Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Wonderful Day

Today has been WONDERFUL! Delilah and I decided to go on a shopping trip. I needed a few supplies from Joann's and Delilah is in need of some warmer clothes (mainly a light sweater), so a trip to the Mall was in order.

I have mastered outings with Delilah. I always schedule certain stores around Delilah's meal schedule. If I know I am going to spend a lot of time in one store (i.e., Joann's or any store with Fabric), where I will need patience from Delilah, I make sure we go during Snack time. I just bring some of the Gerber Puffs in a ziplock and her sippy cup and she is a happy camper while mommy browses. I always plan trips to the Mall around lunch. She loves sitting in her stroller, people watching, so the Mall is usually an easy time. I choose to go at lunch time because I can get her a healthy meal of grilled chicken and veggies from the food court, which make a great leftover for her later.

During today's trip to the Mall, we sat next to the Carousel during lunch. I kept looking at it thinking how much I loved the Carousel as a kid, still do actually. Then it hit me, I have a child who may just love it as much as me. So, we rode the Carousel after lunch. Delilah's very first time!

I learned a few things during that ride. Mainly, don't be the first one on. You have to wait and wait and wait before they start the thing. This really tried her patience. I was able to get her to sit on the animal for all of a minute before she started throwing a fit. Since it wasn't going to start for a few more minutes, we moved to the bench seat instead. She still seemed a bit impatient so I tried to pacify her with my phone. That was about to wear out when they finally started the ride. THANK GOODNESS! Once it was moving she seemed to be happier. There were no smiles, but she didn't fuss.

Anyhow, enough yammering on. Here are some pics from her first Carousel Ride.







Monday, September 27, 2010

Fall

Fall is in the air! It may not last, but we are enjoying while we can. I have turned off the AC and opened all the windows. I am even seeing some color changing in the leaves.


I love this time of year! The crisp air, the rich colors, and the yummy aromas from all the baking, or in our case the Pumpkin Pie candles burning. Fall is definitely my favorite season, I just hope Alabama weather cooperates. 

Delilah has been doing amazing things, as expected! She is signing more and more. She has learned Milk, Fish, Cracker, and Eat. It seems like she signs something new each day. 

Unfortunately, the poor girl is going through some serious teething. Last time I counted she had 4 coming in at the same time. I looked again this morning and I swear I could see more. Most of the day she seems happy and unaffected by this madness. Then, all of a sudden, she will start sobbing and it takes ages to soothe her. I am hoping that this soon will pass. I hate seeing my little one in pain. 

Hoping you are all having a Fabulous Fall Monday! 

Monday, September 20, 2010

100th Post

It is unbelievable to me how far we have come since the very first post. From a floppy, ‘failure to thrive’ infant in the NICU, to a constantly moving, happy toddler. Delilah is constantly proving to us just how amazing she really is. Everyday we see something new and exciting. Just today she signed ‘fish’ while playing with a stuffed fish. Something very simple to most, but monumental to us. It shows that she “get’s it”, she understands. 


I must admit that sometimes I do worry about her developmental delays. I know that she will get there, but it can be hard to watch her struggle. For instance, stacking blocks. We practice this over and over and it can be discouraging when she only wants to knock them down. Then, out of the blue, I look down and she is stacking a block on her own. She did it, it just took her a little longer. 
Walking is the one thing that gets me down the most. I want her to walk so bad, because she wants to walk. I can see it in her face. She is getting there. She is cruising along the furniture and she is starting to let go and stand, unassisted, for a few seconds at a time. I know she will eventually walk, but the waiting is hard. I guess what really bothers me about it is knowing she can’t keep up with other children her own age. 
A couple months ago I joined a mom’s group in hopes of finding some friends for the both of us. I met some lovely women, with lovely children. Alas, after a few outings, I have stopped participating. It is difficult to find activities that Delilah can participate in. Park play was out of the question because of the heat, as with anything that kept us outside for extended periods of time. Then there were a lot of activities that seemed too ‘old’ for her or were centered around food. I just couldn’t seem to find anything that worked for us, and I guess I gave up. 
I really hate that I gave up. Delilah loves other kids. Anytime she sees another child, while shopping, she will twist around in her seat and giggle and babble at the child. Each and every time it makes my heart break because she doesn’t get to see other kids very often. Actually, she only sees other kids when we see her cousins in Florida. I need to make more of an effort to make friends, for the both of us. 
Another thing I have been noticing more is FOOD. It has always been difficult to get Delilah to gain weight, so the types of food she eats hasn’t always been an issue. Of course we try to keep it as healthy and sugar free as possible. Now I am more focused on what she eats and what is around. She is a typical toddler and wants what we have, be it food or the remote control. She is easy to redirect, NOW, but we want to prepare for the future. We don’t know when it will happen, but at some point food will be a main focus for Delilah so we need to make changes now. So we have been trying harder to eat healthier and keep the snacking to a minimum, with zero snacking in front of her. It is definitely going to take some getting used to. Think of all the parties and holidays that have food sitting out, EVERYWHERE. We have to stop that, NOW! It’s something that is going to take some work. Football season should give us some practice. I’m just hoping everyone we are around will be on board with everything we have to do to protect Delilah. 
Wow, what a long post. I didn’t mean to go into such a long dialog. Please know that I am not consumed with these worries 24/7. In fact, it is rare form for me to even think about what the future with PWS will bring. I try to live for each day and deal with things as they come. I know that there are going to be some hardships in our future so I want to enjoy everything I can now.  Delilah is perfect in my mind, and no diagnosis of PWS is going to change that. She is going to do amazing things. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

