when she gets to chairs and other objects, like the baby gates in the "Jungle Room" in daycare, where she could stand. So, another milestone reached.

Today was also our visit to the orthopedic specialist at CHOP. Willa had an x-ray of her hips and Dr. Horn said everything looks good. Her hips and the cups/sockets and balls all appear to be developing normally. The doctor said he'll follow her every six months until she's three years old so we will return again in November. They also said she has until 18 months (or 19 months adjusted, since she was born early) to walk before they become concerned about her physical development. Given her recent crib adventures, I think we'll see some steps in the next few months. Won't that be great? Then Markus and I can say "walking" and then "running" and then "no, wait, stop, slow down!" The fun begins!!!

One-Year Checkup

So if you're reading this post, scroll down because I posted three others today with lots of pictures from the last week. This is the last update.

Willa had her one-year checkup this morning. Stats:

Weight = 17 lb, 14 oz
Height = 28.75 in
Head = 17.75 in/45.5 cm

She's growing, though her weight stayed flat probably because of the hunger strike the first few days of daycare, teething, and being sick. She obviously didn't eat enough cake, scones, and pizzelles to offset her lack of eating lately. We'll work on it (eating veggies and fruits, not cupcakes and scones). She had been in the 10-25 percentile for weight; today she's tracking in the 5th percentile. Her length is now in the 25-50 percentile range but closer to 50; she had been tracking closer to 25 so she's getting taller! Her head is closer to the 50th percentile now instead of 75th so I guess that's evening out. The weight for length is also low because of her weight today. She had been tracking around the 25th percentile but today she's in the 10th percentile.

After reporting all of this, please know that I'm not worried. I know this is just a blip and that it doesn't mean she's not growing, etc. I'm just reporting the stats since I know some of you are interested in this. Willa's not been herself the last few weeks, and understandably so. I'll be curious to see where's she's at when we have her next visit. By then, she'll have more teeth and will be eating what we eat. All I know is that she feels heavy now, so when she does put on a few more pounds, I can't imagine how my back will feel then!!

The strawberry hemangioma on her chest has gotten slightly bigger according to the pediatrician but it should start receding now that Willa's in her second year. I think that's it. Overall, no real concerns and her growth and development are fine.

We see the orthopedic specialist at CHOP on Thursday for a hip checkup and later in the month we should get a notification that it's time to schedule a neurology follow-up. We'll keep you posted after those appointments, too; we expect normal/good reports which is all I could ask for.

Mother's Day

On Sunday, I woke up and it was morning. When I wake up and see daylight, I realize that Willa has slept through the night. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift - a full night's sleep! What Markus told me later was that he gave her an extra dose of Tylenol the night before at bedtime since she seemed so uncomfortable...

When Willa awoke, our cheerful baby was back! Gone was the crabby, sick, uncomfortable baby from Saturday. Her nose was still runny, but her cough sounded better and she was all smiles. We decided not to go out for brunch and test Willa's patience; instead, we had a nice breakfast on the patio and enjoyed the weather and Willa's playfulness.

Markus made omelets, which Willa also enjoyed, and we had some leftover fruit salad from the party. Willa also liked that. To keep her content, we sat her in the high chair from our dining room and brought out the xylophone - she loves that thing! She provided the music for our breakfast, and was so pleased with herself each time she made a chime. It was a perfect spring morning and I was so happy. I was spending happy time with my family, our baby was cheerful and smiley and playful, and I was eating good food. I kept wondering what could be better than this. In my mind and on that day, nothing would have been better. It was perfect.

Then, it was naptime so Markus took care of that and I got to spend some time shopping alone. I bought a few things for myself, came back to meet up with the fam, and we headed back out for a little more walking and shopping. Willa was a good girl the whole time and before I knew it, the day was over.

We took some video but since I don't know how to post it, it'll have to wait until Markus has time. For now, I can provide some photos. Click on the picture to see the whole album:

20080511 - Willa and her toys

1st Birthday Recap

On Saturday, we had a small party to celebrate Willa's first birthday. The rain held off, though it was cool (which is why Willa's wearing leggings with her cute, summery dress). Willa didn't have her best day; she was and still is fighting her first daycare cold and is still teething. Her nose was runny, she was congested and coughing, and her gums were swollen. She did really well, though, considering there were lots of people around and she wasn't feeling great.

She didn't want to sit in her high chair and so she definitely didn't want to grab/smash/eat her cake. When I took her out, sat her on my lap, and started feeding her bites of cake and icing she loved it. She kept wanting more and then decided she needed some of her milk. We fed her a few more bites of cake and then opened gifts. Willa got lots of clothing (which she needs - we go through lots of outfits at daycare), some books, a learning/music table to help her stand and move (aka cruise), a xylophone, and a few other toys. We were glad our families were able to join us for this occasion.

Check out the pictures by clicking on the photo below:

20080510 - Willa's First Birthday

We have some catching up to do

Two weekends ago, we spent some time gardening, visiting with family, I went on a girls night out, and went to watch our friend James run in the Broad Street Run. Quick summary (we have a lot of posts to make today!):

-Saturday: Willa wakes at normal time (6:30), nurses for a while, then goes back to sleep til 9. Mommy is amazed, and no longer has bags under her eyes. Willa has a friend, Jaiden, come over for a playdate. He's in her class and is a neighbor, and we like his parents a lot. Jaiden leaves and Willa sleeps for 2.5 more hours - unheard of! Then we pile in the car and head to a garden center so we can revamp our courtyard gardens and make them prettier and more colorful. We return home and Daddy cuts down a shrub and pulls out two big stumps! Mommy rushes into the shower and gets ready for girls night out - first one since before the baby! Some of the pictures of Willa in her jammies are after I left and she and Daddy were hanging out.

