Progress

This may look like a pretty average picture of a child jumping in a pool but for us this is a huge milestone that Elizabeth met this summer. We have been working on jumping for years; she can now get both feet off the ground about 2 inches and now can jump ahead. The pool this year was a great way for Elizabeth to work on jumping forward, usually we would either pull or push her so she did not leave her legs behind which has led to some very bruised and painful shins. Elizabeth even was able to do a couple of cannonballs too. Our 'tacky' pool was the best purchase we have made for her as she lived in the pool this summer and got a great workout for both her her arms and legs.

Hanging out on the couch

Things have had to slow down here even more. I am now off work for at least this month and trying very hard to do as little as possible. My contractions were a getting a bit stronger and happening at rest as well so the High Risk OB thought it wise to stay at home during this precarious period. Last week we were quite concerned and I needed to go back to to see if Celstone was needed as there was some cervical change shortening but seeing how it is back to it's original length we are chalking it up to difference in technique. I do have say it is very unnerving to go each week and wonder if this will be the day they don't let me go home as I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be away from Elizabeth (and of course Daddy too) for so long.

Despite my husband and parents wish to have me on house arrest I do take Elizabeth to school and to nearby appointments and will go pick up a couple light groceries if needed which helps maintain my sanity. We have a housekeeper coming to do the heavy jobs for me and Daddy is now the chief grocery shopper which is a bit of a learning curve. I do have to keep reminding myself this is only temporary when I see that Elizabeth is not getting the exercise that she needs to maintain her strength and I do try to recruit as many people as I can to take her on a bike ride or out to the park.

The timing worked as well as it could as Elizabeth is now at school full days so I have the day to lie down and putter around in the house. I so far have not succumbed to daytime tv and am trying to limit my online shopping we are down to one income but an occasional package does arrive here which I sneak in.

On a great note I have now passed the date when I had Elizabeth as I am now 25.5 weeks where Elizabeth was born at 25.3 weeks which is an amazing milestone.

1st Grade

Our baby is officially in Grade 1. It is so bittersweet I cannot believe she will be gone from me for an entire day everyday. She of course was so excited and did not look back when I dropped her off. The school has some pretty impressive plans set up for her and are really aware of her safety, she has an assistant full days now which I think is a bit much, I hope they give her space to be on her own and be the independent girl she is. They had her classroom chairs (First Class and Ray L), FM unit, versa frame in a private BR ready for her to use and her PT will be in next week to check on her. I met with her teacher and highligthed her movements and her inability to keep her body still so I hope this teacher will be a bit more understanding.

Elizabeth chose her outfit and was happily decked out with an abundance of sparkles and Hello Kitty (the Hello Kitty shoes actually fit over her AFO's, how I love Target). When she came home she was so happy and got right to playing teacher with her Dino's which was so sweet. She even ate her lunch that I sent every scrap of it, I am thinking she may need 2 lunch boxes for the day.

Our hopes this year will be where her teachers can see her potential and be patient with her as she perseveres.

Happy Birthday Auntie Katy

My sister Katy recently had her 30th birthday and when asked what she wanted for her birthday her reply was GOMEZ. She loves Selena Gomez; she loves her music, the Wizards of Waverly Place and all the movies that she is in. Timing was great as I noticed Selena was coming to town so I was able to get some tickets to her show. Elizabeth lately has taken an interest in Selena as well so she was happy to come too. My friend and her daughter also happily came which gave me a bit of back up as I was not too sure how this big excursion would be for me and my limited activities. Of course my parents were outside the stadium waiting for us as they are a bit afraid I may go into labour at any time.

We secured a pretty good spot on the grass with our blanket so I was able to sit for most of the show and while my sister danced and sang her heart out. I don't think I have seen my sister this lively; the past couple of years she sadly for unknown reasons is declining in her speech and cognition. She is present with us but not the quick witted person she once was which is sad to see. Seeing how happy she was holding up her poster she had made and waving to Selena for the entire concert was so nice to see.

