My Little Rose

OUR BLOG HAS MOVED!

2007-07-19T09:26:00.000-04:00

Please visit www.thegaggins.blogspot.com !

--Julie

Andrea's 2nd Birthday Party!

2007-07-17T19:03:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Andrea's second birthday on Sunday. Her actual birthday is not until the 23rd, but we wanted to do it early in case her baby brother decided to arrive early.

It was a beautiful day, and everyone had a good time. Of course, the birthday girl was so excited about her party that I didn't get her to nap until 1:30, and everyone arrived at 2:00, so they had to wait to see the star of the show!

I've decided the best way to chronicle the events of the day is to put up the pictures I took throughout her party:

Guests

Silliness

Presents

Pinata

Cupcake-Cake

"MESSY!"

Beat the Heat!

2007-07-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

The heat has been miserable around here the past two days. It is in the mid-90s, and very humid. Thankfully, Aunt Claire has been very generous in allowing everyone to congregate at her new house, and use her pool as much as we want. We were there again last night, to get a little relief from the heat, and have some more fun visiting with everyone.

Grandma Marty lent Andrea a helping hand in the water so Mommy could relax and enjoy the pool, too.
Aunt Claire joined us soon after. Did you notice that all three of them are wearing water wings?!

We managed to coax Andrea out of the water for a bit at dinner time. Jordan was teaching her how to surf!

When Daddy joined us, after work, Andrea couldn't wait to get back in with him. So, we suited her up again.

This is "Echo the Dolphin," the new pool mascot. Andrea got a big kick out of going for a ride on him.

Look, no hands!

***
I also managed to video Andrea doing a solo-swim with her water wings on. Like I said a few days ago, she just started wearing floaties this week, and she's already getting surprisingly independent with them.
http://media.putfile.com/Andrea-Solo-Swim

***

By the way, Daddy had his turn trying to ride Echo, too. Unfortunately, he was not as successful!

More Family Fun

2007-07-09T11:52:00.001-04:00

On Friday evening, we went back to Aunt Claire's house for another swim and another visit. We also had a great dinner of BBQ ribs, rice, and corn on the cob. This was Andrea's first official attempt at corn on the cob--she held it all by herself, and with help from Daddy and Joanna, had soon caught on that she needed to spin it, and move her mouth across the cob, as she ate. Of course, we all paid the price the next day . . . you know what happens with corn!

Another point of note: Andrea was swimming on her own with water wings this time! She would sit on the pool steps, then slide/jump in; then she would swim a little circle around on her own, climb back up the stairs, and start over. We were amazed at her rapid progress with the water wings!

***

On Saturday afternoon, we took Andrea to my uncle's wedding ceremony. She was the only little one there, and she behaved pretty well, except for the occasional well-placed comment, and sudden outbursts of applause. For example, after they finished their vows, she yelled, "OKAY!" and "YES!"

Since everyone was all dressed up, I took the opportunity to get a nice picture of Andrea with Grandma Marty and Grandpa Rick, from Montana.

Visiting Family :))

2007-07-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

Grandma Marty and Grandpa Rick are here from Montana, for a 2-week visit, which means we are having lots of impromptu family get-togethers, and lots of great photo opportunities!
***
On Tuesday evening, Grandma Marty and Mommy picked up Andrea after daycare and brought her out to Essex, to visit, and see Aunt Claire's new house. Daddy was at a Tiger's game with some people from work, so we got to visit out there until the wee hours of the morning. Andrea was amazingly good, considering the long day she had!

Aunt Claire's new house has a nice pool, so Andrea wanted to go right in, even though it was a bit cold. It also happened to be the first time Andrea has ever worn water wings. She was a bit nervous when Mommy let go, and she was floating on her own, but she did pretty well.

After dinner, Andrea wanted to go in the pool AGAIN, so we put her on a raft and let her cousin Jordan escort her around the pool. She loved it--she was splashing, and laughing, and playing at passing the beach ball with him.

When Jordan got cold, she STILL wanted to go back in, so Grandma Marty rolled up her dress and dipped Andrea in from the pool stairs.Was she done yet? No way! When cousin Joanna got home from work, she wanted to go in the pool with her, too!
Finally, we managed to get her out of the pool and into some warm pajamas (she was shivering). She spent the rest of the evening eating a mountain of watermelon, and eventually fell asleep on Aunt Claire's bed.
***
Yesterday was July 4, so in the evening, we all piled into Aunt Claire's van and crossed the border to go to Aunt Donna and Uncle Greg's. Their house is on a quiet cul-de-sac, and they and the neighbours have been having a July 4th fireworks party on their street for the past few years.

It was another long day for Andrea, but she held up great. After all, there were plenty of people to fuss over her (she was by far the littlest one there), lots of treats to eat, and a large bucket of ice to get into (she loves ice).

I was surprised by how well she handled the fireworks, especially since they lasted well past her bedtime. She only got scared at the loud, screaming kind of ones; and she kept running between Daddy and I, giggling nervously, and pointing to the sky. (By the way, I think they all broke the bank on those fireworks. They were great! And they had so many, they just stopped letting them off, because they got tired of it!)

We had to bring her U.S.A. hat Grandma Marty and Grandpa Rick got her when we visited them last year--it suited the occasion.

Andrea's cousin Caitlin was her special buddy last night.

Here's Andrea enjoying the fireworks from the comfort of Daddy's lap--they weren't too scary, then.

If Daddy and Mommy weren't close enough, Grandma was always nearby.
Sparklers are always a nice way to finish the evening.
The fireworks didn't finish until late, so we popped Andrea into her pajamas and headed home as soon as they were done. She dozed off in the van, before we even crossed the bridge. She's had two busy days!

It's VERY Relaxing!

2007-06-27T11:55:00.000-04:00

Andrea still loves going on her swings. Lately, we've noticed that she has a tendency to zone out, and get a little sleepy-looking after being on the swing for a while. Today, I noticed her nodding off, and I said, "Someone's getting sleepy. . . you can't fall asleep yet!" and she would giggle. We went through this little game for about 15 minutes, and then she dozed right off!

Talk about relaxing! That must be the life . . . settling into a comfy swing, in the warm morning sun, with someone to give you push every now and then, and then you just drift off to sleep . . . :))

Just Some Cute Pictures

2007-06-20T22:15:00.001-04:00

Here are some cute pictures I've snapped of Andrea over the past few days. :))

***

She's a busy little Mommy--between caring for Dora, going shopping, and talking on her cell--and not to mention, looking good!

***

But, like any Mommy, she has to stop and put the little ones in line when they get rambunctious!

***

Who doesn't enjoy slipping into something more comfortable after a long day?!

***

Egg Roll loves to play with Andrea, and all of her toys. He leaps out at her; he sits on her plush chair; and he likes to hitch a ride on her shopping cart, when he can get away with it!

Andrea--you have a stow-away!
***

Aiden came to visit today, and he read Andrea a story!

Is she flirting?!

Introducing "Egg Roll": A New Playmate for Andrea!

2007-06-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

This is Egg Roll. He (we think it's a he) is our new kitten. A long time ago, Mommy promised Daddy he could name our next cat Egg Roll (thinking it would be years before we'd get another cat, since we already had Buster). After Buster died suddenly last year, we knew that we'd get another kitty, but we didn't know when. A few weeks ago, Aunt Kathy told us she had a cat that had kittens, and the Humane Society couldn't take them. So, we decided to adopt one. He was born May 1st, and was just ready to leave his momma now.

***

Andrea was intrigued by him right away. She wanted to watch (and copy!) everything he did, right away. We're glad she's excited about her new friend, but we've got to keep her out of his food and litter! So, he's going to stay downstairs for now.

Andrea saw him trying to climb the cage he came in, and up the furniture. So, she decided to try and climb our wall! I love how Egg Roll was watching her as much as she was watching him!

***

Andrea needed a few reminders to be gentle, but overall, she was really good with the new kitty. It's funny how Andrea is imitating the new kitten, right down to his tiny "Mew!" We keep reminding her that he's a baby, and we need to be gentle and not scare him. I think this is great practice for when Bud arrives next month. I also see it's good because the kitten is getting so much attention, and I can sense Andrea is adjusting to this.

***

I set up a bed for him downstairs tonight, nearby his food and litter. It took a couple of tries, but I think he likes it now.

Nighty-night, Egg Roll!

Backyard Fun in the Sun

2007-06-13T21:34:00.000-04:00

Well, my first week of maternity leave has turned out to be absolutely gorgeous--sunny, and in the mid-80s. It's a bit warm for me at times, but Andrea loves it. So, of course, we've taken advantage of our time off together to enjoy our backyard. It's a bit more fun this year, because Andrea can run around and explore on her own now. But that also means we have to find things to keep her amused out there.

Daddy was driving home from the store on Sunday, and he saw someone has two free kiddie pools out at the road. It's funny, we were actually going to buy a hard plastic one that afternoon, but he got 2 for free! Well, actually, I think one was a sandbox, but I scrubbed them both out, and they work just fine. Sure, they're a bit weather-beaten, but they're solid and they don't leak, which is more than I can say for those annoying inflatable pools we got last year!

The water was a bit too cold on Monday, so I just put a bunch of plastic toys in the one pool, and Andrea used it like a water table. It was perfect! She loved it.

***

Today, it was warm enough to go for a swim! Andrea constantly asks to go swimming (even though we don't have a pool!), so today I could finally say yes. I had the turtle pool (once a sandbox) covered with its lid for 2 days, and the water was actually HOT now, so I had to add cool water before she could go in. Andrea was so excited once she could go in!

Look at her laughing--what a silly girl!

***

We also purchased Andrea's big birthday gift this weekend, and Daddy and I set it up on Monday. We decided to give it to her early, because it's one more thing to make the backyard more toddler-friendly. It's a little climbing castle, with a slide and a swing. It's just toddler size, but still a good investment, because by the time Andrea outgrows it, Bud will be ready for it.

"Woohoo!"

"Dancin'!"

2007-06-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

Andrea is passionate about music. Usually, it's singing; but this past week or so, she has really started to work on her dance moves! You should see some of the crazy stuff she does--waving her arms around, funny walks, rolling around on the floor, etc.

I tried to get some of it on video this morning. Of course, she never does her best work for the camera anymore, but you'll get a taste of what she's been up to. She particularly enjoys spinning to the music--with dizzying results, of course. :))

http://media.putfile.com/Andrea-Dancing

Big Girl in a Big Girl Room!

2007-06-02T21:35:00.000-04:00

Andrea's been promoted this week. She's a big girl now!

For a few weeks, she has been sitting in a booster chair at the kitchen table. She was a bit confused at first, and still headed to her high chair; but now she prefers the booster, because she can sit at the big table with Mommy and Daddy.

Now, it was time to quit the "bubba" cold turkey. She was down to morning and night, and as of two days ago, we've converted to sippy cups at those times as well. So far, it's going . . . okay. We get lots of whining, and she says "no, no, no" when we hand her the sippy cup, but she eventually gives in. It helps that I play up her "pretty cups" and Daddy pretends to drink her milk, and says it's "delicious," so she'll want some. Tonight that worked really well--he even got her to say "delicious!" after she took a sip!

The biggest change came today, when we moved her into the big girl room! Daddy and I spent the whole day installing and setting up and moving furniture and organizing toys (we had a relative of a friend do the painting this time). Andrea was a little miffed that we were so busy, but once the room started to come together, she had a lot of fun.

She loves the canopy over her bed; I have to be careful, and tuck it back a bit for now, because she likes to rub her face in it, and snuggle up in it! But she was also lying back on the bed, and staring up to admire it. One time, I told her it looked like a pretty princess bed; she picked up on that, and all afternoon, it was "princess, princess!"

She also enjoyed how I re-organized her toys. Her toys were scattered in about three different rooms, in a bunch of old diaper boxes, baskets, etc. Now she has an organizer in her room with removable tubs in it, and her toys are all neatly sorted (yeah, like that will last long!). This was really exciting for her, because we found toys she hadn't seen in months (as they were buried in the bottom of the old toy bins). So, it was kind of hard for Mommy to do the sorting, as Andrea wanted to play with every "new" thing she spotted; but at least it kept her happy and occupied.

Here are the pictures I took of her new room. The walls are a very light purple with a very light pink trim. I didn't get a picture of the wall with her toy storage, but I got her bed and dresser area.

(This is Andrea's door hanger that she made at Aiden's party last weekend.)

***

So far, the change in rooms appears to have gone over smoothly. She's been asleep for over an hour now, and hasn't fussed at all--even when we laid her down. We've got our fingers crossed! Now, I wonder how long it will be before she figures she can crawl out of bed, open the door, and wander out? ;))

Nighty-night, Andrea!

***

Tomorrow Daddy and I have to empty out what was the spare room closet, and move all of Andrea's things from her closet into her new room. Then, she should be completely settled in.

After that, if we feel up to it, we'll start setting up a few things for Bud . . . but there's no rush (I hope!).

Typical Andrea!

2007-06-02T21:23:00.000-04:00

I got a few pictures, and a little video the other day, of what I'd call "typical Andrea." :))

She is so silly!

One minute, she's playing with a blanket on her head, like a hat.

Then, it becomes a game of peek-a-boo.

Next, on video: http://media.putfile.com/Andrea-and-Dora :

She sits in her chair, rocking and singing along with her beloved Dora--so cute and sweet!

Then, she flings Dora over the back of the chair, and proceeds to slide down it herself!

Following that, she wanders over to play with the TV buttons, and admire her reflection in the screen.

Finally, she pauses to check out the camera.

It's typical Andrea. :))

Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony's New Pool

2007-05-29T21:18:00.000-04:00

Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony put in a pool at their new house last week. Today was the first day it was really warm enough to go for a swim, so they invited us over. The water was still pretty chilly, but it was very refreshing!

I'm not sure who had more fun: Andrea . . .

. . . or the big kids!

Party Time

2007-05-27T20:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we went to our friends' house for their son, Aiden's, 3rd birthday party. The theme was from the show "Go Diego Go." Andrea LOVES Diego, so needless to say, she had a lot of fun!

I got some pictures of the kids playing, but oddly enough, I don't think any of them contain the birthday boy! However, Andrea had a good time playing with his cousins.

She made a door hanger for her new room with Daddy's help, and coloured some Diego pictures.

She played with the trains and accessories on Aiden's Thomas the Train table.

She liked looking at the Baby Jaguar masks, and making everyone else wear them and growl at her.

She played on Aiden's climbing castle and slide (I am looking at something similar for her birthday gift).She and Daddy played soccer with the other kids (well, Andrea had fun with the cones).

***

Andrea started out a bit shy with the grown-ups, but she was hamming it up by dinner time. She ate a pretty good amount of her food. After Daddy put her down to play, she wandered over to the kids' table and started helping herself to their abandoned plates--a pickle here, some veggies and dip there, a bite of this hamburger, a sip of that kool-aid . . . everybody was laughing like crazy, and she was completely oblivious to it (or just ignoring us). Hey, she thought it was a smorgasbord, just for Andrea! Of course, I was groaning inwardly at the germ factor, but it WAS funny. Then, she plopped herself in one of the little chairs, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Finally, she grabbed a cup and balanced it on her forehead! She looked like someone who'd a little too much . . . oh, I wish I'd had the camera then. It was the icing on the cake to her smorgasbord performance!

***

After recovering from her meal, and re-energized with cake and ice-cream (!), she proceeded to serenade the adults with several of her songs: Twinkle Twinkle, ABCs, Mr. Sun, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc. . . .

***

Furthermore, the concept of the pinata is lost on Andrea. Aiden's parents get the nice kind, where the kids each grab a streamer and pull at the same time. First, Andrea just wanted to play with the pretty streamers. Then, as the kids all pulled, Andrea bent over to pick up their streamers, and a shower of candy fell all over her head! Andrea swatted the candy away from her face, as the other kids dove for it! Aiden's great-grandma was kind enough to lean out and grab several large handfuls of candy for Andrea, so she wouldn't be left out. :)) Andrea didn't even notice--she was yelling "Yay!" and picking up all the pretty streamers!

***

Andrea's birthday party isn't until mid-July (a few weeks early, just in case Bud surprises us), but I am already looking forward to it, seeing how she had so much fun at Aiden's party. :))

Fun on the Rides!

2007-05-20T23:57:00.001-04:00

The mall near our house had its annual Victoria Day concourse, with some rides and games, etc. We thought it would be fun to take Andrea for her first experience on amusement rides. As we expected, she loved it--she only got upset because she was too little to go on ALL the rides!

Uncle Chuck and Brig were spending the day with us, so they came to go on the rides, too. It worked out well--Brig was just small enough, and Andrea was just big enough, to go on the kiddie rides. :))

Like I said, the only time Andrea really got upset was when she couldn't go on the ferris wheel with Daddy and Brig. She tried to climb up the gate, and she cried for Dada! Then, Uncle Chuck picked her up, and got her to wave and yell "Hi!" when Daddy and Brig came around. So, that amused her for a bit.

***

Then, Daddy took Andrea on the strawberries ride. It's pretty tame, unless you turn the wheel in the middle. So, of course, Daddy turned the wheel as hard as he could, the second time they went on the ride!

By the way, Andrea's not upset in the picture above (she was laughing): she just got squished because Daddy had it spinning so fast!

***

Next, Andrea and Brig went on a couple of rides together. They went on the cars . . .

http://media.putfile.com/Brig-Andrea-on-Cars

. . . and then on the plane ride (Mommy was a bit nervous) . . .

http://media.putfile.com/Brig-Andrea-on-Planes

. . . and then on the bug's life ride.

***

After that, Uncle Chuck and Brig had to head home. We had a few ride tickets left, so we gave Andrea two more turns on the car ride. Although she loved them all, she seemed to enjoy this one the most. We put her on a fire truck, and then in a classic car.

***

Needless to say, after all the excitement, she was quite happy to have a bath and go right to sleep, when we got home.

By the way, here's an unrelated, but cute picture of Andrea from about 2 weeks ago. I was trying to get her to pose in her new outfit that Gram and Grandpa G. got her ("everyone loves a blue-eyed girl"), but she wanted to DANCE! :)) Generally, she's a big singer, and hardly ever dances. I guess she was just in the mood. :))

It's Been A While!

2007-05-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

Is it weird to post just because I feel guilty that I haven't posted anything for Andrea lately? :))

I have been a bit too busy and tired to get any good pictures of her; and another problem is, she no longer poses for my camera. Oh, no--she STEALS it! The instant she hears the shutter open, she's right in my face, grabbing for it, so it's nearly impossible to take any pictures of her lately.

Health wise, well, Andrea has anther really bad cough and runny nose that she can't shake, and of course I'm all paranoid about it. But we have been giving her the inhaler (puffer) at home, and as that seems to help, we've avoided the hospital. She also doesn't have a fever this time.