***Just because no post is complete without a photo***


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Game Day

In this house, it is always Auburn, even if my husband is cursing at the TV and threatening to change the channel (which is something he is doing right now). I must admit that I am not the biggest football fan. Usually, I could care less who is winning or losing. So why do I get into football season as much as I do? Two reasons. First, I love any excuse to get together with friends. Game day is a social activity that I wouldn't miss for anything. But the biggest reason I love football season so much is it gives me an excuse to dress Delilah up, and we all know how much I like to do that. So without further ado, here are some quick pics take on D in her Auburn jersey and super cute leggings. (No matter your team affiliation, you have to admit this is stinkin' cute!)







***FYI: This is the 99th post, which means the next one is the big 100. Gonna have to think of something special.***

Sunday, September 12, 2010

D's New Dress

This is just a sneak peak. To see more, head on over to my craft blog.


Monday, September 6, 2010

A Full Weekend

We have had a very fun, full weekend. Saturday was, of course, FOOTBALL! WAR EAGLE!!! We are all very excited about football season. For Johnny, it's about watching the game and having a few beers with friends. I am all about the hanging with friends and sharing some laughs, watching the game is a mere afterthought. It is also a wonderful excuse to dress up Delilah. I made her an Auburn pillowcase dress that is stinkin' adorable. I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I remember to take some! 

On Sunday, we drove to Florida for my nephew, Wyatt's, first birthday party. He was such a ham! So cute and full of ENERGY! That kid doesn't just walk, he RUNS! I couldn't believe how rambunctious my sister's household is. D was seriously outnumbered, as she was the only little girl. She really enjoyed herself playing with bubbles and hanging with her cousins. I wish we lived closer so they could spend more time together, but a 4 hour drive isn't too bad. 

Well, I believe I am going to spend the rest of the evening, recuperating from our weekend, lounging on the couch with the family. I will leave you with some pics from the party. 
The Birthday Boy, Wyatt







Silly Logan







Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Speech Evaluation

Last Friday Delilah had her Speech Evaluation with the Speech Therapist at Hand in Hand (Early Intervention). I was a bit worried she wouldn't act like her normal self because it was during nap time. I am happy to say she was wonderful. She always takes a bit to warm up with the therapists, but she was ready to jump right in and play. I felt really good about the evaluation. The therapist didn't give me much information when we left because she needed to review her notes.

I received the results on Monday and was very happy with them. As far as speech goes, Delilah is on a 12 months speech level, which is considered borderline within normal limits. She is automatically eligible for speech therapy because of her diagnosis, so we will start seeing the therapist once a month. During our sessions, the therapist will teach me different techniques to stimulate communication with Delilah. She did say that we have been doing a wonderful job with her already. She was very encouraged to hear that we are working on sign language which is a great communication tool.

I have said it before and I will say it again and again, 'Baby Signing Times' DVDs are AWESOME!!! As of right now she can sign More and Hat. Random with Hat, but she really likes that one. I also think she signs Shoes, but when she does it, it looks like More. (More is touching fingertips together, Hat is touching closed fists together, so very close.) I am very happy with her progress.

Another new thing she has learned is to brush her hair. Every night after bath time I will brush her hair and then give her the brush and help her do it. Then she will lightly do it herself. Then I help her brush my hair and she will do it herself. She really gets a kick out of this. We have also been trying to teach her to brush her teeth. She loves getting her teeth brush so she was eager to try herself. So stinkin' cute!

In a previous post I talked about possibly starting a new blog for all my craft projects. Well I finally did it. Here is the link if you want to stop by. And before I let you go, here are some pics of Delilah playing in my fabric scrap basket.



(By the way she is crawling like crazy now!)