-Sunday: We wake up at normal time (early) and walk over to the Broad Street Run. We watch the first superfast runners go by and shortly after, we see our friend James. He's so fast!!! After watching lots more runners (can you imagine running 10 miles? Markus did this last year and did great - what a star!), we went home to begin planting. We spent all day planting, and Willa was such a good girl. She played in her stroller while we gardened. Dani (Markus' mom) and Pop-Pop came for a visit to check our progress, had some lunch (Sarcone's hoagies - yum!) and before we knew it, weekend was over.

So, that's what you're seeing in these pictures (click the photo to see all the pictures in the album):

20080504 - BSR and Gardening

Happy Birthday, Willa!

Today's the big day! Willa Noelle is one year old! Can you believe it? We can't either. Some days seem to go on forever, but overall, this year has gone by in what seems like the blink of an eye. Slow down, I keep thinking. She's growing up so fast.

As I wrote Tuesday, Willa's been teething and not sleeping well; I nursed her at 12:30 last night, but she wouldn't go to sleep so Markus went back in to rock her. She was sitting up in her crib when Markus went in - another new milestone! She did this twice in a row laying in bed with us a few weekends ago, but we haven't seen her sit up since then, until last night.

Today, I (Christie, yes, posting under Markus' name) was watching the camera at our daycare and saw Willa napping on her very own cot at daycare. Previously, they'd put her to sleep in a little rocker/glider. Today, though, she graduated to the big girl cot. I watched her as she woke up, around 3:30, which would mean she had a three-hour nap. Here's hoping that sleep really does beget sleep and that she'll sleep all night long tonight! Markus and I have had a long week; each of us had day trips (me - NYC, him - DC) for work, so the lack of sleep has been a little unpleasant. Keep your fingers crossed that tonight is the start of a new sleep pattern, now that two of the teeth are through the gumline.

For those keeping track, she now has four teeth - two bottom, two top ones that just broke through this week, and two incisors are coming in now.

No walking yet, just waiting (and enjoying the last few days and weeks of peace).

With that, I need to finish up work and go pick up BG (Baby Girl) at daycare.

Happy Birthday, Willa!

Words from Mommy

It was on the first Tuesday morning in May one year ago that a little trickle of water ran down my leg and was the first indication that the day might be the one when everything would change. As we would find out about 25 minutes later at the hospital, this would definitely be the day when everything changed. That baby was coming out, and fast.

As anyone might imagine, especially anyone who has a child, I often relive the days and moments around Willa's birth. The only thing I'm sad about is that due to all of the anesthesia for my c-section, I don't have a clear recollection of the day. I rely on Markus for details, like when they told him that Willa needed extra attention and would be moved to the Transitional Nursery. Those days were such a whirlwind, full of excitement and worry due to some of the test results. After seven days, though, Willa was cleared to come home.

Then came the doctor visits. I think that out of my 12-week maternity leave, there were two weeks where we had no medical checkups with one doctor or another. We visited at least one doctor almost every week until Willa was three months old. Shortly after that, she was freed from her Pavlik harness, weaned from her anti-seizure medicine, and was able to stop taking her reflux medicines. For the first time, Markus and I felt like we could take a breath and enjoy our baby, who we now felt more comfortable calling "healthy".

Willa's time in the harness meant that she hated tummy time and had low tone in her core. Some developmental milestones came later for her than for other babies, but now, days before her first birthday, she's keeping up with children her age. She's not walking by herself yet, but she wants to. Crawling has to suffice for now, but not for long. Just this past weekend, she started letting go of the adult's hands because she wants to stand by herself. She's not totally steady yet, but she's close.

Last week marked the beginning of a new part of Willa's life: daycare. This was something we intended to do upon my return to work, but waiting lists for good daycares in our area are 12-18 months long. That's why we ended up hiring Valerie to take care of Willa until Willa turned one. Last week wasn't easy for any of us, but we're adjusting. Markus and I are able to log in anytime and view Willa's classroom to see what she's doing. Willa's not used to so many kids, so the teachers hold her or wear her in a sling (which she loves). Most of the kids in the room can walk, but I think this will be a big motivation for Willa to walk - she (and I) don't want her hands getting stepped on anymore! New walkers aren't yet able to watch out for the hands of little crawlers - they're just trying to stay vertical and put one foot in front of the other. We've been so proud, though, to see that each day shows Willa getting more acclimated to her new surroundings. She's such an easygoing baby.

Her top teeth are coming in, which has caused some sleep problems. She doesn't want to eat much, which means she wakes up overnight to be fed. She's in pain and has been running low-grade fevers on and off, but for the most part she's been pleasant. Her top right tooth has broken through, but I can see the incisors aren't far behind. Then we can let our girl eat everything we do; she stares at us now while we try to determine whether what we're eating is safe for her to try in small pieces. Her daddy, surprisingly, gave her a taste of doughnut, which she loved. She's also fond of honey-wheat pretzel braids, we discovered; I think they're more like a teething biscuit for her. And she loves to suck the juice out of orange sections.

Each day brings something new for all of us - Willa figures out how to do something, which then means Markus and I need to figure out how to keep her safe. Mobility and advancement are good, but it means we parents must pay careful attention! One thing that stays the same each day is our happiness and how much we adore our baby girl. She's the best baby ever.

We'll keep you updated on her progress and adventures in daycare. We're having a small birthday celebration with immediate family this weekend, so I expect we'll have some pictures to post over the weekend.