Oddly enough, the follow-up appointment with our family doctor, regarding Andrea's previous bout of pneumonia, is on Thursday. It got delayed because I had to change it, and then the doctor was on vacation. But I guess it works out well, because now she will get to see and hear Andrea with a cough. I really want to talk to the doctor about asthma and possibly getting a home Ventolin treatment kit for Andrea (the machine with the mask). She'll probably say no, considering Andrea is "too young" and they still won't officially call it "asthma" (although everyone knows that's what it is!). Poor Andrea goes into these awful coughing fits that make her gag, and then vomit. This usually only happens when she has a cold, but still, it's scary; and I'd feel a lot better if we knew more, or had more resources available to us in terms of home treatment for these flare-ups.

Otherwise, Andrea keeps things lively and entertaining around here. Her latest trick is getting into the toilet and swishing her hands in the water (gross)! She also loves slides, so she now slides down/off of anything she can, which leads to even more bumps and bruises! And, her routine of songs and words has increased dramatically, which is fun. :))

Oh, and we finally got her shoes inserts this week! Geez, months later . . . anyhow, it took her a day or two to get adjusted to walking in them (she still seems a bit tipsy sometimes) but they don't seem to bother her. We go back to the orthotics specialist in two weeks, for a check-up. He thinks she'll be out of them by next year, and won't have any more foot problems. So, that's good.

Oh, and Andrea's big-girl room is now a work in progress. Our friend is coming over to start painting tomorrow. Then, we'll get her things set up in what was the spare room. I'll definitely post pictures when the transformation is complete--but that may be a few weeks away yet. :))

New Hairdo and a New Ride

2007-04-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I finally got to take Andrea to get a haircut. I've been debating it for weeks . . . I really wanted to let her hair grow out, but at the same time, it was getting so messy-looking. It didn't help that when she went for her first haircut 7 months ago, the lady layered her hair and trimmed the edges oddly, so it grew out all uneven!

But this time, we got someone who knew what a little girl's haircut should look like! She gave Andrea an adorable little bob, with nice, rounded edges, so I should be able to let it grow out long from here.

Andrea was SO good! I was nervous, because 7 months ago, she screamed the whole time. This time, she just wanted to play with everything. And when she saw herself in the mirror, she said "Oohhh . . ." and had a great big grin on her face. So, I take it she approves of the new look. :))

***

Today, Daddy cleaned up the little tricycle we got from a friend-of-a-friend, which Andrea has been anxious to play with all winter. She's a bit too little to pedal it all by herself yet, but Daddy figured out that the slope of the driveway, combined with our friend, gravity, makes for an entertaining ride for Andrea!

On your mark, get set . . .

Go!

Hold on tight!

Biker Girl :))

***

Here's a little video of Andrea coasting down our driveway on her tricycle:

http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/luvthosebooks/?action=view&current=TricycleCoasting20070429.flv

Discovering Ketchup

2007-04-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

It's odd; you know, Andrea has had ketchup several times already, but tonight, she really seemed to enjoy it . . .

Would you like some hot dogs with that ketchup, Andrea? :))

She was literally scooping up handfuls of ketchup, and shoving it in her mouth! When she was done that, she would squish her hands together, to enjoy the texture, as well.

Then, she held her hands out to me and said, "Ooohhh, messy!"

Um, no kidding, my little darling! ;))

Andrea's Doing Better

2007-04-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

Well, Andrea was released from the hospital on Saturday morning, and she's getting a little better every day.

She still has an inhaler and antibiotics to take, and she needs a lot of rest. She gets tired SO easily. She has two naps a day, and even gets exhausted in between those. She is also not eating very much yet, although we saw a slight increase in her appetite today. She still prefers milk, and that's it.

Daddy and I absolutely have to go back to work tomorrow, and it breaks my heart. If I had my way, I'd stay at home with her at least another week, to be sure she's fully recovered, and has her energy back. It SUCKS that we have to send her to daycare tomorrow--I feel so guilty about that. :((

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers. May I request that you continue to pray for Andrea's full recovery, with no relapses? I am SO worried about sending her back to daycare tomorrow. The thought makes me sick. :((

Still in the Hospital :((

2007-04-20T21:11:00.000-04:00

Well, poor Andrea is stuck in the hospital for yet another night. :((

Overall, she is showing signs of improvement. But last night, they had to put her on supplemental oxygen again, because her saturation went a bit low. So, now, the major criterion for her to be released is if she can go a night without supplemental oxygen; or, to quote the doctor, "if she suddenly starts doing cartwheels down the hallway" (which I really don't see happening!).

Therefore, we've got to pray that she won't need supplemental oxygen tonight--or we'll have to stay tomorrow, night, too.

This morning, Andrea was doing really well. In fact, she was so restless that I talked the nurses into removing her oxygen tubes from last night, and also removing her monitor, so she could run around the room. Unfortunately, we couldn't leave the room; they gave her an RSV test, and we have to wait for the results from that, before we know if she can be let out of isolation.

So, besides being cranky that she couldn't leave the room, she was playing a lot this morning, and seemed almost normal, except for a very yucky cough. But even that was good; her cough is getting loose, which means she's getting all the junk out of her lungs.

This afternoon, however, she was pretty worn out. She had a three-hour nap, and even after she woke up, she was still pretty tired and cranky for the rest of the day. She was sound asleep by the time I left, at 8:30 tonight. We had given her a bath, for the first time since being in the hospital. I thought she'd like it, but she was so exhausted that she whined the whole time, and like I said, fell asleep as soon as she was in her clean pyjamas.

Gram and Grandpa G. came up to visit again tonight. I had asked them to bring her a colouring book and some crayons, and in typical Grama and Grandpa style, they showed up with: 2 colouring books, crayons, a sticker book, a slinky, a whoopie cushion, a mini magna-doodle . . . LOL Andrea loved it. The new stuff definitely cheered her up a bit. :))

Well, that's it for today. Praying for NO supplemental oxygen tonight, and a negative RSV result, as well.

In the Hospital Again :((

2007-04-19T21:42:00.000-04:00

Well, as some of you know, a lot has happened since the last post I put up. But here's the update for those of you who haven't heard.

Okay, so on Friday afternoon, Andrea didn't seem to be doing too badly, considering Rod had to bring her home from daycare at lunch time. This whole weekend, she had a runny nose and a cough, and the occasional bit of fever, but it didn't seem like anything too bad.

On Monday, she was okay at school, but within an hour of getting her home, she had a fever and was miserable all night long. Tuesday, same thing. Okay at school, and within an hour or so of getting home, she had a high fever and was miserable all night long. On Tuesday night, she vomited in her bed, too (a big, stinky mess).

Wednesday morning, she was coughing a lot, and coughed so much she kept making herself vomit. So, I kept her home from school, and stayed home with her. She spent most of the morning sleeping on me, on the couch. In the early afternoon, I had my re-re-scheduled OB appointment (didn't want to miss it again), so Rod took us; and Andrea seemed fine there. But after we got home, she went downhill again.

So, after Rod got home from work on Wednesday night, we took her to the walk-in clinic. She was coughing, feverish, and lethargic. She was working really hard to breathe again. They measured her oxygen levels there, and her saturation was borderline/low. She also had a high fever. They did another chest x-ray, and the doctor there said he suspected pneumonia. She also had some redness in her ears. Because she was labouring so hard to breathe, had such a high fever, and generally looked brutal, he called the hospital and got a direct admission for us (we got to bypass the ER wait, thank God!). He also decided to send us for an ambulance ride to the hospital, because he wanted her on supplemental oxygen, as her saturation was questionable.

Anyhow, it was past 8:00 p.m. by the time we got to the hospital, and Andrea was just exhausted. But, as per usual, she was so good about everything. They put us into a private room (woohoo!) in the paediatric ward pretty much right away, and Andrea was put on the supplemental oxygen (tubes that run over the ears, and under the nose). Then, came a series of doctors/nurses/paperwork etc., which meant Andrea would drift off to sleep, only to be woken up about 10 minutes later for some new, unpleasant thing: getting her vitals checked; getting a Ventolin mask; going down for an x-ray; seeing the doctor; getting hooked up to a pulse/oxygen saturation monitor; more Ventolin treatments; antibiotics; Tylenol; and so on.

Rod and I decided (although it broke my heart) that I should go home and sleep, and he would stay the night with her. I went back in the morning and spent the day with her, and he went to work.

The doctor (who didn't get into see Andrea until 11:30 p.m., because the ER was full of sick babies--thank God we got a direct admit!) said she has pneumonia, and also ears full of a fluid infection. He said that the virus she had last week, and this pneumonia, were two different things. He guesses her immune system was already weakened by the virus, so she was more susceptible to getting the pneumonia.

Anyway, all night and most of the day today were pretty much the same for Andrea. She would sleep for 5 minutes, wake up because of coughing (or be woken up by medical staff for various interventions) and scream for awhile, then drift off into a restless sleep. Talk about everyone being exhausted--especially poor Andrea!

The good news is, that her fever slowed down today, as the day progressed. She is not eating, but she is drinking some milk, so that's good. They were also able to take her off the supplemental oxygen tubes this afternoon, and that made her much more comfortable. She still has the pulse/oxygen monitor taped to her toe, but that doesn't seem to bother her. She also got an hour or two of GOOD sleep today (only a few wake-up cries). Later this afternoon, after that good sleep, she actually woke up and SMILED at me. I tell you, that was the best feeling ever, seeing that. She was also goofing around a bit tonight with Daddy, when he came to stay with her after work. Of course, that only lasted about an hour. She got worn out really fast, and was sleeping soundly when I left there at about 9:00 p.m. tonight.

We HOPE that she'll be released from hospital tomorrow, seeing as she improved this evening. She's still got a really bad cough, and is not eating/drinking much, but her oxygen saturation is better, and her little personality seemed to be returning to normal tonight.

Sigh.

Okay, Mommy needs to go get some rest now. Here's some pics I snapped of my poor baby when I went up to be with her this morning. I've got to say, I am so proud of her. As per usual, she's been so good, considering everything she's going through. The doctors and nurses think she's a sweetheart (which she is!). :))

Andrea Seems . . . Okay (?)

2007-04-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

When Rod brought Andrea home from daycare, she was acting the same as this morning--active, hyper, and happy!

He said they gave her a dose of Tylenol at 11:30, and that seemed to help.

Her breathing is the same as this morning, too--a few coughs, but just like a usual cold.

I took her temperature a few minutes ago, and it was normal.

Hopefully I was right, and Andrea just overdid it a bit this morning. She's napping right now; hopefully, she'll get a good, long rest.

I guess we'll just keep her at home, and fuss over her a bit this weekend. It's so weird how kids have sudden ups and down in their health. (?)

Wishful Thinking!

2007-04-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from daycare--Rod is going to pick up Andrea. Her temp. is 101, and she is just laying around crying.

I called my doctor and rebooked my appointment again, so I can be here to take care of her.

But really all I am worried about is that fever means infection, and maybe she IS getting really sick again. I hope she's just had a fever spike because she overdid it this morning, and needs to have a rest.

I'll keep you posted . . .

Another Hospital Visit :((

2007-04-13T08:50:00.000-04:00

We have been having a rough week around here. Andrea and Mommy have had a cold all week; something Mommy ate on Tuesday made her so sick that she was up all Tuesday night, and had to leave work early on Wednesday; on Wednesday night, Andrea was up coughing all night with her cold, which meant we were awake all night too; and early Thursday morning, we had to take Andrea to emergency, because she was labouring so hard to breathe! Ack!

Yesterday morning was really scary. Andrea sounded like she did when she had RSV, about 6 months ago. She was crying and choking and wheezing, and her breathing was very rapid. This time, though, she didn't have a fever. Still, it seemed like she was having an asthma attack, so we brought her to the ER.

Thankfully, the ER was EMPTY. I think there was only one other person there, and he had already been assessed, so they took us right away. They put Andrea into a pediatric ER room, and gave her some supplemental oxygen to hold up to her face until the respirologist and doctor came to look at her. The oxygen wasn't in a mask this time; we just held a tube up to her face. Andrea discovered that if she stuck her finger in the tube, the air would whoosh out really hard, so that amused her for a while. She was also putting the tube in her mouth, ears, eyes, and hair, to feel the breeze!

We ended up having to stay there until about 11 a.m. (4 or 5 hours total), but they had been saying they might admit her, so we were glad they didn't have to do that. In the course of that time, Andrea had three Ventolin mask treatments, a dose of liquid Pedia-Pred, a fluid IV (which she HATED), some blood tests and a chest x-ray. They said there was nothing worrisome in her chest (no pneumonia or infection), but that it looked tight, and was probably due to her cold virus.

The nurses and respirologist were great. They kept bringing her stickers to keep her occupied, ever time she got mad about not being able to walk around (because of the IV). Besides that, Andrea was really cooperative--even they said she's the one baby out of ten who would tolerate everything they did to her! She's such a good girl. :))

Anyway, we brought her home, and I stayed home with her yesterday afternoon. She was still breathing really rapidly, but the wheezing was better. She would play around for a while, then wear herself out and get clingy, and cuddle with me on the couch for a bit. Then she would be up and at it again! I wanted to tell her to rest, but little ones just don't understand that.

I had a Ventolin puffer that I was giving her very two hours; she also has two more doses of Pedia-Pred to take (one a day), and the orange steroid inhaler again (twice a day), on top of the Infant Tylenol Cold. We also bought a cool mist humidifier (the nurses recommended it). We set it up in her bedroom. I think it really helped, because Andrea napped pretty well yesterday, and only woke up once last night.

This morning, Andrea seemed to be her usual self. After I gave her all her meds, she only coughed every now and then, and her breathing seemed normal. She still has the runny nose, but that's just from the cold. We decided to send her to daycare, because she was running all over the place and seemed fine, plus I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon that I had rescheduled from Wednesday, when I was sick. So here I am, getting caught up on a few chores (and maybe a little sleep, later) while I have the chance. Today is a PD day, which I should be attending, but I would have had to leave early to go to my appointment anyway, and I want to be available in case the daycare calls . . . sigh.

Please let next week be much better!

Easter Sunday

2007-04-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

Andrea woke up to find the Easter Bunny had left a trail of chocolate eggs outside her bedroom door, leading to her basket in the living room. He left a bag hanging on her doorknob so she could collect them. http://media.putfile.com/Egg-Trail

When she spotted her basket and her presents, she was so happy! The Easter Bunny had brought her an Alphabet Pal, very similar to the one she likes to play with at Izzy's house. She had fun with that right away, doing actions to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (which we didn't know she could do!) and repeating letter sounds the toy made. http://media.putfile.com/Alphabet-Pal

She also got lots of bracelets, necklaces, and hair accessories. Andrea loves her "Bling!"

***

After attending Mass and having a nap, we got ready to go to Great Gama Market's for dinner. Andrea looked beautiful in the dress and hat Grama Marty had altered for her when we visited Montana in August.

***

Andrea wasn't the least bit shy at Great Gram's. She happily made the rounds, visiting with one person, and then another, and toddling around as she pleased. She and Aunt Cindy played peek-a-boo together on the floor for a bit.

***

Overall, she was quite the little charmer, and went from one person to the next, spreading smiles. I think Andrea really enjoyed Easter this year. :))

Easter 2007: Thursday and Good Friday

2007-04-06T19:11:00.000-04:00

We are having a fun-filled Easter weekend so far, with lots going on, so I'll tell the story in pictures. :))

***

On Thursday, at daycare, the kids did a Hop for Muscular Dystrophy. Each of them got a pair of bunny ears, and a colouring book for participating. They also made Easter baskets, and got lots of goodies from their teachers and friends. Andrea's basket had some bubbles in it, that she and Daddy played with before bed.

***

Today (Good Friday) we went to Uncle Marc and Aunt Kathy's house for an Easter party! First, Gram and Grampa G. stopped by to pick us up, and give Andrea her Easter present.

***

Then, we went to Uncle Marc and Aunt Kathy's. When we got there, Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony had an Easter present for Andrea, too. They got matching shirts for Andrea and Izzy!

***

Next, Andrea and Gram did a craft together. They painted a wooden Easter basket scene, that we can keep, and hang up as a decoration. They did a great job!

***

After a BBQ lunch and some dessert, there was a draw for a squares game we played. Andrea won second prize! She got some money for her piggy bank.

***

Next, it was time for the Easter Egg Hunt! We went out into Aunt Kathy and Uncle Marc's yard, and Grampa helped Andrea find the eggs. It was a lot of fun! Andrea got lots of great treats, and she loved the multi-coloured eggs.

Thanks Aunt Kathy and Uncle Marc, that was a great party! We had so much fun!

***

Oh, and one last thing . . . Andrea discovered the magic of the Whoopie Cushion.

Everyone said she was "making Daddy proud."

This video says it all.

http://media.putfile.com/Andreas-Whoopie-Cushion

Miscellaneous Pictures

2007-04-06T18:56:00.000-04:00

This first picture was one Gram G. took of Andrea, after her bath, when they were babysitting her a week or so ago. Andrea has recently become fascinated with the little girl in the mirror!

***

Andrea also LOVES her cowgirl boots. She carries them out and declares, "Boots--on!" and Mama has to put them on Andrea's feet. She will wear them for as much as an hour at a time! I think they are fun for her to walk in, because they feel different on her feet than regular shoes. (Oh, and another favourite thing--making a mess!)

***

Andrea also loves stickers! The other day, she got into our entertainment unit, and took the stickers for the blank VHS tapes, and pasted them all over her face. (Of course, Daddy aided and abetted her in this!) The picture below shows how Andrea looked after we got home from the restaurant the other night. She and Daddy broke into the sticker package before we left the restaurant, with amusing results. :))

Celebrating Mama's Birthday

2007-03-27T20:40:00.000-04:00

Andrea had lots of fun this past weekend, helping to celebrate Mama's Birthday (which was actually on Monday).

We went out for dinner on Saturday, and went to Gram and Grandpa G.'s for dinner on Sunday. Aunt Steph kindly manned the camera for us on Sunday, so we got a lot of great pictures. Of course, the little ones are hard to get to pose, so we have a lot of "candid" shots. :))

"No, Izzy . . . that's MY Daddy!"

***

She's happy as long as she's got her Daddy, and some cheese

(albeit fake).

Great-Gram is cool.

***

You mean I have to share my Great-Gram, too?!

***

A temporary peace--they each have their own toy to chew on!

***

Andrea Scissorhands (or Spring Fingers?)

***

"I swear, I do NOT know these crazy people . . ."

***

Pucker up for strawberries!

***

"Hee, hee . . . I can sneak in while Mama's not looking!"

***

Put on your Thinking Cap!

Cute Pictures

2007-03-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

Last night, Daddy gave Andrea her bath. He called me in, saying, "Come and look at Andrea, Mama!" and this is what I saw:

Leave it to Daddy to give Andrea a rockin' bathtime hairdo. :)) Daddies certainly have their own ways of doing things!

