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.