To pack or not to pack

As I am getting close to when I went into labour (2 weeks until I am at 25 weeks) with Elizabeth for awhile I have been wondering what I should do to prepare. As with Elizabeth I had no warning that I was going to go into labour and Daddy was left to bring me supplies in the midst of our turmoil, I cringe at the outfits I was left to wear that he had thoughtfully brought.



I am a huge planner I like to have everything ready for whatever we do so it has been on my mind what I should get ready if something was to happen. So after a bit of a scare with me ending up in L&D as I was having frequent contractions I now have a bag prepared that I hope will not be needed.



I am now being followed by my OB weekly which is very comforting and have had no cervical changes. I am still contracting a fair bit so am trying to stay pretty low key. After my last scare I am drinking tons of water and have omitted Red Velvet cupcakes (this bulgarian boy like his father and sister really enjoys sugar).



I do not have the above bag but own a couple of the Lug bags and they are my favourite Mommy purses. I am hoping this will be the next bag in my possession as it would make a lovely diaper bag (hint hint Dear).

Fears

Despite what I would call a very low key summer Elizabeth's anxiety has reached an all time high. I have started to see that what I thought was reflux and car sickness is Elizabeth getting anxious about certain (okay many) situations. The same theme continues as they relate around toys (Buzz Lightyear, Ken, Wall-E, Dora, Elmo and many baby musical toys) it seems as though we conquer one and a new toy jumps in the mix.

Going to any store that sells toys is petrifying for Elizabeth, she is sweating, crying and does what she can to avoid the situation all together. What made me really sees how bad things had gotten was when I told she was going to see one of her favourite friends at his house and instead of elation she sobbed because she was too afraid to go there.

She is really smart getting out of these situations and if you didn't know her fears you would not see how she will manipulate the situation to avoid facing her fears. She often wants to play outside at friends houses, say she is tired and needs to watch tv at daycare and even asked her auntie if Barbie has any boyfriends at her house to avoid catching a glimpse of Ken.

I have tried to step up her exposure to her fears and I am repeatedly seen pulling her through the toy section at stores talking her through her fears and we do bring some of these items home to work on but it is endless how her anxiety creeps up and I feel like I am torturing her.

I have called for help and hope to get her enrolled in some extra help before she starts school and it intensifies. Seeing her so anxious just kills me as she normally is the happiest kid. I can't help but blame this too on her prematurity and wonder when does it stop for her, when does she get a break from the insult of her early arrival?

Enjoying Summer

Like everyone else our summer is flying by; with my work schedule and Elizabeth's PT, riding and swimming lessons we have been busy. We were able to get away for a week to my parents trailer and did some of her favourite activities. Elizabeth is so happy at the trailer and loves frog catching, fishing, swimming and going to the beach. Mommy especially loves the little country bakery which is close by. We know when Elizabeth is really happy as she hums when she is in her element which is exactly what she does when she is playing in the sand.

We did have a day trip to South Hampton and spent the afternoon at their museum which this year is hosting the Grossology exhibit. We have learned all we need to know about barf, farts, poop, boogers and germs. Ironically Elizabeth was able to answer all the barf related questions as it seems that she still for many reasons has a volcanic like barf every couple of months (we left our latest mark at Dairy Queen on route to the trailer).

The weather here has been stifling so we have had spent many days in the 'tacky' pool which has warmed up to a lovely 90 degrees.