***

Andrea was kind of bored today. I found her old sunglasses in the kitchen, and gave them to her to play with. Anything "new" is amusing for a while. But I never thought we'd end up playing with them all day long! She'd also put them on and do a "Stevie Wonder," rolling her head from side to side. What a silly girl!

***

Tonight, Daddy took us out to a restaurant as an early birthday treat for Mommy. Since we were a bit dressed up, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get a shot of us girls--and the belly, of course!--together (I'm usually behind the camera).

I wonder if Andrea knows who's in there? :))

Andrea's Latest Antics

2007-03-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

It seems to be getting harder and harder to keep up with everything that Andrea's doing, but here are some of our latest items of interest.

***

Andrea has discovered that there is a night-table in the spare room, with lots of "interesting" things in it. In general, this is a bad thing; but she did come out carrying this cute headband one day, and it's been a favourite toy of hers ever since!

Daddy and I are also required to take our turns wearing it, and shake our heads around to make it wiggle, whenever Andrea requests.

***

We had two really nice days within the past week. Sunday was sunny, and about 60F, so we went for a walk down to the park (well, Andrea rode in her wagon). She got to go on the swings for the first time since the Fall--and she still loves them!

http://media.putfile.com/On-the-swings-25

***

Andrea's newest song is one we can recognize quite clearly--"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She sings it really well when no one's watching (of course). But, if we prompt her, she'll sing a bit for us. I got some of it on video, but she was more interested in doing her own thing . . . as usual. :))

http://media.putfile.com/Twinkle-Twinkle-45

***

Andrea has also become really interested in shapes recently. Her favourite is "circle," so she calls almost everything "circle" (even though she knows the real names). But my favourites are triangle and rectangle, which she makes even harder to say by adding a syllable or two: "tri-ri-ang-gug-ul" and "rect-tang-gag-gul." She also loves to do puzzles; her favourite, of course, is the shapes puzzle!

http://media.putfile.com/Shapes-Puzzle

***

Yesterday, they had a "Green Day" at daycare, in honour of St. Patrick's Day. I swear to you, Andrea did not have a single green item in her entire wardrobe! So I went to the mall and bought her a green t-shirt for $4; then I went to the dollar store and found a bouncy headband for her. I knew she'd love it, because it was just like her star one she found in the spare room! Here's Andrea in her St. Patty's Day gear, before she headed off to daycare yesterday morning. Too cute!

***

She also helped Mama mark essays today--in one case, literally! I had to laugh--she grabbed the red pen from my hand, and scribbled on one lady's sheet (oops!). When I turned her scribble sideways, it looked like a wiggly "A+"! Oddly enough, it was an A-level paper! I guess Andrea has some natural-born teacher in her. :)) The picture here is of afterwards, when I got out her own paper and markers, so she could keep me company while I marked.

Weekend Fun

2007-03-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Despite a bad cold, fever, and constantly runny nose, Andrea still managed to have some fun, and keep us entertained this weekend.

On Friday, she discovered a new food combination: Cheerios dipped in blueberry yogurt!
http://media.putfile.com/Cheerios-and-Yogurt

Starting on Friday, and continuing throughout the weekend, Andrea serenaded everyone with this funny little song, that we can't quite identify. I'm calling it "The Jee-was Song." I'm thinking it's a "Jesus" song, something she learned at her daycare, which is Christian. It's so funny, because she's so intent when she sings it, and she does the actions and everything! I'll have to ask the daycare staff about it this week. :))
http://media.putfile.com/The-Jee-was-song

On Saturday evening, Andrea went out to a restaurant with Gram and Grandpa G., and visited at their house, while Mommy and Daddy went to a tax-season party. I got her all dressed up in a new-to-us outfit, and she was SO cute, I just had to take pictures! I don't know if you can tell, but her hair is just long enough now that I could put two adorable little ponytails in the back of her hair. :))

This afternoon, we went to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony's for dinner. Andrea had lots of fun playing with Izzy's toys. The girls are too little to really play together yet, but I was surprised to hear Andrea address Izzy by name, and say, "Hi, Izzy!" quite clearly.

Andrea also enjoyed cuddling with Aunt Stephanie, whom she calls "Sssssssss." Aunt Stephanie's cat, Ralphie, came out to visit with us. He is very friendly, and Andrea was amused by the fact that he let her play with his tail!

Daddy's Girl/Mommy's "Helper"

2007-02-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

A friend of ours kindly thought of us when a friend of his mentioned he was throwing out some toys that his kids had outgrown. We got a toy box on wheels, and a great little kitchen set out of the deal. The kitchen set is perfect for Andrea, because she got all kinds of play food and dish sets from various people this Christmas, and now she has a kitchen to use it in! It's great when you get stuff like this from other parents--we washed it up, and it was good as new! And Andrea loves it! She especially likes putting things in the microwave and the fridge, and turning on the burner (it makes a sizzling noise).

Daddy is also trying to teach her to play golf, because the toy box came with a few plastic golf clubs in it. Andrea, however, prefers to chase after the ball and bring it back to Daddy!

***

On Friday night, Daddy went to a Red Wings game with his friends. On Saturday morning, while Daddy was at work, Andrea went into our bedroom and came out carrying his jersey! She then proceeded to play with it for a good half-an-hour straight, all by herself: hiding in it, wrapping up in it, and laying on it. It looks like we have a little Wings Fan on our hands. Daddy should be proud!

***

Daddy has been great about doing extra household chores now that Mommy's pregnant again. Tonight, just before he left for hockey, he put a clean load of laundry at the top of the stairs. Well, I guess Andrea decided that she felt like helping out. I couldn't believe it--she grabbed the laundry basket, and pushed it all through the living room, and down the hallway! I went to grab my camera to capture "Mommy's Little Helper" on film, but she was getting tired by that point. Still, she pushed it a bit further; then, she hopped in the basket, so I took her for a ride! Anyway, the result is a pretty cute video:

http://media.putfile.com/Helping-with-the-Laundry

***

Finally, here is Little Miss Curiosity checking out the camera, resulting in a close-up photo:

The Crooning Puppy

2007-02-22T20:59:00.000-05:00

Gram and Grandpa G. gave Andrea a crooning puppy dog a while back. She didn't have much interest in it before; in fact, I think she was kind of afraid of it. Andrea has a bit of a "thing" about singing stuffed animals or puppets. They seem to weird her out a bit.

However, she suddenly decided that she likes her crooning puppy dog. And you know what happens when a toddler decides that they like something--you have to do it like 50 times in a row to keep them happy! So, here's Andrea, swaying to the crooning of her puppy, and imitating its moves!

http://media.putfile.com/Groovin-with-Puppy

***
In other Andrea news . . . she had been to her first appointment with the people who will be fitting her shoes with orthotics, and they say she will be fine with regular shoe inserts, so she won't need anything from the knee down. That was nice to hear. It will still be two or three more appointments before we get her actual shoe inserts.

She is doing great in daycare. I haven't heard anything but positive news from the Toddler Room staff.

I think we will be starting potty training soon, too. Andrea is showing a distinct interest in how the toilet functions (which makes me nervous sometimes), and today she told me that she had to go #2. Well, she said "Uh, oh," and I asked her, "What?" and she replied, "Poo!" I thought she was telling me that she had already gone in her diaper, but a few seconds later I realized she was in the act of going! If I had realized what she was trying to tell me, I would have made an attempt to take her to the potty!

What else? Oh, I don't know. She is so funny. She makes us laugh all the time. I wish I could capture all of her adorable moments, but there are just too many. She is getting to be quite the little chatterbox, and quite the comedian, too.

One thing I can tell you: this child loves CHEESE. I swear, each day when I get her home, the first thing she says is, "Cheese? Cheese? I want!" Her second favourite food is "ya-ya," which is yogurt.

Oh, and she continues to be a singer. Her favourite place to sing is in the car, where we are treated to Andrea's version of the ABC's nearly every morning. Tonight, she surprised us by singing, "Na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na, na-na-na" to the tune of Brahms' Lullaby! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since I always sang it to her, and her musical-lights show for bedtime plays the tune, too.

Andrea also makes it very clear when she wants to go to bed now. If she's tired, she'll say "night" or "ni-night" so that we'll know she's ready for bed! And she says "I wuffoo" (I love you) and gives us a good night hug and kiss before going to bed. :))

Discovering the Nose

2007-02-15T20:26:00.000-05:00

Andrea is fascinated by body parts right now. Her two favourites to jab at on everyone are "eyes" and "nose."

Today, as we were waiting for the CF people to arrive, Andrea discovered that she could put her finger up her nose! I knew if I made a big deal out of it, she'd keep doing it. So, I just said, calmly, "Honey, please take your finger out of your nose."

Of course, what does she do? She laughs, and shoves it up her nose as far as she can. I say, "Honey, you're going to hurt your nose."

She laughs, shoves it in, wiggles it around, and pulls it out.

Now, remember, she has a constant cold . . . ugh. I thought I was going to be sick. But, I just grabbed a tissue, wiped off the finger, and went about my business. We went through this routine 3 or 4 times until Andrea got bored with her nose.

Kids are so gross sometimes! :)

Another CF Meeting

2007-02-15T20:05:00.000-05:00

Today we had another CF meeting at our house. This time, the In-take Coordinator and the Physiotherapist came out to look at Andrea's progress, and decide where to go from here.

Here's what they said:

It's totally amazing how well Andrea is doing with her walking. They are amazed she can walk at all, and they chalk it up to her own will-power to overcome her foot and leg problems.
Andrea definitely still needs orthopedic inserts for her shoes. Although she is walking, her feet and knees are not aligned properly. She is also putting her back in a bit of an awkward stetch to help herself balance to compensate for what's going on with her feet and knees.
To make sure we can correct these issues, and do it before any of these "overcompensating" walking habits stick with her, we need to get her in orthotics ASAP.
Andrea has her first appointment with the orthotics company on Tuesday afternoon (the 20th).
It may take a few visits before she actually gets her inserts (consult, take molds, get orthotics).
It will be an intensive process. Once we get the orthotics, we will slowly introduce her to them, minutes at a time, until she is used to wearing them all day. This will also involve several visits to the orthotics clinic, and visits with CF people for monitoring and follow-up.
Andrea seems to be age appropriate in all other areas, but CF is still going to have a resource consultant standing by for us just in case any other issues appear.

I think what surprised me most about all this is that before, when they were talking orthotics and shoes inserts, I figured it would just be like adult shoe inserts--they go in the shoe, no big deal. But today they decided Andrea will need something that goes all the way from knee to toe, like a splint, on both legs. It will still go in her shoes, and under her pants, so it won't be very noticeable in the winter time. But still, that's a lot more to deal with than the little shoe inserts I was picturing.

But, I am glad we are doing this. Yes, she's walking, but anyone can see that from the knee down, her alignment is just not right. Her stance is too wide, and she walks like a robot. Plus, I was really concerned when they mentioned how it appeared to be affecting her back. She kind of overcompensates by jutting out her stomach, or leaning forward a bit--it's hard to explain.

They both said they can see she's very eager to walk now, so now's the time to get her all straightened out, before her awkward walking habits settle in for good. I agree.

We've Been SICK

2007-02-12T17:41:00.000-05:00

My goodness, it has been crazy these past two weeks or so. It seems like there is always at least one person in our family who is really sick! First it was Mommy, then Andrea, then Daddy, and now Mommy again. It's round after round of cold and infection . . . blah.

But we have still managed to have some fun, and some family gatherings. I haven't been able to take a lot of pictures, but I managed to get a few.

Here's Izzy and Andrea, playing together for a bit at our Super Bowl party on February 4. Izzy was fascinated by Andrea, and tried to eat Andrea's shoes! Andrea, on the other hand, has no interest in babies. It's normal for her age, I guess, but it does kind of worry me how jealous she is of her attention and her toys. I guess she will learn soon enough.

On Saturday, February 11, we went to Mass, and a steak dinner, to celebrate Great-Grandpa Gagnon's 96th birthday. Andrea was really well-behaved during the Mass, but she didn't want to eat too much at the Hall. She did, however, chow down on Grandpa's chocolate eclair!

I got Andrea all dolled up for the occasion, since we don't get a lot of opportunities for fancy dress around here. I just love this picture! Check out the ponytail on top of her head. :))

Grandma and Grandpa Gagnon gave Andrea a Valentine's Day present, which she opened on Sunday morning. She liked the bouncy heart ball, and the musical flower, but her favourite thing was the heart-shaped lollipops! Andrea LOVES lollipops.

***

Daycare is going well. The only thing I've heard is that Andrea is coughing a lot (no big surprise, since we're constantly sick).

Today was the first day they had been able to take the toddlers outside to play in the playground. It has been far too cold up until now. Guess how Andrea reacted? Her teacher told me she CRIED the whole time they were outside! :(( Admittedly, I haven't really taken Andrea out to play in the cold (because we're always sick), so it must have been really weird for her. Plus, she would not be used to being all bundled up in her bulky snowsuit. I hope she gets over this soon! It kind of made me sad, because I remember how much I LOVED playing in the snow as a kid--but then, I was raised in the county. :))

A Couple of Videos

2007-02-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of Andrea videos I captured over the past week.

The first one is of her newest skill, getting herself from sitting to standing without grabbing on to anything. She's mastered it now. The only time she falls down a lot is if she's tired.
http://media.putfile.com/Standing-up-From-Floor

The second video is of a new game she likes to play. She'll hide behind something, and if you say, "Where's Andrea?" she'll pop out and say, "There she is!" We usually play it in the bathtub, with the shower curtain; yesterday, she was doing it with a comforter!
http://media.putfile.com/There-She-Is-34

Andrea's Doing Fantastic!

2007-02-02T15:46:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update, because Mommy is so busy with her new job . . . I think the blog entires are
going to become a lot less frequent now. Sigh.

Anyway, Andrea is doing awesome! She walks all over the place now. She also pauses in mid-walk to pick up toys, and keep going. She pushes herself up to standing position from the middle of the floor now, too.

She has spent the last two days in the Toddler Room at daycare. So far, they haven't expressed any concerns about her being there. She seems to be quite happy, and is fitting in just fine.

My goodness, after all that drama . . . I am so happy things have worked out for everyone involved. :))

PT Assessment, Walking, etc.

2007-01-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

It's another hectic day in the Gagnon household!

Andrea had her physiotherapy assessment with the lady from CF today. Andrea liked F. a lot, because she brought over plenty of new toys for Andrea to play with! F. evaluated Andrea in many areas, not just PT, because the agency wanted to see if Andrea had any other needs that we hadn't previously mentioned.

Basically, F. said that Andrea is age appropriate in all areas: speech, play, fine motor skills, and even gross motor skills.

But, F. noticed that Andrea doesn't place her feet right when she stands up and walks. (Hmm . . . didn't Mommy make a video and comment about that a few months ago?) Anyhow, it appears that the area between Andrea's ankle and instep is a little bit weak. She walks on the arches (instep) of her feet with her ankles turned in a teeny bit. Therefore, it makes it much more of a challenge for Andrea to walk. In fact, F. says she is impressed by how well Andrea is walking, and says she must be a very determined little girl to have overcome this challenge on her own!

Anyhow, here are F.'s recommendations:

Andrea needs to get extra supports put into her shoes, to help strengthen her instep, and get her muscles into a stronger position.
In the meantime, Andrea should wear her shoes as much as possible. While most children should be barefoot as they learn to walk, Andrea needs the extra support her shoes give to her feet and ankles.

It may be a few months before we can get Andrea the inserts for her shoes, because of the agency's waiting list, but F. is going to try her best to get something for Andrea sooner. She is concerned that the heavier Andrea gets, as she grows, the tougher it will be for Andrea to correct the muscles on her own.

***

But really, I am not overly concerned. Andrea has made incredible progress this week! Last night she started taking solo walks all the way across the room; and this morning, after F. left, Andrea took her longest solo walk to date. She went from the living room, past the dining room, into the kitchen, and then across the kitchen. She has been doing it all day now. I am so proud of her, especially now that I realize she is doing this while being faced with extra challenges. And guess what? I got it all on video! http://media.putfile.com/Andreas-Longest-Solo-walk

***

Life is good. Andrea went for her 18-month-old checkup today, and the doctor said she looks great. She had to get two immunizations (ouch!), but she only cried for a minute or two. Andrea weighs 29 pounds now! She's not a little baby any more. Sigh. :))

***

But she can be a little stinker! Today, she got into a kitchen cupboard (okay, Mommy forgot to lock it), and she dumped vegetable oil all over herself and the floor. What a greasy and smelly mess! I threw her into the bathtub, clothes and all! I swear, you can't let them out of your sight for a minute . . . :))

They're Giving Her a Chance :))

2007-01-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

When I picked up Andrea from daycare today, they told me that they are going to try moving her to the Toddler Room in February. They are giving her a chance!

They are hoping that moving her into a room where everyone is walking will encourage
her to do the same. (I had something of the same thought before, but didn't feel it was my place to voice my opinion.)

Still, their biggest concern is for her safety, and of course I agree. So, if it appears to be too dangerous for her, she will have to leave until she's more steady on her feet. But at least they're giving her a chance--that's all I can ask for right now. :))

By the way, Andrea's assessment with the physiotherapist from CF is tomorrow morning. I'll post about that as soon as I can.

The Plot Thickens . . .

2007-01-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

Life is so insane.

Today, I was filling in for a teacher at the adult/continuing education high school, St. M.'s.

[Long story short, I had worked there during my first year of teaching (2002-2003), loved it, but decided to leave to get experience in the regular school system--where it's never felt quite right. A few months ago, I got called to do a one-day job there (similar to today); I realized how much I missed it there, and I sent one of my past colleagues a message about how I felt, and asked her to think of me should a position become available in my subject area (English). Of course, I didn't imagine anything would come of this. That school doesn't have a lot of staff turn-over.]

At the end of the day, when I went to hand my attendance and notes for the teacher I'd replaced for today, the secretary told me the principal wanted to speak with me. What happened next was unbelievable: he offered me a FULL TIME JOB! I was in shock, to say the least. Apparently, one of their English teachers had put in for a transfer for a school closer to her home. The call came in this morning that she had gotten her desired position, and they wanted her to start on February 1st. So, St. M.'s was in need of an English teacher, ASAP. They went to the Prospective Hires List for our school board, and lo and behold, whose name did they spot? MINE! The principal consulted with the colleague I had sent the message to, and they decided: she's here, we know she loves this place, she has the job experience, she knows how this place works, and we like her, so let's offer her the job! So, they called the school board to check that my status was good (it is), and the rest is history.

Needless to say, I said YES: without even thinking about all the implications. This is the job I've always wanted back. I've always felt I belonged there. How many people get a second chance like this?

