I'm BACK! 10 months later...

It's been a LOONg time I know. A lot has happened since the last post. Audrey is ginormous in comparison to 14 months, but still tiny at a mere 26 lbs. She's now TWO YEARS OLD! Holy moly it goes by fast.



In March Audrey was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have always been concerned w/ her delay in speech and not pointing, and the fact that she had barely ever responded to her name. Added with the fact she also avoided eye contact. She has been with First Steps of Indiana with therapy since Oct 2010 with developmental therapy and has just been amazing. After her Diagnosis, we added speech therapy to her Developmental therapy. She is doing great. Her eye contact has been unbelievable, she answers to her name and has come such a long way in a short time. There are still things to work on, like speech and her fine motor skills, but this daughter of mine is surprising me every week. Just this past month she is understand some of her sign language! she will give a sign for Milk and for more "More". it's great!! She will also tug at my leg when she needs help and leads me to where she wants me to go.

The general opinion of most professionals we speak to is that we think we can get her caught up in time for school. Next year she'll be going to an ABA institute to get her all caught up with kindergartners. I look forward to seeing her soar. She's amazing and there are no words to even describe my love for this child.

I have to say that the toddler years so far are my favorite. We play outside and we have SOOO much fun!! and watching her get so much more freedom and curiosity is a hoot!

I'm so glad I'm a mom to my special kiddo. She's made me a better person and I just hope I'm doing it right! ha ha ha!

I don't know if anyone reads this anymore, but i'll try to keep posting if nothing else to record and print later for my little bear to read when she's older!!

Amy Out

14 Months

What can I say but the wee one keeps me busy! She is coming up on 14 months on the 29th of July. It's weird sometimes to think of a human being that has only been alive for 14 months! She has been doing very well. She did have Roseola fun fun. It was a high fever followed by the ever - looming RASH! The rash looks worse than it is . It doesn't bother the baby just looks icky. She made a full recovery Woo hoO!

Because of the hot weather it has been difficult to take her outside to play. We haven't been able to get out as much as I'd hoped.

She is going to walk , I would say, in the next month or month and a half. She is pulling herself up and also so much better at her motor skills. Often times i stress over her milestones becuase she is a little late on things. I have to remind myself that she was born a bit early and will eventually catch up. I can't help but worry i'm a MOM! She is not forming any words and very little responds to her name. She does however respond very well if you start singing "ABCD..." my co-worker reccomends i change her name to "Abcd" hmmmm..hahah no i won't do that. I will however settle my fears when we see the Dr. for her check up next month. I know i should just SIMMA DOWN NOW..but I can't!! Even my therapists tells me to concentrate on the thing she IS doing or i'm going to miss it. I do that too..i just also stress..and this is my problem, not Audrey's. My baby sitter said that Audrey is a really smart baby and i know this, I just want to make sure i do everything possible for her. I didnt' talk until 3 and have been making up for it ever since mwaa ha haaa.

Audrey also loves to eat w/ her hands now. Her favorites are meatballs, plums, bananas, and organic chicken nuggets. I still supplement her w/ baby food at the end of the meal but she's doing GREAT.

I'm pretty sure she's gone through a growth spurt because her feet are about to pop through the end of her sleeper toes! She recently wore an 18 month Sleeper taht i've had since her baby shower and I remember thinking "my God,she'll NEVER fit that" ahahhah and now she's fills it all out. she's a tall one!

She has been sleeping great (knock on wood) and sleeps usually from 8:00pm - 6:30-7:30 am. Her morning nap is a thing of the past. She naps at 12 after lunch for about 2 hrs then sometimes at 4:30 for like an hour or less. Needless to say, mommy LOVES her sleep pattern. :)

That's all the updates i have , i love dressing her in summer dresses and she is just a peach and the light of my every single day..hands down the best part of every day.

I will be walking in the March of Dimes walk April 30th in Indianapolis. If you would like to donate or walk with me, click here on my page :) if you don't...you'll make the baby cry!

Amy's Personal Donation page

10.5 Months

My little birdy poo is now 10.5 months old. I can't believe that 1 year milestone is rounding the corner! She still seems too little to be 1!!

We just got through our 2nd ear infection yuck! Poor baby bear was not at all happy. It's so sad to see them not feel good when they are usually so fun and wonderful. I can't believe the alien-like goo that drops from the nostrils during her cold she had last week as well (yes she got double sick) it covered her nose like the blob. If I've learned one thing this past month, I've learned that Audrey HATES her face wiped off. I would too if someone kept coming at me w/ a giant blue scary bulb seemingly trying to suck my brains out ! She's a trooper though, and we made it! She is feeling much better with the antibiotics and motrin is a life-saver!

We also went swimming for the first time this past two weekends!! She LOVES IT! As my friend said, she splashes enough for the whole class ahhaha. Luckily my friend and her son Niko (who's 6 months old) are taking it with me and we have so much fun. And let me tell you one thing, those kids take KILLER NAPS afterwards hahahahah.

SPEAKING of naps...about two or 3 weeks ago i noticed my little birdy has settled into a new napping schedule! She now takes a 1-2 hour nap at noon after lunch..it is so great for mommy!! Now i have this little snippet of time i can pretty much count on to take a nap myself or do something around the house.