Baby Bump Update

I know I have been awhile in updating on how things are going with my pregnancy but I find by the time I get Elizabeth to bed and lunches made I am right to bed. Elizabeth is so excited about being a big sister and she tells her brother how cute he is and how much she loves him. She has even thought out how things will be when he is born and stated 'it will be a bit of a nightmare as she will have to stay with her Dad but not to worry as she will manage'.
As for how things are going just like my pregnancy with Elizabeth I feel great, no nausea, no food aversions, lots of energy during the day, I only can complain about not being able to sleep very well but that is it. The progesterone has definitely helped reduce the contractions and irritability of my uterus. I can now drive in the car without having to miss every little bump on the road as it would lead to contractions. I just have to make sure I lay down and rest, drink lots, no strenuous activity and wear very loose clothing (anything touching my belly leads to contractions). My last check-up showed no cervical changes so we will wait on the need for a cerclage. The only extra problem is I have placenta previa which may cause a whole bunch more problems that I really try not to think about. We are hopeful that it will move a bit and not cause too much trouble.
The baby is pretty active already for 17 weeks which I think sometimes causes contractions. I definitely have a pronounced baby bump now and am needing bigger clothes. I am still working and am on a very limited workload which my colleague and the Pediatrician's are very supportive. I hope to work as long as I can seeing that at work I can have the option of having slow days where I can get desk work done.
It absolutely frightens me at the thought of that in less than 8 weeks I will be as far as I got with Elizabeth. I find myself at work preparing to be off in an emergency by leaving notes for my replacement if I am off. I even in my head have made a list of what needs to be packed if I have to go to the hospital and I have to remind myself I do not need to pack yet. I cringe at the mess I was when I had Elizabeth, Daddy packed some items for me and I don't know where he found the clothing I had to wear the 10 days I was in the hospital. I do take comfort in knowing I am followed by a great High Risk MD who I see frequently so we take it one day at a time. I don't think I will ever feel the excitement or attachment to this little soul until he arrives safely and close to term.

The Graduate

Elizabeth is officially done kindergarten and will be a big girl in grade 1 next year. Her class had a small celebration with some songs and treats which was cute. I have to say this year was not a memorable year for her at school and I hope that grade 1 will be better for her. I don't think her teacher understood (or wanted to understand Elizabeth's differences) Elizabeth's differences were almost an annoyance for her teacher and it did lead to some conversations and promises that things will be better next year. I hope the complaints of her 'selective hearing' and inability to keep still will be less and her new teacher will understand that her Auditory Dsysncrony and her CP are things she cannot control as hard as she tries. We are very blessed to have a great Special Education teacher who advocates for Elizabeth and works with her weekly.

Academically we are not worried for her, she does have some problems with numbers but we will work hard over the summer. Her report card of course showed her difficulty with paying attention (but that as explained is due to her ADD) and of course her printing is still behind and will have to be accommodated when she is required to do more written work.

Socially she has made huge gains and our previous concerns are less than before. She does at times want to be by herself to play and does voice that she cannot catch up to the kids when they play (I will address that with them next year when she is outside at recess). I can't say she has a close friend but there are a couple girls who she plays with and at least once a week she brings home a dinosaur picture/book from a friend at school.

I can't believe that in the fall she will be gone to school all day. It is a bit sappy but I still miss her when I don't see her all day when I am working. I am pretty worried how exhausted she will be as a full day will be very tiring for her but she will get used to it.

Now we have 2 months to enjoy the sun and have fun.

It's landed

Our tacky mammoth pool has landed for the summer. I had sent Daddy to pick up a bigger pool this year as the 2 foot pool was a bit small for Elizabeth and her friends and seeing that we will be staying close to home this summer a pool seemed like the best way to have fun. Daddy had brought home a much larger pool this year which wasn't as apparent until he began to set it up. A pool 4 over feet high has been erected and took 3 days to fill with our garden hose but it is now here to stay. We did try to hide it's tackiness with tall grasses but it still stands out like a sore thumb in our backyard so I made Daddy apologize to our neighbours for the view.

Elizabeth is not being aware of the eyesore that it is loves it, the height is perfect for her to swim around and dive for her toys but she can still touch and keep her face above the water. After a bit of a heat wave it warmed up nicely and I even climb in to float around.

The only other downside with it's height is that I almost have to tip toe to see in the pool and there is no way I can see her unless I am leaning over the edge looking in. I have discovered her clubhouse gives me a birds eye view and I can zip down the slide if I need to rescue her (on modified bed rest of course).

I think we will get a lot of use of out the pool this summer. If you are ever by come join us for a swim, Elizabeth would love the company.