***

Now, you might be saying: um, isn't this blog about ANDREA? Well, yes, so now we come to how it all ties in: The Plot Thickens . . . because now I really need Andrea to stay in daycare. I have a full-time job on the line! I will beg and grovel and burst into tears in front of the daycare staff if I have to!

Still, we will find a way, no matter what happens. I won't give up this opportunity. No way!

***

In case you were wondering . . . yes, they know about my pregnancy; I told them right away. But, like the principal said, they can't/won't use that as an influence in their decision to hire me. I'll just work full time until I have to go off . . . and then an occasional teacher can replace ME for once! :))

For Your Viewing Pleasure . . .

2007-01-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

Grama Marty, who only gets to see Andrea for about a week each year because she lives in Montana, was telling me about how much she loves the videos I post, because it's her chance to see Andrea in action.

So, for Grama Marty, and all of Andrea's other devoted fans, this post is for you!

XOXOXOX

I got Andrea to show off for the camera today, and she was very cooperative!

http://media.putfile.com/Pushing-Shopping-Cart: Andrea loves to push around her little shopping cart, all by herself! She motors all through the kitchen, living room, and down the hallway. She's even pretty good at steering! Also notice the fun she has with her camera, at the end.

http://media.putfile.com/How-Old-Are-You: This is one of my favourites. I think it's so cute to see a one-year-old showing and telling you how old she is.

http://media.putfile.com/Touchdown-88: We are preparing for a Super Bowl party, but Andrea has been doing this one for months now.

http://media.putfile.com/Whos-on-the-Plate: Elmo is one of the characters that Andrea usually recognizes, and she says his name.

http://media.putfile.com/Wheres-Your---: Andrea's doing really well with pointing to, and naming, her body parts.

http://media.putfile.com/Recognizing-Object-Pictures: Daddy was testing Andrea to see which objects she could point to in her picture book. She also added in some of the noises that the objects make.

http://media.putfile.com/Kisses-and-Hugs-for-Dolly: In keeping with our practice of being-nice-to-the-baby, we encourage Andrea's gentle interaction with her dolly. Of course, Daddy has some fun with that . . . but Andrea's too smart for him!

http://media.putfile.com/Mommys-Toes: Andrea loves anything to do with feet--socks (especially smelly ones!), shoes, toes . . .

http://media.putfile.com/Cowgirl-Outfit: I bought this outfit for Andrea when we were visiting Grama Marty and Grampa Rick in Montana, in August. They sent her the cowgirl hat for Christmas. Today, she suddenly decided she wanted to wear the hat and boots; so, I dressed her up in the whole outfit, even though it's still a bit big on her. Surprisingly, she seemed to really enjoy walking in her cowgirl boots!

YEE-HAW!

She's So Cute!

2007-01-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

More and more, I find myself saying to Andrea, "You're so funny!" and "You're so cute!" It seems like every day, her quirky little personality comes out more and more. She is constantly amazing me, and making me laugh, with all the new things she says and does each day. Like I've said before, she says and does so many new things each day, that I can't keep up with writing about them all!

Every once in a while, I manage to capture Andrea's new tricks on camera, but it's so much better when it's spontaneous, and she's just being herself. I wish you all could see her every day, and all the funny little things she does. For example, last night Daddy was hunting flies (for some reason we have had a nasty batch of flies in our house--gross!--which we've never had before). Daddy has a tennis racket that you use to zap the flies. As he was stalking prey in the kitchen, Andrea came crawling in with two plastic chicken legs--one in each hand--and started waving them around in the air. It took us a second, then we realized--she was trying to swat the flies like Daddy! Too funny! I guess the chicken legs are the same shape as the tennis racket, but a lot smaller . . . LOL

Anyhow, I did manage to get two videos of her showing off some of her other tricks, earlier this week.

The first is what we are calling her Genie Blink--it's flirty, and we have no idea where it came from, but it reminds us of I Dream of Jeannie: http://media.putfile.com/Genie-Blink

The other, I think I mentioned in a recent post, is Andrea's version of the ABCs. Her letters aren't as clear as usual in this video, because she was in the middle of eating dinner; and, at the end, she was distracted by Daddy arriving home from work (always a joyous occasion!). But, still, here's an idea of how it goes: http://media.putfile.com/Distracted-ABCs

So, although she is definitely a frustrated, stubborn, typical almost-toddler, her cute moments redeem her. :))

Will Andrea Meet the Deadline?

2007-01-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

Aw, who knows. Poor Andrea. I hope she hasn't been feeling the pressure!

Anyway, the childhood development organization (CF) that the daycare works with finally got my referral for Andrea through. They called, and we set up an appointment for a physiotherapist to come out to our house next Thursday and assess Andrea's needs. CF is well aware of the time crunch with the daycare; they have heard both sides of the situation (mine and the daycare's), and are doing their best to make Andrea's case a top priority.

CF has given me a glimmer of hope. On the day we set up the assessment visit, the lady said something to the effect of, "We may be able to make a recommendation to the daycare that Andrea is able to advance in the program," even if she's not totally walking. I am trying not to pin my hopes upon that too much.

But after having a bit of a chat with the office staff at the daycare today, I got the same feeling from them--that they are kind of waiting to hear what CF has to say about Andrea's abilities. The lady in charge of the daycare placements told me today that she has the paperwork done up for next month, with Andrea listed as moved to the Toddler Room . . . on the assumption that she'll be ready to go. Argh. We're so close I can taste it!

Anyway, I put Placement Lady on the spot and said, "So what's Andrea's official last day, if she isn't walking well enough? Is it January 23rd (her 18-months)? or February 1st?"

Placement Lady hedged once again: "We could probably finish out that week of February 1st . . ."

How generous of her. One extra day! ;p

Slowly, but Surely :))

2007-01-13T19:59:00.000-05:00

Andrea has continued to make slow, but steady progress in all areas this week. :))

Walking

pulls herself up quickly and easily now
constantly cruising the furniture
takes her shopping cart out of her room and walks all over with it, and even steers around obstacles by herself
has taken as many as 6 steps on her own
most importantly: doing all of the above things without prompting

Even at daycare, they have been very impressed by her progress. They say she is now grabbing and walking with push toys on her own, and she also took several steps from one teacher to another on Wednesday.

I'm not sure she'll be ready for the Toddler Room by the end of the month, but I am sure that it will not take long before she gets there. We are very encouraged by (and proud of!) her recent progress.

Here's a video of Andrea taking a few steps tonight: http://media.putfile.com/Andrea-Walking-Progress

***

Talking/Singing:

Talking has never been an area of concern for us. Andrea has been making noises right from the start! But I felt it's worth noting what a parrot she's become lately, and all the new words and short phrases she's learned (too many to list). For example, during her bath tonight, I told her, "Here's your boat!" And she replied, " 'ere's ma boat!"

Another fun thing she does is sing her "ABCs." Well, I put "ABCs" in quotation marks, because the only letters that come out clearly are usually A,C,H,I,QRS,TUV, and W. She also sings, "Now I know ma," and the rest is gibberish. Mommy/Daddy sings each line first, to coach her, and she repeats. But the best part is she has the tune almost perfect. It is too funny. She will sing the whole song in tune, right to the end, but substitute the letters/words she doesn't know with her own version! (She also does "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.")

Preparing for Baby

Andrea's only 17 months old, so I don't think she really understands that she'll be a big sister this summer, and what that's going to mean. We remind her every once in a while, especially when we see a baby on TV, or in person. I tell her that the baby is in Mommy's tummy. We play with her dolls, and show her how she should handle a baby.

I think that some of it is starting to register. Andrea will hug her dollies, and she really likes to feed them. Her newest thing, however, is to lift up my shirt and poke me in the belly! I don't know where she came up with that, because I definitely didn't teach it to her. I can't wait till the baby gives her a kick in return! Now it's a game though, because every time she does it, I do the Pillsbury Doughboy giggle.

I also have two big sister books for her: What to Expect When Mommy's Having a Baby and What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home. Andrea's not much of the sit-still-and-listen-to-a-story type; she never has been. However, she does love flipping through books at her own pace, and studying the pictures. I got a great picture of her tonight, perusing one of her books, with a "thinking cap" (plastic bowl) on her head.

One Step at A Time :))

2007-01-07T21:08:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to say Andrea has made a some progress with her walking over the past two days.

Yesterday, Gram and Grandpa G. took Andrea to visit with them for the morning. While she was there, they tried lots of games to encourage her to walk; and I find fresh faces always help, too. They got Andrea to take three or four steps on her own, walking between them, in their kitchen. They also pushed some of their downstairs couches close together, and got her to take a step or two from one to the other, in order to reach something she wanted (like Grandpa's watch).

Last night, I set up something similar for her, with our ottoman near our couch. Here's a video to kind of show what we were doing (although she barely took one step in this one):

http://media.putfile.com/Andrea-Takes-a-Step.

One time, I was stretched out on the couch resting, and I called to Andrea, "Come and see Momma!" She took three big steps, all by herself, from the ottoman to me. Of course, that was the only time I got her to take more than one step by herself, although we played for about two hours before her bedtime. But at least it's a little bit of progress. She took a couple steps from Mommy to Daddy this morning, too.

She also started walking holding onto one of my fingers this weekend, which is a big improvement from her clinging for dear life to both of my hands! But she is still very unsteady, and often falls when holding onto one finger/hand. But I think that's more about her lacking confidence than her lacking skill. On the positive side, when she fell, she would reach up and give me her hand right away, because she was willing to get right back up (another improvement).

BUT she still has to be in the mood to do all this. If she doesn't want to, there's no way I can make her move. She will stretch out on the floor, go dead-weight, and throw a tantrum. And that's no fun for either of us. So, when she seems to be getting tired, we stop the game.

Speaking of getting tired, here's Andrea last night, right before bed. Like I said, we had been playing at standing/walking for about 2 hours, and then we went to her room for a change of scenery. I put her baby down on the floor, and she curled up right next to it! Too cute!

***

"Too cute": That reminds me, this evening as Daddy was changing Andrea's diaper, she was talking a lot, so I peeked my head in the door and said, "You're too cute!"

She replied, as clear as a bell, "I know!"

Daddy and I burst out laughing. Andrea has a great sense of timing with some of her comments. :))

Wall Art ;P

2007-01-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Andrea's First (and LAST) Masterpiece

Black Ink on Beige Flat Interior Paint

(later washed-out beige interior paint, which came off the wall as Mom scrubbed it)

Now That I've Cooled Off a Bit . . .

2007-01-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am still very upset about the daycare's response to our situation. But, I think I said a few things in the heat of the moment that I didn't really mean. I feel bad for saying, "I am mad at Andrea," because, it's not her fault, either! This is just her personality, and she is developing at her own pace. Pushing her just makes it more difficult for everyone. So, I guess what I really feel is FRUSTRATION AT THE SITUATION, and not at specific people. I mean, I can see why the daycare has these policies, but they are maddening because these policies, in my opinion, DO NOT BENEFIT MY CHILD.

This is so hard, for so many reasons. Only the parents of a late walker can truly empathize with what we're going through. My sister sent me an excellent web page, with comments from parents and relatives of late walkers, and I found it very comforting and refreshing. It's from the Berkeley Parents Network, and it's called "Not Walking Yet." For the first time, reading this, I didn't feel so alone in my concerns about Andrea. It was also a relief to hear how many perfectly normal babies didn't walk until 18, 19, and even 22 months. Their stories are just like ours: doctors and physiotherapists say she is fine; physiotherapy will have no advantage for her; having to deal with other people's assumptions, comments and suggestions regarding our late walker, etc.

It all comes down to this: if I didn't have this DEADLINE from the daycare, I'd still be concerned about Andrea, but I wouldn't be freaking out over the situation like I am now. I might be confused and impatient as to why Andrea doesn't want to walk, but I'd accept it, and I wouldn't be so angry!

So, you know what? I'm putting this on the daycare! It's their fault I'm feeling so stressed, and it's their fault I have to force my daughter to walk when she's not ready.

***

But, we'll find a way to deal with this. So, fine. We have to set up babysitters again, just in case (and my mom-intuition says we will need them). So, Andrea might have to leave daycare for a few months. Right now, it's very stressful, but in the long run, this is just a bump in the road.

As one person said on the Berkeley site, '''Gee, I haven't noticed any kids crawling into Kindergarten -- I'm sure [s]he'll be fine!'' Remember, you can't MAKE them do anything!

[Sh]e'll walk when [s]he wants to, and that'll be that."

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!

2007-01-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, I need to vent. I just got off the phone with the daycare. I called them, and finally had the "What's going to happen if Andrea's not walking by the end of this month?" conversation. As you can imagine, I didn't like what I heard.

Here's the deal: Andrea is out of the Infant Room at 18 months old (end of January). That's their cut-off age for everyone. She can't stay any longer. And they already have her space promised to someone. She will have to leave the daycare until she is walking steadily on her own. They'll keep in contact with us to monitor her progress. Then, when she is walking, she will likely get the next available space in the Toddler Room.

Here's their reasons why they can't let her in the Toddler Room if she is not walking well: there are 15 children in this room. All of them are walking well. It is a much larger room than the infant room, so they tend to run around a lot with the new freedom. Andrea would be "a sitting duck." A few little ones they've let in who were unsteady on their feet were knocked over and frequently injured. They have NEVER admitted a non-walker to the Toddler Room in their 20-year history.

I made all the pleas and offers I could, but still got the same response: they have NEVER admitted a non-walker to the Toddler Room. It is too dangerous.

Okay, so where does that leave us? Well, we have approximately 3 weeks to get Andrea walking well--not that we haven't been trying for 6 months now.

What have we tried? Put the toys out of reach. Tempt with favourite objects. Stand her in a corner and coax her. Walk with a push toy (which she does). Walk holding onto our hands (which she does). Had her checked by a physiotherapist (she's fine). Today, I even got firm with her--I DEMANDED she walk, and wouldn't let her have favourite objects until she walked (this was unsuccessful, and ended in a huge tantrum).

THIS CHILD DOES NOT WANT TO WALK.

She just climbed all the way up the stairs on her own while I sat here typing! The girl has strength. The girl has courage. But she refuses to walk on her own.

This is a serious situation. I AM MAD! I am mad at daycare, I am mad at myself (What did I do wrong?), and yes, right now I am mad at Andrea. As awful as that sounds, it's the truth. I love her, but she is driving me nuts. Why won't she just get off her butt and WALK?!

A Very "Infected" Christmas

2006-12-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

Christmas was not all that Merry for our family, because poor Andrea was sick the entire time. She wasn't acting like herself at Gram and Grandpa G.'s on the 23rd; on Christmas Eve, she was a limp rag doll, and did not participate in any of our holiday activities; she spent most of Christmas Day in tears. Finally, we found an open clinic on Boxing Day, and took her in. Andrea was suffering from a throat infection. Her fever had been up over 102 on Christmas Eve, and was averaging about 101 until we got some antibiotics from the doctor. Needless to say, Andrea was downright miserable; she had not been eating, barely drinking, and barely sleeping for about 72 hours.

Today, she has improved a bit. She no longer has a fever. She's still not eating, but she is taking in more fluids. She still cries when she coughs (it hurts her throat). Tonight she is sleeping restlessly; I hope she will settle down soon.

Now Mommy is starting to feel yucky, too, and I am exhausted from worry and lack of sleep. Daddy has been great, but he's worn out too.

Anyway, I don't have the energy to do up a big entry like I wanted to, about the usual holiday gatherings and activities. Instead, I'll do a photo journal of the past few days, so you can get a glimpse of our holiday.

***

December 23: Gathering at Gram and Grandpa G.'s

December 24: Gathering at Great-Gram Market's
(We also stopped by the Maurice's for a bit before we went to Great Gram's, but I didn't get any pictures there. You can see why.)

December 25: Christmas Morning

(We also went to Aunt Steph's for breakfast, but I didn't get any pictures there.)

December 25: Christmas Dinner at Grandpa S.'s

Andrea and Jocey had the SAME Christmas dress!

December 26: Relaxing (?) at Home

No pictures of Andrea on the 26th. However, we were pleasantly surprised to have visitors from out-of-town: Jay and Karen; and Matt, Sue, and Maeve. Maeve liked Andrea's cowgirl hat!

December 27: Feeling a Bit Better

A Visit from Santa

2006-12-21T20:25:00.000-05:00

Andrea had a special visitor at her daycare today: Santa Claus!

Mommy was excited when she heard that, because we have been planning to take Andrea to the mall to see Santa, but it just hasn't worked out. So, it was great that Santa stopped by TLC to see the little ones!

What did Andrea think of Santa? Well, her teachers told me that Andrea was okay when she was first put on his lap. She just went kind of quiet and serious. Then, just as they were about to take her picture, the bottom lip started to wobble, and she got a bit teary-eyed:

I'd say that's a typical reaction for a 16-month-old. :))

Santa gave Andrea a sparkly board book about glitter-bugs, which had her name on it. The teachers at the daycare gave Andrea a wooden animal puzzle. They also had their Christmas lunch today--turkey with all the fixings. Apparently, Andrea enjoyed that very much!(Unfortunately, it came back to haunt her tonight--she had a very sore tummy, and a few full diapers! Poor baby!)

Yummy!

2006-12-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

It's a rite of passage which may not be popular with some parents, but we all give into it eventually: the first fast-food kids' meal.

In the past, I've thrown something together for Andrea to eat ahead of time, so she only got a few nibbles of Mommy or Daddy's fast food, as a treat. But tonight, I just didn't have the energy. This isn't something I plan to do often.

But I did have to laugh when I saw my daughter pick up that kiddie cheeseburger and hold it up to take a bite. It looks huge in her little hands! Needless to say, she thought it was great fun that she got to have her own burger, and tear into it at will. Of course, she only ate about a quarter of it, but we could tell she enjoyed the freedom of having a burger to herself, so she could pick at the bun and the toppings, and take a bite here and there as she pleased.

***

Also, Daddy was on a mission tonight: he was determined Andrea would use a straw properly by the end of our meal! He was getting so frustrated, because every time we put/she puts a straw in her mouth, she chews on it, instead of sucking. Daddy, through much patience and a bit of smart thinking, got Andrea to use a straw properly. She's almost 17 months old, and we could never get her to do it before! Daddy got her to suck liquid out of the straw that he had drawn up, and held corked with his finger; then, as she was sucking that out, he shoved the straw back into her milk, and she'd unintentionally start using the straw properly. After doing that a few times, Andrea put two and two together, and realized she could do it on her own, and draw the milk up the straw! It's funny how we've struggled to get her to do this for so long, and it finally clicked tonight. I think it was Daddy's little trick that made the difference. Way to go, Daddy!