My mom has been great spending time with me on the weekends since my husband works. We shop and just hang out it's been really really nice. Now Spring is near and i CAN'T WAIT to get her outside to play!!! We need the fresh air!

Seems like another baby boom is happening, coworker just had her bundle TODAY and have other prego friends as well waiting for their stork delivery!

I still wish my husband could spend more time w/ us but it is what it is. His job is a stinker, so i have a camcorder to try to catch the things he cant :( We try to fit in daddy time when we can!

Until next time my pets....adieu

9 Months TODAY

Today is January 29th, my little darling bird is 9 months old today. It has taken 9 months, for her to sleep well through the night, ENTIRELY through the night on a consistant basis. I'm still in shock that it took this long for both of us to get a good night's sleep. As you can imagine, that's why i haven't blogged in a while. I was pooped! She has now slept for over a week from 8pm-to around 6am, today almost 7! WE had to wake her up today!!

Since my last post, so much has changed. I'm in a lot better place emotionally and have more confidence in myself as a mom. I'm not going to lie to any of you, the first three months scared the b-jesus out of me. I now know that after horemones settle, you adapt. Back then, i didnt' know that, and didn't really understand what i was going through was post-partum depression. I had intense regret the first month. I remember thinking "ctrl + Z" ove rand over (which is the "undo" key in the graphic prgrams. I was severely sleep deprived and sad and couldnt' stop crying even when i was somewhat happy. I felt extrodinarily isolated, trapped, and just plain awful. I was resentful to Aaron becuase he was able to sleep, which made me feel even more alone and sad (as well as me having to sleep on the couch for 2 months). Then there was Colic...holy Lord Colic. The first 3 months,I dont' think i was able to enjoy her very much. On top of everything i struggled with Breast feeding and ended up going to formula, which guilt still creeps in to this day. Needless to say, it was a rough beginning for our household.

Yet even through those crazy days, i loved her more than anything. Sure, i had to put her down a couple of times crying just to breathe for a minute during the colic fits, but sure enough, I was animal-like protective and concerened and looked up everything i could about colic and ways to help her feel better.

Three months seemed to be the magic age for Audrey. With the help of a product called "Colic ease (thank you Deana)" she was a completely different baby. Audrey smiled and cooed and she made us soar. Today it just gets better and better. If you would'v easked me at 5 weeks "would you do it again" i'd say yes, but that would be me lying out my teeth to sound like a decent person. but ask me now, and i know i'd do it a MILLION times over to have her. What i didn't realize, was that the newborn stage..is HARD.>>REAL hard with a colicky baby. And hormones are a BIAATCHH (excuse my france).

These days I wake up and cant' wait to see her. 5:30 am is early, but once i pick the crust out of my eyeballs and pick her up , she is warm and cuddly and wonderful, I am up and loving it. Being a mom has made me see a whole other side of life. I'm so elated we had her. Life is more fufilling. Sure its' still hard sometimes and i'm sure will get harder in different areas, but she is the highlight of my entire day every day. Am I still jealous of Aaron having a baby free day off every week and can sleep?...hell yes. ahhahah he gives me 2-3 hour naps on Sundays that he doesn't work until evening, so that defenitely helps me recharge, and he knows if he didn't I'd get back at him somehow. ha ha ha MWA HA HAAA.

So, in closing, life is good, life is real good and i can't wait until spring to get outside!!!

5 Weeks old Today

Hello again!

All of you know what has happened after my last post, i had ze bebe. I am already back from maternity leave and at work. As a newbie to newborns..here's what i've learned:

* This is the hardest thing I've ever done ...ever
* The first month..is hell but has gotten so much better after just 5 weeks
*Everyone tells me that I'll forget how hard it all was at the beginning, but I can tell you right now, we will never...ever....ever forget
* This is also the best thing I've ever done and i'm wrapped around her finger
*Pediolyte is a LIFE SAFER w/ a gassy baby!!!
*Your pediatrician doesnt' care how many times you call w/ stupid questions, they expect it!
*I have the best friends and family someone could ever ever ask for
*if you're having a newborn, there is NO SHAME in asking for help, a nap, or someone just to cry to.
*You try so hard and long to put them to sleep, then 20 minutes later you are staring at them in the crib almost wanting to wake them up
* I think my child is the only child on earth that doesn't fall asleep in car seats and rides in the stroller until about a 1/2 hr into it.
* My body has partly adjusted to sleeping a LOT less and i only need a full nights rest every once in a while to catch up :) but i still dearly miss my bed and can't wait until i move from the couch back to it!!
* Let your house get messy and clean it when you want to and have the time. Don't stress over it!!
*I'm finding i need more bottles!
* I miss her all day but am also glad to be working again and having a bit of normalcy back. It's good for both me and her :)
* Babies smell awesome
* and finally...i love that stinker more than anything in the entire world...

The Final Countdown 36 weeks

Hello All,

Big news today! First..I'm officially on bedrest for the blood pressure problems. Second..I"m being induced next Monday night....Third...it's so wierd to think by the end of next week i'll be a mom! weird weird weird.

Ultrasound and NST went awesome today btw.

I'm going to go lay onmy left side now ahah.

Love,
Amy