Gathering at Aunt Donna's

2006-12-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

This afternoon we had a pre-Christmas get-together at Aunt Donna's house for we three kids, and our families. Aunt Donna made an awesome roast beef dinner. Andrea loved it! I haven't seen her eat so much at one sitting!

***

The kids also got to exchange their gifts. We actually let them do it before supper, so they'd have some toys to keep them busy. (It was a good plan!)

"May I please open it now?"

"Ooooo . . ."

"Cool videos!"

"Look at this!"

"Yay, paper!" (She really did say "Yay!" here.)

"Ap-ple!" (She was saying apple, over and over again.)

After presents and a bit of play-time, the big girls (Caitlin and her friend) whisked Andrea up to the bedroom to fuss over her. Andrea got lots of attention from her two new friends. They even did her hair up in a ponytail! (Well, more of a Pebbles 'do.) So, when the girls came back downstairs, we got them all to pose together in front of the Christmas tree.

Thanks Aunt Donna, Uncle Greg, Caitlin and Tyler. We had fun!

Andrea's Christmas Concert

2006-12-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we attended Andrea's Christmas Concert for her daycare. The children from the Infant Room performed first, and the children from the Kindergarten Room went on stage after them. We weren't sure exactly what the Infants could do in the show, but we knew it would be cute!

Andrea wore her Christmas dress, and Mommy put her hair in ponytails. Here's a picture of her playing with Daddy before we left. (Notice she is standing!)

After we dropped her off at her usual daycare room, we headed over to the church to get good seats. They gave us a program, and Andrea's name was in it! We now knew her role: she was an elf!

***

(My apologies--from here on, the pictures and videos are kind of dark.)

The teachers brought the Infants on the stage, and they were SOOOOOOOOO CUTE! Andrea didn't quite know what to make of it all at first. Her face was very serious, and her eyes were huge!

(Andrea is sitting, in a red dress, next to Miss K., who is in purple.)

Finally, Andrea caught sight of Mommy; and every time I caught her eye, she grinned at me!

She also spotted Daddy, and posed for him when she saw the camera. What a ham!

Still, she seemed a little nervous up there. She was too preoccupied with what was going on around her to really perform. She did, however, enjoy chewing on the props!

***

Daddy captured video of the performance, pretty much from start to finish. As you'll see, there's a lot of Andrea just sitting with a poor little deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face. But once she got more comfortable, she let out a few excited squeals, played with the props, and even decided to stretch out on the stage for a bit! :))

http://media.putfile.com/Entrance-and-Must-Be-Santa-Part-1 (a deer in the headlights)

http://media.putfile.com/Must-Be-Satnta-Part-2 (still a deer in the headlights)

http://media.putfile.com/Rudolph-Part-1 (gets more vocal; chews on the props)

http://media.putfile.com/Rudolph-Part-2 (chewing away; wiggling her feet to the music)

http://media.putfile.com/Jingle-Bells-Part-1 (gives a half-hearted jingle; crosses her legs like a lady)

http://media.putfile.com/Jingle-Bells-Part-2 (tries to stretch out; sees Daddy and smiles)

http://media.putfile.com/Jingle-Bells-Part-3 (smiles at Daddy and yells, "Yay!")

Something Has Clicked!

2006-12-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

Andrea's progress made another rapid leap tonight! After her bath, she crawled out of her room, pushing a walking toy that we had gotten her just after her first birthday. It was like she was telling us, "I'd like to try using this now!" So, Daddy helped her stand up and hold on to the bar of her push toy, and away she went . . . unbelievable! He walked behind her for the first minute or so, but then he let her go on her own. The next time around the room, Andrea pulled herself up to the toy, and took off walking with the toy, totally unassisted! We only had to help her when she ran into an obstacle, or had to turn around. And she was having so much fun, she didn't want to stop! Sometimes, she'd even pause and look back at us, and hold on with one hand, like she was thinking of letting go and really going for it . . . Oh, we are so close . . . Please let this amazing burst of progress continue . . . :))

Here are two videos I took of Andrea walking with her push toy tonight!

http://media.putfile.com/Walking-With-Push-Toy-1

http://media.putfile.com/Walking-With-Push-Toy-2

Yay, Andrea!

***

P.S. I caught her doing her "pyramid" tonight.

A Breakthrough! (We hope!)

2006-12-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

Last night, while Daddy and I were at Daddy's staff Christmas party, Gram and Grandpa G. were babysitting for us. They were playing with Andrea, and all of a sudden, Andrea started to pull herself up, with no help or prompting! Later, she started cruising the furniture in the living room! Gram knew we'd want to see this, so she figured out my new camera and took some videos for us. So, we had a wonderful surprise waiting for us when we got home!

Daddy says he got Andrea to pull herself up using her crib bars this morning, but I haven't gotten her to stand up for me yet. Stinker. ;p

Here are the videos Gram G. took last night:

http://media.putfile.com/Pulling-Up-On-Crib

http://media.putfile.com/Pulling-Up-On-Couch-1

http://media.putfile.com/Pulling-Up-on-Couch-2

http://media.putfile.com/Cruising-Along-the-Couch (This one is sideways, and I can't change it.)

Good job, Andrea! Let's keep up this progress! :))

Dinner and an Assessment

2006-12-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight we went to Gram G.'s for dinner. Gram's friend B., who is a physiotherapist who works with children, played with Andrea and evaluated her motor skills.

Here are B.'s main observations:

Andrea has no physical problems or strength problems.
Andrea just needs to gain a little confidence in her weight-bearing and balance.
Andrea is a "stinker" who will walk when she wants to!
Andrea doesn't need physiotherapy. In fact, she could "balk" it and become more stubborn about not walking.
It's a "shame" that we have this pressure and time limit to make her walk.

I agree with everything B. said, but especially the last part, about the daycare being so stringent about the walking deadline. B. suggested we ask them for a grace period, if Andrea needs a little more time. She even offered to vouch for Andrea that she is fully capable of walking, and will probably start walking very soon.

Later, on the phone, Grama Marty pointed out that the daycare may have liability concerns (i.e., a little one who's still crawling in the Toddler Room might get hurt), so she suggested we offer to sign a waiver, saying the daycare is not liable for injuries incurred due to Andrea's crawling vs. walking. Then again, it could also be that they do start potty training in the Toddler Room, so they'll want her to stand independently.

***

It basically comes down to this: Andrea's time line versus the Daycare's time line. I think what we really need to do is to sit down in early January (once all the Holiday stuff has settled down), and discuss the exact reasons why the Daycare is imposing this walking deadline, and what we can do to accommodate Andrea's natural time line, if it becomes necessary.

***

Here's hoping our little bum will get off her bum and start walking within the next few weeks, so this whole issue will be moot. ;P

Physiotherapy?

2006-12-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note, to let you know that yesterday our daycare called, and mentioned that they work with a children's organization that offers free physiotherapy sessions, at our daycare centre, for pre-school children who might need it. They suggested Andrea might benefit from this, but I had to call the organization and put in a referral for Andrea myself. After checking with Grandma G., who works for a similar organization, I decided to go for it. It certainly can't hurt anything, and maybe it will help Andrea learn to walk.

So, I called and put the referral in. The person I talked to said it may be two or three weeks before we hear from the coordinator. That's kind of cutting it close--Andrea has to be walking by the end of January, or she'll lose her spot at our daycare.

In the meantime, one of Grandma G.'s friends, from the organization where she works, has offered to come out and have an informal "visit" with us, and meet Andrea; and maybe she'll be able to make some suggestions regarding helping/motivating Andrea to stand and walk. That will probably take place later this week. :))

Silly Girl!

2006-12-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

More proof that Andrea is recovering well from her bout of Bronchiolitis: she was being totally silly all day, yesterday. :))

***

Andrea is getting bored with her puffers, so she wants to play with them. I let her try it out for herself, and here's the result:

Her nose is in the hole where the puffer is supposed to go; she's holding the puffer up against her cheek; and the mask is way at the opposite end! ;))

***

Most notably, she kept scrambling to hide behind things, like the ottoman or the TV, and then she would peek her head out at me; or, again, she was pretending to get into the decorations, and laughing at me when I gave her a stern look. Needless to say, I just about fell over laughing when one time I scolded Andrea, saying, "I see you!" and she chimed back at me, clear as a bell, "I see you . . ."! Here's us playing, and me getting her to say her new phrase, for the camera:
http://media.putfile.com/I-See-You-29

***

Later in the evening, when Daddy returned from his trip (and hadn't heard the above story yet), he called to Andrea from the garage, "I can hear you!" and she yelled back, "I hear you!" Daddy was pretty impressed, and then I told him about her just learning "I see you" that same day!

***

Andrea also enjoys getting into what I call her pyramid position: hands and feet on the floor, arms and legs straight, and bum way up in the air! She likes to look at me upside down between her legs, and laugh at me. I haven't managed to get a good picture of that yet, but I'll post one when I do. She's a silly girl!

Christmas Decorations

2006-12-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

Being at home with Andrea, I decided to take some time to put up our Christmas decorations. I have spread it out over the past couple of days. (As a side note, decorating has taken longer than expected, because both Mommy and Daddy now have Andrea's virus; plus, Mommy is fatigued, and has nausea!). Today was really the first day that Andrea became interested and involved in the process.

Andrea went for the silver bead string as soon as I removed it from the package. She loves jewellery, so she was in her glory with this huge strand of shiny silver. Of course, it was really difficult to string it on the tree, as she was clutching one end, until I made her give it up!

After the beads were on the tree, and I started in on hanging the ornaments, Andrea wanted to be in on the action. I gave her a safe ornament to distract her, hoping she'd want to play with it; but she crawled right over, and tried to figure out how Mommy got these things to stay on the tree!

Before the next set of ornaments went up, I decided it was time to introduce Andrea to a family heirloom: Daddy's Christmas Ball, which he made in Grade 1. Daddy and I have an annual battle over this monstrosity; he tries to put it right out in front for everyone to see, and I bury it in the middle, or back. I let Andrea look at it, and waited for her opinion. The result: I guess she has her Daddy's test in decorating. She loved it! ;p

When the tree was pretty much finished, we took a lunch break. Andrea and I shared a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I've got to say, she has become very independent with her eating. She'll say "No" or "All done" when I'm feeding her, but if I hand the fork/spoon over, then she'll eat! Actually, I thought we were done eating, but turned around to find her sitting there, helping herself to leftovers!

After lunch, as Mommy sat relaxing, Andrea started to notice the other decorations around the house. Her favourite is a little Santa wind-chime hanging from the railing. When she figured out that she can gently clink the metal rods together to make music, I couldn't keep her away from it. I don't mind; with all the other things she's not allowed to touch, I figured I could make one concession. :))

Finally--I knew this was going to be the toughest part--Andrea spotted the gifts. The instant I started putting them under the tree, she got right into them. Andrea loves paper; she had watched me wrap these gifts, and was into all my wrapping supplies then. The pretty paper is just too tempting, I guess.

Well, at least it was her own gifts that she started clawing at!

***

Overall, I think Andrea is really enjoying the festive decor around the house. She keeps looking up at the tree and saying, "Oooooooo . . ." It's a lot more fun this year, seeing her excitement about the decorations.

On the other hand, it's also more challenging. Last year, at this point, she wasn't moving at all. Now, she's into everything. She's already pulled down part of my porcelain village off the window ledge, tried to take ornaments off the tree, gotten into the presents, and cried when I put a pretty snow-globe out of reach. Yikes.

Andrea also has a quirky little personality; I'm not sure if she's testing me, or playing jokes, or what, but . . . For example, she will go up to where the lights on the banister wrap down towards the plug, reach out to touch the lights, say, "No," then look at me, and grin. It's like she's either saying, "Ha ha, I didn't really touch it," or, "You can't say no, because I'm not touching it!" She was also doing this weird thing earlier, where she'd crawl up to the tree, pretend to touch it, speed back over to me, and pretend to hand me something. That one made me laugh. Was she pretending to decorate, or just showing me she really hadn't touched anything? I don't know. She's so silly sometimes. :))

Andrea's Doing Better

2006-11-30T14:12:00.000-05:00

This morning we went to our family doctor, for a follow-up to Andrea's hospital stay.

Dr. H. listened to Andrea's chest and said she sounds really good. She told us to keep using the puffers for about 2 more weeks, and to finish the antibiotics as directed.

Andrea is much better. She still has a nasty sounding cough, but it's a lot less frequent. She doesn't sound wheezy anymore.

Her personality is fully restored (little stinker!) and that's our best indication that she is getting well quickly. :))

It's Time for Some GOOD NEWS

2006-11-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

In light of how tough this past week has been on our family, Rod and I decided it was time to share our good news, and add a little bright spot to the week.

ANDREA IS GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!

And for those of you who thought I couldn't keep up two blogs, hah:

My Little Bud was created within an hour of my first positive home pregnancy test (on November 18)! For more information on Baby #2,

please visit the My Little Bud blog. :))

Andrea's First Hospital Stay

2006-11-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got home around 5:00 p.m. this evening, and having had some time to rest, I'm ready to post about what's happened over the past 48 hours.

***

Sunday Night: Andrea had been unhappy all day with a bad cough and runny nose. We had spent part of the afternoon at the funeral home, but left early because Andrea was getting so miserable. She didn't nap that afternoon, and was so exhausted by the time we got home, that she had a late nap, at about 5:30 p.m. Of course, that meant getting her to bed at 8:00 was a struggle. On top of that, her cough had worsened considerably; we were up all night, rocking her and comforting her.

Monday Morning : Andrea was irritable and coughing terribly from the moment I got her up. She cried and cried, and nothing would console her. We had already made plans to leave her with the babysitter while we were at Uncle Mick's funeral, and she seemed to perk up a bit when we dropped her off at the sitter's. When we called to check up on her around 11:30 a.m., she was doing okay. No naps, but eating and drinking.

Monday Afternoon: We went to pick Andrea up from the babysitter's after the internment at the cemetery, to bring her to the luncheon with us. She seemed okay, until we got her out to the car. Then she started to cry uncontrollably again. About 5 minutes after we headed out, she fell asleep, but I could hear she was breathing rapidly and was really wheezy. We decided to head back to Windsor, and take Andrea to the walk-in clinic.

As soon as the triage nurse saw her, they put her in a room. She was lethargic, and labouring to breathe. All she would do was cry. When the nurse and doctor came in, and looked at Andrea with her clothes off, they immediately contacted the hospital pediatrician who was on call. Andrea's oxygenation level was low, and she was breathing so hard and so rapidly that you could see her little ribs sucking in and out (there's a technical term for that, I forget what it is. Some kind of "retraction"). Anyway, they hooked her up to a machine to give her a Ventolin treatment (like an oxygen mask, but mixed with meds to open the lungs). She perked up a bit after that. Then they sent her for x-rays, which they said were (strangely) okay. However, they diagnosed her right away with Bronchiolitis, and then took her to another room to give her an oxygen mask. Each mask seemed to perk her up a bit; by the end of this one, she was talking and trying to get into stuff, and was more like herself. But because she was still sounding wheezy, and still doing that "retraction" thing (although the braething rate was better), they called the hospital and set up a direct-admission for her. And because they wanted her to stay on the oxygen, Andrea and I got an ambulance ride to the hospital, while Daddy drove along behind us.

Throughout all this, Andrea was so good. She kept her masks on, and once she had perked up, was making chit-chat and flirting with everyone. She enjoyed the ambulance ride; they attached her own car seat to the stretcher, and she sat up and looked at all the interesting lights and equipment in the ambulance.

When we got to the hospital, we by-passed Emergency and went straight up to a room in the Pediatric ward. Andrea and I hung out on a bed, answered a ton of questions to several doctors and nurses, and finally settled in when Daddy got upstairs.

Monday Night: Poor Andrea, not only did she have to put up with oxygen/Ventolin masks and constant poking and prodding, but all kinds of other irritating procedures. She got an ankle full of hospital bracelets, a blood test, and a huge IV board put into her right hand. Her right hand was so taped up that she couldn't use it.

Even with that, she was constantly picking/biting at her IV line (not because it hurt, but because she wanted to play with it), so they tried putting a sock over it. She looked like a little amputee!Well, that lasted all of 15 minutes. She just pulled it right off. So, they had to tape right over her IV line, and remove it when necessary.

The night was a blur. Doctors and nurses were constantly coming in and out to check on her, and give her medication. Andrea slept fitfully; she had a really hard time going to sleep, and woke up a bunch of times because of her coughing. Her cries were heartbreaking. A volunteer had brought in a rocking chair for us, and Daddy rocked and rocked and rocked her until she would fall back asleep. Mommy got to sleep on the hospital bed across the room (thank goodness, we never ended up with a neighbour, although it was close--they also needed a crib, but we were using it). Poor Daddy slept on two regular chairs, sitting up, with his head propped on a pillow against the wall.

Tuesday Morning: Andrea was awake around 5:00 a.m., so they came and did her vital signs check-up, gave her another Ventolin mask, and we also went and did the RSV test. It was really nasty. They stuck a little catheter in Andrea's nose and sucked out a bunch of mucous. Goodness, did she scream. It wasn't that it was so painful, but it feels weird, and kind of takes their breath away for a second.

Around 9:00, we got a chance to take Andrea down to the Playroom. It was really nice. There was a great range of toys. Some Clown Doctors happened to stop in, and Andrea was intrigued by them. She wasn't scared at all when they came and talked to her; she just smiled, and kept on playing. I didn't take any pictures of them, because Andrea had some other little friends she was playing with at the time; but I sneaked a couple pics of her playing with the toys, later.

Unfortunately, later that morning, we found out that Andrea's test was positive for RSV, so she couldn't leave her room. This was tough for all of us, because as her medicine kicked in, she got restless, and wanted to GO, whereas Daddy and I were taking turns napping! So, this was a familiar scene:

"Hello? Is anybody there? Please, let me out!"

Tuesday Afternoon: Finally, around 4:00 p.m. or so, a nurse came in with our paperwork and said we could go home. We were so happy. I have never seen Daddy pack so fast before!

***

Here's the latest/summary:

of course everyone fell in love with Andrea, especially the young resident doctors, who wanted to stay and play with her :))
the doctors say Andrea probably has asthma, and she may contract Bronchiolitis again
they gave us two puffers (one steroid, one Ventolin) for home use for the next week or so, as well as a liquid antibiotic
Andrea will see the family doctor later this week
right now she is sleeping well, and we hope she will continue to have a good night
Mommy is taking the rest of the week off to fuss over Baby, and recover from the last 48 hours

Here's a video I got of Andrea, as she had one of her Ventolin treatments: http://media.putfile.com/Ventolin-Mask

***

Finally, a special thank you to Gram and Grandpa G., who spent a couple of hours with us last night; Grandpa G., for stopping in again this morning; and Gram G. for having supper ready for us when we got home tonight. We know it's been a difficult week for you, too, so we appreciate your efforts all the more. :))

Progress!

2006-11-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

We are beginning to see some progress in Andrea's efforts to walk. It's nothing dramatic, but every little step (no pun intended) is encouraging.

Just this past week, she has finally begun to ENJOY walking around with us. When we take her hands, and help her to walk, she actually thinks it's FUN! She still takes huge, clumsy steps, and tires easily, but it is so great to see her showing interest in walking now.

Also, as Daddy was laying on the carpet tonight, letting Andrea crawl over him, she PUSHED HERSELF UP TO STANDING, with no help. I don't think she even realized what she had done. She pushed herself up on her legs, then took one hand off Daddy's back, then the other . . . and voila! She stood and looked around for a few seconds before dropping onto her bum. I was so excited! She hasn't pulled herself up like that before.

(What's disappointing is this: I captured her moment of standing on video--then accidentally deleted it, while fiddling with the new camera. No fair! ;p)

Good-bye Uncle Mick, We Love You

2006-11-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

Very early yesterday morning, our Uncle Mick passed away after battling lung cancer for about a year and a half.

Uncle Mick was especially important to this family, because, well, without him, Mommy and Daddy might never have known each other!

You see, Mommy and Daddy met at Uncle Mick's 40th birthday party, 13 years ago; and it was love at first sight for both of us.

Uncle Mick was Grandma Linda's older brother; his wife, Aunt Claire, is Grama Marty's younger sister. So, it is a doubly painful loss for Daddy and I; both of our families are grieving.

Uncle Mick was a private, pretty quiet guy, but he loved his family, and he loved to play tricks! He had a great sense of humour.

And he thought Andrea was so cute. :)) Here is a picture of them from about a year ago, when Uncle Mick was going through his first rounds of chemo. He was a good sport about losing his hair, and people kept comparing his and Andrea's bald heads! He got a kick out of that. ;))

Uncle Mick with Andrea, Christmas Eve, 2005

Bubbles at Bathtime

2006-11-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

Last night, Daddy was in charge of most of Andrea's bath-time, and he thought it would be fun to blow some bubbles for her! If you're going to blow bubbles in the house, the best place is in the tub, right? :))

***

This gave me a chance to test out our new digital camera. It is a bit more sophisticated than the old one, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa G. for making this purchase possible! :))

"Gama"

2006-11-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

With Daddy out of town today, Andrea's Grandma Gagnon gave us a ride to and from the babysitter's/work.

On the way home, in the car, Grandma was helping Andrea practice her words. She said to Andrea, "Say Dada," and Andrea did. Then she got her to say Mama. Then, she tried to get her to say,"Grandma," and Andrea said, "No" (her new favourite word).

So, Grandma tried about two more times, "Dada . . . Mama . . . Grandma . . ."

And finally, clear as a bell, from the back seat, Andrea said: "Gama!"

***

I think Andrea has only said it once since then; and again, it was for Grandma, herself . . . who is obviously thrilled. :))

Remembering Great-Grandpa M.

2006-11-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

(Just a little note--the next 2 or 3 posts are dated when they happened, although I am just putting them in now. It's been a busy week for us.)

***

Tonight our Church held a Memorial Mass for all of its parishioners who had passed away within the past year. Since that included my Grandpa Maurice (Andrea's Great-Grandpa), and we weren't able to attend his tree dedication ceremony at the end of September, we really wanted to attend this Mass.

I had qualms about bringing Andrea, knowing that it would be a solemn and reflective sort of service; but we couldn't find a babysitter. So, we brought her along. You can guess how that went. It wasn't that she was bad, or even very loud; the problem was, it was such an intensely sober and silent atmosphere (except for a few sniffles) that you could hear EVERY LITTLE SOUND SHE MADE echoing through the Church. I am not exaggerating. And I swear, for some reason, she got extra talkative when Grandma when up to light the candle in memory of Grandpa. I was SO embarrassed, and upset. Some people were looking around in curiosity, to see where the baby was; some people looked over their shoulders at us, with outright hostility; behind us, people were laughing! I was nudging Daddy and hissing, "Take her out!" but he wouldn't move. (Later, when we discussed it, he said, "She wasn't being bad!" and I said, "I know she wasn't being bad, but that's not the point . . . ")

Anyhow, there was a little get-together in the Church hall after the Service, and people were just talking about how cute she was, so I think they forgave us. The mood I was in, I still didn't know whether to laugh or cry over the incident (which Daddy still says was not an incident).

***

After that, we all went back to Grandma's house to help set up her Christmas decorations. It was so great to be together with so many of the Maurices, especially on this night when we were remembering Grandpa. Sometimes it was kind of sad, because Grandma would say, "Grandpa used to do that" (in terms of arranging certain decorations), and we all thought of how much he loved these special celebrations.

But overall, it was a happy evening. Andrea kept us all entertained by showing off all her little talents (counting, saying words, singing, etc.), and she was amazingly well behaved, considering we were there until about 10:30 p.m.! She didn't cry at all, and she went from relative to relative, enjoying all the attention. Mommy's job was to keep Andrea out of the decorations, while Daddy helped put up the tree, and do the outdoor lights.

Andrea was particularly attracted to a snow globe which showed the Nativity scene. I held it for her, turned on the music, and shook the snow up; she was mesmerized. It was the most adorable thing. I wish you could have seen her face: how sweetly and intently she studied that snow globe, you know, with that childish wonder shining in her eyes. :))

***

I don't know how else to describe it. It was an especially poignant night, with remembering and family and holiday fun all mixed in together. :))

Mommy's Getting Stressed Out!

2006-11-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

Andrea is just under a week away from being 16 months old.

And she's still NOT WALKING.

She is doing great, and making progress, in all other areas: eating, drinking, talking, socializing . . . she's pretty much age-appropriate in all those areas.

But walking? Uh-uh. Nope. Nothing.

We're pretty much where we were 3 months ago--she'll stand up for a while if we stand her up, and we give her something to hold on to. But she doesn't try to cruise (walk hanging onto furniture), and she doesn't pull herself up. She gets on her knees, and she's content with that. I've even seen her trying to walk around on her knees a few times lately (very odd looking--is it a sign of progress? I don't know . . .).

When we try to walk around with her, holding her hands, she will take steps, but they are very big and awkward. I've noticed she has a tendency to walk/stand with a wide stance, and her feet kind of turned inward, like she's standing on her inner arches. It doesn't look as bad as it sounds; it's probably only noticeable to me, because I'm getting paranoid. And when we do get her to walk with us, she'll maybe get halfway across the room, then she'll plunk herself down and refuse to move, or at worst, she'll start to cry. You can't really make a baby walk.

(Her newest trick--sticking her tongue out at me, when I stick my tongue out at her!)

We don't carry her much, so that's not a problem; she's just too content with crawling! She crawls everywhere.

We've tried standing her up against the couch, the wall, hanging onto the railing, hanging on to her play table, etc., but she won't try walking, even hanging on to stuff. We've tried enticing her with things that usually off limits, her favourite toys, food, etc.--but she either gets down and crawls, or gives up and goes to find something else to play with.

So why this sudden, repeated outburst of angst on Mommy's part?

Well, quite simply, DAYCARE. We're getting more and more pressure from them to get Andrea walking, because she has to move to the Toddler Room in January; and if she's not walking, they won't move her up. They are very nice about it, and say they are really encouraging her to walk on her feet (which is great), but it's frustrating to keep hearing them say, basically, "Make sure you're working with her at home, too . . . " Of course we are! Andrea's probably totally irritated by me lately, because every time I get my hands on her I'm trying to get her to stand/walk!

I've been told by so many people, and read so much information, that basically says not to worry, as long as baby is progressing normally in other areas (which she is), and that I shouldn't be concerned unless she's not waking by 18 months.

So, now the question is, should I make an appointment with Andrea's doctor? I know she will either a) say to wait until Andrea's 18 months before worrying or b) refer us to the pediatrician again, who will likely say the same thing as our family doctor. I don't want to waste time in their offices if they're only going to tell me what I already know.

On the other hand, what if Andrea isn't walking consistently by 18 months of age? What will the daycare do with her? I don't want her to be left behind, or kicked out, because her walking skills aren't up to par. What if this is something we should address now--because really--Andrea's only got about 8 weeks left to learn to walk well, and she's not even pulling herself up yet! I wish I could call my doctor and just ask her, instead of having to go in for an appointment, and see if there's something more we should be doing, or if an appointment is even necessary. But she doesn't work that way (as I know from past experiences). Sigh.

I got some videos last night of some of Andrea's non-walking habits, and some of my attempts to get her moving:

The closest thing she does to pulling herself up is kneeling: http://media.putfile.com/Using-Her-Knees
She'll move from kneeling to one flat foot, but that's it: http://media.putfile.com/Not-Quite-Getting-Up
She's standing at the toy, but won't move: http://media.putfile.com/Standing-at-the-Toy
She has such long arms, she can get away with reaching, instead of walking: http://media.putfile.com/Using-Her-Reach
Here's a closer look at her stance, and the way she places her foot: http://media.putfile.com/Examining-Her-Stance

Birthday and Baptism

2006-11-05T22:34:00.000-05:00

We had some important events in the Gagnon Family this weekend, and of course, we got some pictures of Andrea sharing in the fun.

***

Gram's Birthday

Gram's birthday was actually on Wednesday, but we got together to celebrate on Friday evening. We went out to a restaurant for dinner, where Andrea did really well, until she bit into a French fry that was too hot! Ouch! But a waitress brought her a little tray of ice cream after, and she liked that--although she didn't eat much of it, because she was too full of French fries!

Back at the house, we tried to get the little ones (Andrea and her cousin, Izzy) in on the birthday fun, but I think it they were both getting sleepy.

(You have to love the looks on the girls' faces here.)

Izzy's Baptism

On Sunday, we attended Izzy's baptism. She was so sweet in her beautiful gown, and a very good baby throughout the Mass and ceremony. I love her smile! :))

Andrea behaved very well in Church, too. In between the Mass and the Baptism, and after the Baptism while the family was taking pictures, we did a lot of things to keep Andrea amused:

Standing on the Pew: I think we need to borrow some pews from a church! Andrea stood up by herself, holding onto the back of the pews, for the longest time, just looking around at everything.

Reading the Hymns: She also enjoyed flipping through the hymn books with Grandpa.

Playing with a Doll: The doll actually belongs to Dana, Izzy's cousin from the Hage family. It has the eyes that open and close, and right away, Andrea was poking it in the eyes, and saying, "Eyes?"

Cuddling: It was actually around Andrea's nap time during Church, so we were taking turns cuddling her, and trying to get her to rest. But she was too curious to ever really settle down! Here's a cute shot of Andrea leaning forward to snuggle on Mommy, who's a pew ahead of her. :))

After the baptism, we went out for a very nice lunch. The highlight of the lunch, for Andrea, was the balloons that were at our tables.

Andrea and Dana had great fun playing with those balloons! In fact, Dana was Andrea's buddy for the whole afternoon. She played so nicely with Andrea. :)) Here's a video from the restaurant, of Andrea (and Dana) playing with the balloons. http://media.putfile.com/Balloon-66-21

***

Later, we went to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony's to visit, and give Izzy her gifts. Izzy got a lot of "baby bling," and she's a precious little gift herself! :))

Halloween 2006

2006-10-31T22:22:00.000-05:00

Andrea's Halloween lasted all day long!

Morning: Mommy had to work, so Andrea went to Jaclyn and Joshua's house. Jaclyn was taking Joshua to the JMCC, where he goes to daycare, because they were going a trick-or-treating at the different offices throughout the Centre. She asked if Andrea had a costume, and for us to send it with her, so Andrea could go trick-or-treating at the Centre, too! It's funny, because Andrea's Gram G. works there, but she doesn't work Tuesdays, so many of Gram's co-workers got to see Andrea in her costume even before Gram did! We hear Andrea was a big hit, because she was the littlest one there; their daycare only takes 2-year-olds and up. Jaclyn said they tried to put her in a buggy, but she wouldn't fit, because of her bulky costume! :)) Here is a picture Jaclyn took, of Joshua and Andrea in their Halloween outfits.

Afternoon: We barely had time to get home, have a little rest, and have something to eat, before it was time to get dressed up again. Mommy got some pictures of Andrea posing in her costume. Andrea did not like the hat, so it was hard to get photos with her wearing it!

Andrea was feeling a little cranky after her pictures, so I gave her a bottle to help her mellow out. I didn't realize what a hard time she would have, trying to drink a bottle, in this outfit. When she was lying on the floor, she couldn't lay on her side or her back; the costume would get in the way of her bottle! So, she kind of improvised, with a half-leaning posture in the hallway.

Evening: It was time to go out Trick or Treating! Like I said in my last post, we only planned on going to Gram and Grandpa G.'s, and then a few of the closest neighbours. But, I still wanted to get her in the spirit of Halloween. We've been working on "please" and "thank-you" lately, which she does well with; but I really wanted her to say, "Trick or Treat!" We couldn't get her to say it for anyone, but she said it pretty well for the camera, just before we left home. :)) http://media.putfile.com/Trick-or-Treat-74-83

We put Andrea in her wagon, and pulled her down to Gram and Grandpa's house, first. Andrea enjoyed the ride, and all the Halloween sights and sounds.

When we got to Gram and Grandpa's, we visited for a bit. Andrea got her own special treat bag, and we took some pictures. She tolerated it for only so long; then, Daddy sweetened her up by giving her a hard-earned lollipop!

On our way back down Gram and Grandpa's street, a few of their neighbours spotted us, and waved us in to get some candy. I got a picture of this boy who gave Andrea some candy. His family's house, and the family, were all done up in scary costumes. Andrea wasn't scared at all; she was just curious, and busy checking everything out.

Just as we got home, a whole bunch of trick-or-treaters arrived in our driveway, so Daddy ran in and got the candy for them. It was good timing. Mommy and Andrea stayed outside for a while, and helped hand out the candy.

A lot of the kids were saying, "Oh, look at the cute little pumpkin!" when they saw Andrea; and she thought they were pretty interesting, too.

***

Here's one last picture of Andrea, in her wagon, as we made our way down the street. I think this picture turned out so neat, because it has kind of an eerie, Halloween-ish glow about it--and I swear, I didn't touch it up or anything! It simply turned out this way. :))

Fun with Cousins

2006-10-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Andrea got to spend a little time with two of her cousins. :))

***

On Friday night, Brigitte came over to stay with us until Uncle C. got off work, around 11 o'clock. Andrea was thrilled to have a playmate for the evening. Andrea and Daddy usually spend some time cuddling and wrestling and generally having fun when he gets home from work. That night, however, Daddy had TWO little girls vying for his attention. Despite his exhausted appearance in the following pictures, you know he was loving it as much as they were!

When Daddy was ready for a break, Brigitte stepped in, and discovered a way to amuse Andrea and tire her out, all at once: the Bouncing Game. Brigitte would bounce up and down, make funny noises, and stop to startle Andrea; Andrea would laugh, imitate Brigitte's bouncing and noises, and then it would be Brigitte's turn again. I've said it many times, but it never ceases to amaze me how great Brigitte is with Andrea. :))

http://media.putfile.com/Bouncing-Game-with-Brig

***

Today (Sunday), Aunt Steph and Uncle Tony stopped by with Izzy. They were making the rounds, showing off her adorable Halloween costume (what a smart idea!). I had been hoping to get pictures of the two girls in their costumes, together; and especially when I saw Izzy's costume had a similar idea as Andrea's, well--I just had to get some pictures. So, you're all going to get a sneak preview of Andrea's Halloween costume, if you read this before Tuesday night. :))

C'mon, say it with me: "Awwwwww . . . how cute!"

Andrea will be going to a few houses (the neighbours we know best) down our street on Tuesday night, to do a little trick-or-treating. I have been trying to teach her to say "Trick or Treat," but all I get is "tih," "tee," or "no." :))

Baby "Atlas"

2006-10-29T20:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, while watching Andrea play, strange ideas or connections jump out at me. Here's one of them: Whenever Andrea holds up her big ball, it reminds me of Atlas, a character from Greek mythology.

***

In short, Atlas led a battle of Titans against Zeus, which lasted for ten years. Eventually, Atlas was singled out by Zeus and forced to hold up the heavens as a special punishment. There are many famous paintings and sculptures of Atlas being punished, and most have him in a position something like this:

So, here is Andrea, my Baby Atlas:

Maybe she'll be a famous astronomer some day. Some say that the Titan Atlas worked out the science of astrology and discovered the spherical nature of the stars.

Or maybe . . . just maybe . . . she's a toddler having fun holding a big ball over her head!

(with a Mommy who has really weird thought processes)

15 Months Old

2006-10-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

Andrea turned 15 months old yesterday. I haven't really been doing a comprehensive monthly update anymore; there's so many things to write about, I just put them on the Blog whenever I get a chance. But, I was thinking about it, and my last post ("Playing Around"), along with today's, will make a pretty good 15-month-old update. :))

***

Andrea's 15-month-old birthday wasn't exactly a cheerful event. She has yet another cold, and this one is terrible. It's mostly in her chest and her throat, and she cries so much. I only worked a half-day yesterday, and I took today off, so I could stay home and fuss over her.

In between the coughing and crying spells, she's her usual self, so I've managed to get some pretty good pictures and videos of Andrea's newest talents and games over the past two days.

***

Fun with Fat Trays: Yes, folks, you read that right. You know those trays that come with the George Foreman grill, that capture the dripping grease as your food cooks? Well, Andrea discovered them on a stand in the kitchen, and it is amazing how much fun she has with them. Here are just two of the many different activities she has created using the fat trays:

Carpet Skiing

Thunder Sticks

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Break Dancing: This one she's been doing for a few weeks now; it's a kind of crazy, spin-and-roll-around-on-your-bum move. Music is not necessary. She does it any time she's feeling silly, and anywhere she wants--usually in the living room, but also in her crib, in the bathtub, etc...

http://media.putfile.com/Break-Dancing-63

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Raise the Roof: In light of the Tigers' current World Series run, Daddy felt it was time Andrea mastered the "Raise the Roof" celebration move; and, she has done it!

http://media.putfile.com/Raise-the-Roof

***

Talking/Singing: Here are some more videos of Andrea trying to talk and sing.

This video was originally going to be sent as a half-laughing, half-complaining note to Grama Marty, about the mess Andrea makes with her toys. Then Andrea piped up with one of her latest phrases ("There go!"), so it made it into the Blog. http://media.putfile.com/There-You-Go-29
Andrea has a funny little habit of trying to sing, after she hears Mommy sing to her. There's no distinguishable words, and not much of a tune, but it's so darn cute. http://media.putfile.com/Andreas-Singing
Andrea's latest feat is trying to count to ten--with help, of course! She usually says 1,2,3,6, and sometimes 7,8,9. Ten is always said with the appropriate inflection (excited, proud), even if the word doesn't come out right. :)) http://media.putfile.com/Trying-to-Count

Pushing Mommy's Buttons: Andrea and I have a big difference of opinion when it comes to how our household should be organized. I like neatness; Andrea prefers chaos. I like cleanliness; Andrea prefers stickiness.

And as for pushing buttons--well, quite literally, her latest trick is to crawl up to the computer (while I'm on it) and press the Reset button on the hard drive, so the computer shuts off. Grr.

She also enjoys getting into my books while I'm on the computer. This is a tough one for me. I want to encourage her fascination with books (which has finally kicked in), but I am in agony watching how harshly she treats my books. If you know me well, you know what my books mean to me. I've tried to make her a deal by giving her a shelf of magazines to destroy, but that only lasts for so long. Then, she's back into my books! Argh.

*

And finally, today, while I was checking my email, this is what she did:

Umm... yeah, she has a bad cold, but I think one tissue at a time would suffice!

***

God Bless the Little Stinker. LOL She is a typical 15-month-old. :))

Playing Around

2006-10-20T22:46:00.000-04:00

There's not much new going on around here the past few days.

***

Andrea is adjusting well to daycare; they say she didn't cry the past two days when Daddy left, and she's been napping a lot better. They also say that she loves playing with the other babies! They are working hard to get her standing up and walking (same here), because she can't move up to the toddler room (around 16 to 18 months of age) unless she is walking by then! Unfortunately, today she had a crawling accident--she got herself tripped up on the corner of a mat, and whacked her head on the hard floor. Ouch! Andrea now has a lovely little bluish-purple bump on the right side of her forehead. But they put ice on it, and gave her lots of hugs and kisses, and she is just fine. :))

***

Andrea had her first real MEAL of pizza last night. I cut it up into bite-sized pieces, and put it on her tray. She loved it--not only the taste, but the freedom to manipulate all the little pieces as she wished! This, of course, turned into a fine mess by the time she was done. When she got tired of eating, she starting flinging handfuls of left-over pizza bites all over the floor. Then she told me she was "aw done." It would be nice if she would say it before she starts the flinging; then Mommy could just remove the offending substance, right? Hah. Anyway, here's Andrea while she was still enjoying her pizza.

***

Tonight I had the camera out to capture a game that Daddy and Andrea came up with. I guess you could call it, "Hey, who stole my milosh?" (Milosh--pronounced me-loash--is Daddy's silly word for pillow.) Daddy lays on the floor with a pillow from the couch; Andrea crawls over and yanks it out from under his head; Daddy says, "Hey, who took my milosh?"; Andrea grins and plops her head down on the pillow; then Daddy tickles her/wrestles the pillow back from her; and the game starts again. It's cute, unless you're an exhausted Mommy who really does want to curl up with a pillow on the floor, and Baby runs over and pulls it away from you (EVERY TIME!). :))

http://media.putfile.com/Pillow-Thief

***

Then Daddy decided that he wanted a turn to play with the camera! These are the ones that turned out:

"I've got your milosh!"

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(Say CHEESE!)

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Hugs and Kisses for Mommy

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"Eye?" (one of her favourite words)

***

Speaking of Andrea's favourite words, Daddy encouraged her to say a few for the camera/video. She actually says lots of words now, and copies a lot of things we coax her to say, but these are some of her favourites.

http://media.putfile.com/Some-of-Her-Words

***

One last thing: no exaggeration--the digital camera is falling apart from overuse! I've had it for 3 years as of last month, and it's starting to show some definite signs of wear. Tonight, it stayed ON and would not shut off till Daddy fiddled with it. Then, the batteries fell out of it! But that's been happening for ages--the battery compartment hinge is so loose, the batteries fly out of it all the time. Geez. But if I get a new one, I'll want it to be high-quality. High quality equals high price, so I hope this camera will hang in there for a while yet!

Fun with Grandpa Gagnon

2006-10-15T14:17:00.000-04:00

While Daddy and I were at Comerica Park watching the Tigers clinch the ACLS yesterday (WOOHOO!), Andrea spent the day with her Gram and Grandpa Gagnon. Then they went to Uncle Tony's parents' house, and had a Lebanese dinner! I hear Andrea liked the food. :))

Anyhow, before they left for the dinner, Gram snapped some pictures of Andrea and Grandpa playing. The little game they were playing is a bit of a cultural/family tradition, because it's French. I'm not sure exactly how the wording goes. It's close to this: "Minouche, minouche, minouche--mangez toute (or maybe "manges-tu"?) la creme!" Each time you say "minouche," you run your hands in a ticklish way down the baby's cheeks. Babies seem to love this game!

Here are the pictures Gram sent, of Andrea and Grandpa playing "minouche."

"Minouche... minouche... minouche ..."

"... mangez toute la creme!"

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Andrea does "minouche" to Grandpa!

***

By the way, if you're interested, a translation of the French would be something like:

"Kitty, kitty, kitty, eat up all the cream!"

Snow Falls and Snow Squalls!

2006-10-12T21:18:00.000-04:00

My goodness, I thought the meteorologists were overreacting when they said there would be areas of high winds and brief downbursts of heavy snowfall, with reduced visibility, this afternoon.

For once, they were right!

When I left to pick Andrea up from daycare today, it was 38 degrees outside, but sunny. Within 20 minutes, dark clouds rolled in, and it started to snow. Okay, I had expected some flurries. The wind was pretty bitter, but I had sent her off with lots of protective gear this morning, so I wasn't too worried about it. Andrea wasn't happy about being bundled up (she cried), but she smiled when she saw the camera. :))

While waiting for the bus on the way home, IT HIT! It was snowing and blowing so hard, that I could barely see! I leaned over and tried to shield Andrea as best as I could. Thankfully, she was fine--I had her all bundled up, and it was only about 5 minutes into the squall that the bus came. But I was frozen stiff, and breathless!

There were snow squalls off and on the whole way home, but none as bad as the one while we were waiting outside for the bus (nice timing, eh?). Another really intense one hit at about six o'clock, when I was making dinner, and I got some pictures of that. But the pictures don't even do it justice.

The last picture, in particular, shows how weird the weather was--some sun, some dark sky, and some snow coming down, all at once! And we usually don't get our first flurries until early November. Yikes!

Mommy says, with weather like this, Andrea has to wear a hat, scarf, and mittens--whether she likes it, or not! :))

Thanksgiving at Great Gram's

2006-10-10T21:46:00.000-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, we had our Thanksgiving gathering at Great Grama Market's. Just think, at our last Thanksgiving, Andrea was only 2 and a half months old! Want to see the difference?

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Great Gram, Daddy, and Andrea

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"Hi, Izzy. Know what? I was about your age last Thanksgiving!"

***

It was a beautiful day for October. We sat outside on Great Gram's deck and enjoyed the sun and fresh air. Andrea loved Great Grama's flower basket! So pretty!

***
This was Andrea's first real Thanksgiving feast. Mommy wasn't sure what she'd like, so I put a variety of selections on her plate. Andrea's reaction: she ate it all!

***

What's Thanksgiving Dinner without the Pumpkin Pie?

Cousin Pauline fed Andrea a whole (little) piece!

***

Needless to say, Andrea liked the pie!

Can you open your mouth any wider? :))

New Swim Class

2006-10-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

Andrea started her swim classes again, two weeks ago. She is now in a new class, called Parent and Tot 2. Things are pretty much the same as Parent and Tot 1, except the activities are more structured (which we like). We still get about 10 minutes of free time at the end of class.

Daddy went in the pool with Andrea, so I took the pictures. This week, they went in the adult pool, because the tot pool was too cold (Andrea was shivering!). Andrea has taken to the water like we never stopped going to lessons--she still loves it!

Front Float (and splashing, of course!)

Back Float

Dunk the Toy

Dunk the Baby!

Sliding In, Off the Edge

Singing Time

Of course, I had the video running, too.

http://media.putfile.com/Laps-and-Bobbing-In

http://media.putfile.com/Jumping-In-and-Splashing

http://media.putfile.com/Singing-Circle

Daddy's 30th Birthday Party

2006-10-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Daddy's 30th birthday with family and friends on Saturday evening. His actual birthday was on Sunday, but many people (including us) have their family Thanksgiving gatherings on the Sunday, so we set up his party for Saturday instead. It worked out nicely that Daddy's birthday was on our (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, because some of our friends from out of town were able to attend, too.

Happy Birthday Party, Daddy!

Grandpa G. and Brigitte helped Andrea eat her dinner.

Here's Andrea visiting with our guests.

Mommy didn't have any candles for Daddy's cake,

so she held up a BBQ lighter!

Our friend Sara was giving Andrea chunks of icing to eat--yum!

***

After Andrea's bath, the real party began: Beer and Hockey!

That's Daddy's Girl!

Random Act of Kindness

2006-10-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

Do you remember how back in the 1990s, there was a movement called "Random Acts of Kindness," created in defiance of all the "random acts of violence" we were always hearing about?

And you know that old, but quite true, cliche about how you should "never judge a book by its cover"?

Well, on Friday afternoon, as Andrea and I were waiting at the bus stop for our bus home to arrive, she was really getting frustrated. She was tired, and teething, and all out of sorts, so she kept whining and crying and kicking, and all that fun stuff.

Our bus stop is in front of a plaza, and there was an older man out there cutting the grass, and cleaning up garbage. He looked kind of scruffy, and he kept giving me dirty looks like we were in his way, or I didn't know how to control my child. Anyway, he didn't look too friendly, and that made me even more stressed out than I already was.

Some time passed, and our bus still hadn't come. It was late. Andrea was frazzled, and so was I! I leaned down to sing some of her favourite calming songs to her. Suddenly, the old man is there, leaning over my shoulder, and he is holding a stuffed dog. "Look!" he says to Andrea. "It's a puppy! Woof, woof!" Then, he makes it do a little dance in front of her, to try to get her to laugh. I explained that she was having a tough day. He said, "Here, she can have this!" He gave me the stuffed animal, and walked off before I could even say thank-you.

First Day at The Learning Corner

2006-10-05T17:17:00.000-04:00

Today was Andrea's first official day at her daycare centre. It's called The Learning Corner (from here on in, a.k.a. TLC). Daddy dropped her off around 8:15 this morning, and Mommy picked her up around 3:40 this afternoon.

Andrea's first day went . . . okay.

They said she started crying about 10 minutes after Daddy left, and to be forewarned, she will probably cry as soon as he drops her off tomorrow (she'll catch on that she's staying, and Daddy's going!). But they said Daddy did the right thing today, and should continue to do the same thing each day--a quick good-bye is best.

She only slept for 10 minutes there. They tried rocking her, taking her for a walk, singing, etc. She fell asleep on Miss J. for 10 minutes; and as soon as they tried to lay her down, Andrea would wake up and cry.

But the teachers said these events are normal when they start the program, and Andrea will adjust soon.

On the positive side, they said she ate and drank really well. They didn't have to use any of her bottles (she used a sippy cup all day), and she ate all the food they gave her (she didn't use any of the jar food we sent). So, there's some progress/adjustment already. I hear she had a Thanksgiving dinner-style lunch, and gobbled it up! She also had some breadsticks, dip, and juice for a snack. Yum!

They also said, in general, she had a really good day with them.

When I got there, she was just finishing her afternoon snack. She was so excited, she started yelling, "Hi! Mama! Hi!" But when I went around the corner to grab her stroller, she started to sob! Poor baby! She thought I was leaving her there! I could hear the teachers reassuring her that Mommy would be right back. As soon as I reappeared, she broke into a big smile again. Ouch--that really tugged at the heartstrings. I really didn't expect her to react that way, especially since she's normally so laid-back. I guess Andrea's just dealing with a bit of an adjustment period, which is to be expected.

Anyway, she is sleeping right now. As soon as we got home, I put her in her crib, and she curled right up. Poor baby!

On top of it all, she's still got the tail-end of her cold.

Add to that: she's cutting I-don't-know-how-many teeth right now. I'd say at least 3, that I can see clearly. So, everything's a drooling-chewing-clingy fest right now. It's probably not the best time to be dealing with new faces, a new environment, and a new schedule, no matter how great it is. ;p

Surprise Sing-Along!

2006-10-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

As Andrea splashed away in the tub this evening, I realized I had forgotten to grab her hooded towel from her closet. To be sure she knew I was right nearby (just across the hall), and hoping to distract her from getting into trouble for the 20 seconds I'd be away, I started singing: "Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O. And on his farm he had a cow . . ." I paused, to check on her, and heard . . .

" . . . eeyi-eeyi-eeyi-eeyi . . ."

So, I returned to the bathroom and started singing the song again. Every time I came to the "E-I-E-I-O" part, I would pause; and Andrea would chime in, "Eeyi, eeyi, eeyi, eeyi . . ."!

I was so surprised! We got her one of those one of those See and Say toys for her birthday, where you pull the handle and it tells you, "The dog says, 'woof,woof!'". It is farm-themed, and if you point it at the right picture, it will play Old MacDonald. She's only become interested in it in the last two weeks or so, and I have to pull the handle for her, so it's not like she's heard the song all that much. That's why I was so amazed that she knew how to do the "E-I-E-I-" part.

If you noticed, she wasn't doing the "O" at the end. So, after her bath was done and she was in her pj's, I got her to sing the song again, but reminded her to add on the "O" at the end. It was so funny, because she just kind of tacked it on, when Mommy prompted her--kind of like an afterthought. :))

Anyhow, you know I had the camera going for this one: Andrea's first official song!

http://media.putfile.com/Old-MacDonald-1

http://media.putfile.com/Old-MacDonald-2

Cold and Colds

2006-10-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are sick again. Andrea and Mommy, the Cold Crew. Probably something we picked up at daycare--let the fun begin. Andrea has had a bad cough, and explosive sneezes, for 3 days now. I was run down since last week, but it really hit me about 2 days ago. Yuck. We went to the clinic yesterday, and it's the usual: cold virus, nothing you can do, take some Tylenol, drink fluids, ride it out, etc. Easy for him to say! He doesn't have a baby who is coughing so hard that she wakes her herelf up in the middle of the night! And she's too little to understand that she needs to drink extra fluids, and take it easy. :p

Anyway, the picture above is from this morning. It was FREEZING in our house; Andrea felt like a block of ice (except for her poor little congested head!). So I bundled her up with a pillow and blanket on the floor in the living room, so she could be enjoy her morning bottle in comfort. :))

Visiting Daycare

2006-10-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

On Thursday morning, I didn't get a call for work, so Andrea and I took the bus to her new daycare, and visited for an hour or so. They had recommended this to us; it gave them a chance to get all her paperwork set up before she starts (next Thursday), and it gave Andrea a chance to spend some time with her teachers and classmates with Mommy close by. It was also an opportunity for Mommy to see some of their daily routine, get to know the teachers, and discuss some of Andrea's habits, etc.

They are so great there. I am glad Andrea has gotten in for two days a week, but it will be nice when spaces open up for her for the rest of the week, too. We'll be adding on days as they become available.

There will be 6 babies in the room (including Andrea) when they're all there, two teachers, and an assistant who gives the teachers breaks. I have met all of the teachers and the assistant, and they are wonderful.

Andrea was her usual, easy-going self. I decided to set her down, and let her join the group as she wished, while I chatted to the supervising teacher of the room about Andrea, the daycare's rituals, etc. Andrea crawled over to the playmat, and sat near the kids, but didn't join in just quite yet. She was however, saying, "Hi!" to everyone--teachers, babies, people passing by, etc. The babies were very interested in the newcomer (Andrea). One little girl toddled over, patted Andrea's head, and then leaned down and hugged her! Too cute! A little boy came and played with her shoes; Andrea, in turn, started to play with his shoe laces!

Then they got out some toys (it was free play time) and Andrea mostly crawled around, checking out the baby room, and looking at everything and everyone. She was very excited, and chatted the whole time! Finally, she crawled onto the playmat and joined the others, and started to play with some of the toys. One of the little boys, just starting to walk, took a tumble and banged his head on a toy. He was okay, but he cried a lot, and Andrea started to cry, too! The teachers said they do that all the time--they cry in sympathy for each other!

Then, one of the teachers began to sing some songs (which Andrea loves!). One was Itsy-Bitsy Spider. I have only sung this one to her a few times. However, when the teacher started to do the actions of the spider crawling up with her hands, Andrea did it too! The teachers thought that was amazing. "Look at her!" they cried. "She is SO CUTE!" I was amazed too, considering I hadn't taught her to do that!

Overall, the teachers were very impressed with Andrea. They said her language development is excellent for her age (a surprise to me--I thought she was a bit behind, only saying the same few words), and they're also very glad that she is such a happy and friendly baby: no worries about her having separation anxiety, they said. She'll fit in just fine. :))

After I had finished talking to the supervising teacher, I sat on the floor just a bit away from the playmat. Andrea crawled over to say hi, and a friend came along with her. He was so cute, a little red-head about 12 months old, just learning to walk. He started using me to help pull himself up, and he was fascinated by the buttons on my shirt. He must have clung to my shoulder, and played with my buttons, for about 10 minutes! The teachers asked if he was bothering me, and I said, "Not at all! Andrea does the same thing!" He even gave me a bit of a hug, and very quietly said, "Hi." One of the teachers told me that the twins (his twin brother is also in the class) are very cuddly. No kidding! :))

Anyway, that was our visit to daycare. I am really comfortable with everything and everyone there, and have no apprehensions about leaving Andrea with them. I think it will be great for her. Even the teachers said, I will be amazed at the changes, and the sudden leaps in development that Andrea will make in just a few weeks, after being around the other babies. :))

While I was on the Computer Last Night . . .

2006-09-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

. . . Andrea got into Mommy's overhead trasparency markers!

Thank goodness that's the only place it ended up. Mommy caught her red-handed; or, should that be, green-tongued? ;P

Macaroni and Cheese

2006-09-27T18:17:00.000-04:00

Andrea's new food adventures continue. Today she ate raisins, and peas, at J.'s house; but she also tried rice, and the result was disastrous--multiple vomiting episodes, requiring two clothing changes. I guess Andrea doesn't like rice! (Poor J.--first day, Andrea pees all over; second day, she vomits!)

Andrea's having a rough day, too. She's come down with her second cold in 3 weeks. She's also cutting two more teeth in her upper left side, for a grand total of twelve!

But anyway, here's a little photo journal of Andrea's adventures with feeding herself macaroni and cheese (white cheddar kind) for the first time yesterday:

***

Forget the spoon--just dump it and dig in!

Hmm . . . the specimen has a squishy, yet solid texture . . .

Perhaps if I put it on my belly, I can ingest it by osmosis!

Is there any extra cheese sauce in here?

***

First Day Back

2006-09-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

I won't go into too much detail about my first day back to work, because this blog is about ANDREA, and not work. (But believe me, an Occasional Teacher's adventures would make a great blog, if only I had the time!) I just wanted to clarify that I'm still what they call a "Casual" OT (Who comes up with this terminology?!), which means I'm on call, day-to-day, etc. And after my first day back, I am so happy that is the case!

After last night's boo-hoo fest, I wasn't too bad this morning. Daddy dropped me off at work first, before bringing Andrea to the babysitter's, so I only had to say a quick good-bye. I didn't have time to dwell on the parting, so that was good.

I did, however, cave into the temptation to call J. (the Monday thru Wednesday babysitter) during my lunch break, and see how things were going. Of course, Andrea was just fine; she was happy, had napped well, and they were just getting their lunch, too.

The day flew by, with a whirlwind group of grade 7's who were nice kids, but drove me nuts; so, it wasn't until after school was done, and I was waiting for Daddy and Andrea to pick me up, that I got the weepies again. When the car pulled up, I threw open the back door and grabbed Andrea, and gave her a great big hug and kiss! It was so cute, even as I was opening the door I could see Andrea through the window saying, "Hi! Hi!" and grinning away. When we got home, I scooped her into my arms and hugged her so tight, and she hugged me, but I kept hugging her, until she whined to get down! :)) I think she was saying, "Enough, Mommy! Why are you acting so weird?!"

Through second-hand reports (BIG sigh), I hear that Andrea had a very good day with J. and her two-year-old son (also J.). She had two good naps, and went down with little or no fuss; she and J. played nicely together in his playroom; she ate her food well, and even had some cucumbers; and she was an easy, happy baby. The only incident was during one diaper change, I guess Andrea peed all over! That surprised me--she hasn't done that since she was a few months old! Hmm, maybe she was marking her new territory?!

***

Going a bit backwards here, I know, but I'm worn out.

This morning, it was like she knew something was up when I got her out of bed--probably because she went right from bed into an outfit, a bottle, and a snack (we usually stay in our PJ's most of the morning). She probably sensed my preoccupation, and wondered why I was all dressed up and bustling about so early in the morning, too. She kept giving me the oddest looks, and seemed more like a lost puppy dog than ever--but she wasn't too upset or anything--just kind of confused.

We had a few minutes before we had to leave, and we were all set, so we relaxed in the living room. Daddy tried to get Andrea to say "I love you" for the camera; she wouldn't do that, but she did do the other cute "I love you"-related thing she does now: lean in and give a hug when you say it. :))

http://media.putfile.com/I-Luv-You-Hugs

Then, she went about her usual business, including playing with Mommy's slippers (see Slipper Obsession)--so here's some pictures for those of you who have had trouble with the earlier videos .

(Sorry, Blogger's being really annoying lately: lots of problems with pictures, so here's a link to them on Putfile.)

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3500177

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3500178

Allergy Update #2

2006-09-25T21:10:00.000-04:00

Daddy found a message on the answering machine tonight, from Dr. A's office. It gave us the results for Andrea's RAST test.

It said all her tests came back normal.

Hunh?!

Oh, but the nurse also said in her message that Andrea might have an allergy to cat dander.

Hunh?!

So, what the heck was it that set off that allergic reaction she had, in Montana? We tested all of those suspected things, plus all the things Mommy and Daddy have allergies to--about 10 things total. And the only thing that has shown up is cats? Grama Marty and Grampa Rick don't even have cats!

They said to call the office if we have questions. Now we definitely have questions!

Hormones?

2006-09-24T20:56:00.000-04:00

I finally got my first call for work, tomorrow morning, at a grade school. I was just chatting to my dad a few hours ago, complaining how I haven't gotten any calls yet, and my schedule with Andrea is finally all settled, so what are they waiting for?! Want to know how I reacted after I got the call?

I cried.

Geez! And I am still all weepy. What's wrong with me? I thought I wanted to go back to work. I know Andrea will be in excellent hands.

I even snapped at Daddy when he got home from playing hockey, and he started asking me questions about location, times, etc. pertaining to work.

I know this sounds silly, but really, I guess I didn't realize how attached I am to my baby girl. Wait--that doesn't sound right--I don't know how to say what I'm feeling. I mean, I've been away from her overnight once before, but I think this is harder because I knew that night was a one-time thing, whereas this is officially going back to work--not seeing her all day long--on a regular basis. We've spent the first 14 months of her life together, pretty much 24/7, Andrea and Mommy: Mommy keeping tabs on everything, not missing a moment; driving each other crazy, and loving each other unconditionally.

Why is this hitting me so hard? It must be hormones or something. :p

Slipper Obsession :))

2006-09-24T18:25:00.000-04:00

You may have read about how Andrea likes to play with Mommy's slippers. She plays with Daddy's slippers, too.

With the weather suddenly becoming fall-ish this week, I think Andrea's poor little hands have become quite cold from crawling around on the floor; either that, or, seeing as we put slippers on our feet for walking, she puts them on her hands for crawling? I don't know. I won't pretend to understand what goes on in her mind. But it's fun to watch!

http://media.putfile.com/Slipper-Circuit

***

By the way, Brig slept over last night. Andrea was so happy to see her again! Here's a pic of Brig and Andrea relaxing and playing video games this morning.

A Foot in the Door

2006-09-20T18:59:00.000-04:00

Don't worry--the title is figurative, not literal. No one's foot got caught in the door!

The title refers to us "getting a foot in the door" of our daycare centre. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from T.L.C. saying they had a space available on Thursdays and Fridays for Andrea, if we wanted it. Also, taking this spot would give us priority for any other days of the week that open up, thus overriding the waiting list. Of course I said YES!

So, this morning, Daddy (he took an hour off work), Andrea and I went to have a tour of the daycare centre, and get our registration package. The space doesn't actually become available until the first week of October, but that's okay, because we had someone willing to watch her those days, if necessary.

The people there seem very nice. Our guide took us through the whole centre, and it was clean and bright. Andrea was excited, and seemed to enjoy everything she saw, and everyone she met. She was chattering away the whole time we were there! I think this daycare will be great for her, because they do so much with them: reading, crafts, playing, morning song and prayer, going for walks, etc.

Andrea and I will be going back to visit again, probably at the end of the month, just to get her acclimated to her new surroundings, with Mommy in sight. But I really don't foresee any problems, judging by how much she liked it today. :))

But then again, she always cries a bit when Daddy leaves for work, and he'll likely be the one dropping her off--but she'll probably get over it in thirty seconds, like she does at home. :))

First Blood Test AND First Hair Cut

2006-09-19T14:22:00.000-04:00

Andrea's pretty mad at me right now, and I suppose she has a right to be. I took her out this morning, for what she thought was going to be fun and adventure; instead, in her opinion, Mommy took her to see bad people, who tortured her!

The RAST Test
Let's just say, this had to be one of my hardest moments as a Mom. They were trying to find a vein in Andrea's arm, and couldn't; I know how awful that is, because it always happens to me. Then, we ended up with three nurses in the room--two (plus Mommy) trying to hold Andrea still, and comfort her; and one drawing the blood. They only had to take one vial, but Andrea shrieked hysterically the whole time; and once, she even tried to roll off the table! But as soon as we were done, and I got her back in my arms, she calmed down right away. Poor baby! Mommy hates blood tests, and it looks like Andrea does, too. I completely understand her reaction! But the nurses were really nice, and they even gave her a sticker after, to cheer her up.

Here's a photo of her sticker: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3441483 .

The First Hair Cut
Since we were already out, Andrea had calmed down, and it needed to be done, I took Andrea to get her first haircut. I thought she'd like it: seeing all the new stuff, sitting like a princess on Mommy's lap, and being told how beautiful she is.

Hah!

It was like a repeat of the blood test. Even with a mirror to admire herself in, she sat in my lap and shrieked the whole time. She turned bright red, yelled at the top of her lungs, and tried to grab the stylist's hands every time she tried to comb or cut Andrea's hair. The lady was very sweet and patient, but I was ready to have a nervous breakdown. I felt so bad, because here I'd put my daughter through something stressful twice in one morning!

Anyway, we just managed to neaten up her hair a bit (it doesn't look any different besides being a bit more even-ended). But they gave her a certificate for her First Hair Cut, and took her picture with a Polaroid (gotta love the expression on her face), which I thought was pretty cute.

Here's a photo of her completed certificate: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3441482 .

They also gave her a yellow lollipop, which definitely sweetened her temperament on the trip home. I let her have it, because we had to make one more stop, to pick up our prescriptions. A lady in line said to me, with a smile, "My goodness, she is wearing that sucker!"

I replied: "That's okay, I'm letting her enjoy it all she wants. She's had a tough morning!"

The Sweetest Words

2006-09-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

This afternoon, I was playing with Andrea in her room, giving her kisses and hugs, and saying,

"I love you! I love you!"

She started saying, "I! I! I!"

So, I coached her: "I ... LOVE ... YOU!"

She responded: "I voo. I voo!"

Nobody else would have recognized those words, but Mommy knew it right away.

Andrea told me I love you, for the first time today. :))

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

2006-09-18T14:04:00.000-04:00

Football Season is back. ;p

Andrea, ever the Daddy's Girl, had to sit on his lap and watch the Lions vs. the Bears yesterday.

Daddy had two of his friends over, because they are planning a football game trip for December. It just so happens that one of his friends, Kev, is a devoted Bears fan; Daddy is a Lions fan; so the two together, watching the game, made for a lively afternoon. Poor Andrea jumped a few times, when the guys suddenly leapt from their seats in wild fits of celebration! But I think she liked watching the game, because she got to sit with Daddy, and she liked cheering and clapping her hands!

***

Speaking of "Foot," (Ooh, bad segue!) Andrea had to get new shoes this weekend, because her feet have been growing so much. She's already in a toddler size 5! I caved and bought her the ones with the cute little flashing lights, and a pair of pink boots lined with soft pink fluff for the cooler weather. But you know what? She preferred these, instead!:

It's Baby Big Foot! (Those are Daddy's new shoes.)

Andrea's Allergy Update #1

2006-09-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

We went to see Dr. A. today. He is Andrea's new pediatrician. He, his office, and his staff, were very nice.

Before we saw Dr. A., I undressed Andrea, and the nurse weighed her. Andrea is about 26 and a half pounds now!

When the doctor came in, Andrea wasn't too sure about him. She has begun to show some signs of shyness around strangers, especially men. This was a very dark-skinned man, and Andrea's never met anyone like that before, so I think she was kind of uncertain about that, too. But she didn't really cry until he layed her down on the examining table. I was really surprised! She usually only cries when she gets her immunizations. But then he started to play peek-a-boo with her, and that got her to smile. :))

He read the doctor's report that we received by fax from Montana, and his first response was, "Wow, that must have been scary for you, Mom!" But then I had to laugh because the next thing he said was, "Gee, those American clinics, one thing on their mind--Billings Clinic--how much did they charge you?" You see, he didn't know that Billings was the city, and not a reference to the cost of the clinic visit! I didn't bother to correct him; but I had a hard time stifling the giggles!

Anyway, here's the summary of our plan for Andrea:

He gave her a prescription for a junior Epi-pen. It's basically a shot of adrenaline that will go into her thigh if she has another severe reaction to something. Its purpose is to give us time to get her to a hospital.
We are going to do a RAST on her, at H.-D. Hospital. It's a kind of allergy test, done by taking some blood, rather than the skin tests. We can do it any week-day, no appointment necessary, so I'm going to take Andrea the next day that I'm not called into work.
After Dr. A.'s office calls us with the results of the RAST, he said we should get her a Medic-Alert bracelet, and have her list of allergies on it.

***

I'll post another update after we've done the test, and we've learned what items Andrea needs to avoid!

Something New Every Day!

2006-09-16T19:22:00.000-04:00

It seems like Andrea is learning something (or several things!) new every day. I can barely keep the blog updated!

Today she has been doing and saying all kinds of things. Most of it is just silly, but it's so much fun, I want to share it with you all. :))

***

Andrea's Reflection Friend: I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but Andrea has a new best friend. Guess who it is? Her own reflection! But it's a specific reflection, in a specific place--in the glass doors of our new entertainment unit! She lays on the floor, and talks to it; she smiles and waves; she bangs her toys against it (trying to share?); and so on. It's hard to catch in a photo, because the reflection doesn't turn out in the glass. I managed to get a bit of it on video, before Andrea noticed me. If you look really closely, you can see her reflection in the glass. I think this baby has inherited Mommy's imagination!

http://media.putfile.com/Andreas-Reflection-Friend

***

Sequins (sounds like "see-kin"): Mommy has a pyjama top that has a pink butterfly with sequins on it. Andrea has been fascinated by this butterfly for months! This morning she was fingering the sequins on it, and when I reminded her, "Sequins," she responded, "See-kin!" She said it for me two times; she also said it later for Daddy.

***

Acting Like a Puppy Dog?:

I don't think she has really been trying to act like a puppy dog--she just reminds me of one! Especially now, because as you can see in the picture above, she likes to crawl around the house with toys in her mouth. When she follows us around with this blue, bowl-shaped one in her mouth, it makes me think of a puppy begging for food!

She likes this bowl so much that she keeps it in her mouth, no matter what's going on, even when she tries to talk! And sometimes when she flips it up so it's over her nose, it sounds like a dog panting, or as I like to say, a Darth Vader mask! I got a video of that, but it doesn't do justice to the heavy-breathing noise.

http://media.putfile.com/Heavy-Breather

***

Hello ("Allo!") and Using the Telephone: I forgot to mention, the other day, when I took that picture of Andrea holding the phone, I told her to say, "Hello!" and right away she said, "Allo!" Then, today, we gave her the phone to play with, and we said, "Say hello!" Andrea said, "Hi! Hi!" and proceeded to chatter up a storm on the phone, for about twenty minutes. Here are two videos of her chattering on the phone. The imagination is showing again!

http://media.putfile.com/Talking-on-the-Phone-1

http://media.putfile.com/Talking-on-the-Phone-2

***

Fun with Daddy: Well, she's always been Daddy's Little Girl (no contest), but they've had some cute moments together over the past two days, that I want to share.

Last night Daddy got her ready for bed, after her bath (Mommy was soaked--long story), and this is how her hair tuned out!

Today, when Daddy was playing with her, I got a video of him asking Andrea, "How big are you?" and her putting her arms up over her head to indicate, "Sooooooo big!" That's one she learned just recently. :))

http://media.putfile.com/How-Big-are-You

And finally, Daddy took over the camera work for a bit. Well, you can see how much Andrea loves her Daddy, by the delight in her face, as she crawls toward him. But you can also see her confusion about why Daddy, and not Mommy, is behind the camera! The looks she gave him were so weird--and then she pulled the camera away from him!

http://media.putfile.com/Crawling-and-Silly-Face

***

Well, I think that's about it for now. Sometimes Andrea drives me crazy, but she's so darn CUTE!

More Words, and Getting Stronger

2006-09-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

New words in past 24 hours:

Good: She copied me as I praised her for eating nicely.
Chair (sounds like "share"): Refers to her yellow chair she got for her birthday, which she likes to play with now.
Wow! (sometimes comes out as "Bow"!): She copied me as I admired how long she stood up for.
Whoa!: She copied me as I commented on her tumbling down/about to tumble over.

Also forgot to mention, this past week:

Stand up (sounds more like "Sa-da", but I know what she means)
Yum! (sounds more like "Um!", and is said with a wide open mouth--especially when she wants your food!)

Wish I could get them on video for you. But you know how it is.

***

Andrea's legs are getting stronger, too. This is linked to the "Sa-da!" because Mommy always says "Stand up!" and helps her up to her feet, then gets her to cling to something for balance.

She'll now come up and ask me, or tell me, every now and then, "Sa-da!" So, I put her up steady on her feet, and let her hang onto something (usually me, or the furniture). Then she'll stand there until her legs get tired, or she gets mad, because she doesn't know how to sit back down yet!

re: Pointless Outing

2006-09-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

I called Dr. A's (pediatrician) office this afternoon, to find out when Andrea's appointment is supposed to be.

The receptionist looks all through her files, comes back to the phone and says, "You missed it. It was at 10:15 a.m. yesterday."

"Um . . . I was at your office at 10:15 yesterday, and no one was there," I replied.

"Did you go to the Pediatric Clinic at Met?" she asks.

"My doctor didn't say anything about Met," I said irritably (suddenly understanding whose fault all this was), "She specifically told me to go to [this address] and [this room number]."

The receptionist sighs, clearly annoyed, and says, "I have it right here, in black and white, that you were supposed to go to the Clinic. I specifically squeezed you in for that date. Now we'll have to find something else!"

I could tell that her irritation was directed at my family doctor's office, and rightly so!

After that, she was quite nice to me, and "squeezed us in" again for Monday, at 10:15 again. I had to chuckle, and so did she a bit, because she told me to come to their office this time.

"YOUR office?" I asked, to clarify.

"Yes, it's at--oh, well, I guess you already know where it is!" she says.

"Yes, but just to be sure--you said YOUR OFFICE, the one at [address], right?"

"Yes."

"On Monday, at 10:15 a.m., right?"

"Yes."

"At YOUR OFFICE?"

"Yes!" Now she's laughing.

"Okay, thank you, bye."

***

Pointless Outing

2006-09-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

I have a headache. It bugs me when things don't go as they should, and then I get all stressed out, and I have to get everything sorted out again.

Guess what? Andrea and I went to meet her new pediatrician today. Guess what else? He wasn't there. No one was there!

Those of you with little ones, you know how hard it is to pack everything up and get them ready to go out--especially to a doctor's office, where you'll likely have to wait awhile, so you have to bring toys, snacks, etc., along with all the other basics. Well, add to that the fact that I have to take two city buses to get there, and it complicates things ten fold. Not only do you have to be on time for your appointment, you have to be on time for the buses! And you have to carry all the baby stuff in the stroller, and heave the stroller on and off of the bus! You have to work baby's feeding and sleeping schedule into the doctor's and the buses' schedules!

So, I barely manage to get myself and Andrea out the door on time, but we get to the doctor's office at exactly 10:15 a.m. (the time of her appointment). The door is closed. I try to open it. Nope. I knock. No answer. I check for signs that he moved or something. Nothing. So we go back downstairs, to a pay-phone, and I call my family doctor (who gave the referral) to see what's going on. I get the message, "We are on vacation until Monday." What?! And there is no phone book available, so I can't try the new pediatrician's office.

So, back on the bus we go, all the way home. Andrea missed her morning nap, and is cranky; Mommy has a ferocious headache, because this has been a headache! I called the new doctor's office, and they were not open today! They are open tomorrow, and I am calling as soon as they open to find out where the communication broke down, and why I was told Andrea had an appointment today, when no one was even in the office!

GEEZ!

You know what? I'll probably get my first work call for tomorrow, just to add to my stress!

***

I just got Andrea to lay down. I think Mommy needs to go lay down, too. ;p