Bundled Up

We took Aerin out on a rare outing yesterday, just to remind her (and ourselved) that there's a world beyond our house. She was great and didn't even fuss on the car ride home. I put her in her door jumper before we left and let her crawl around her room so that she wouldn't be restless.

I'll try to write more later, but this is a busy week for us.

Playtime Progress

Aerin is very serious about her play. When she decides to put something somewhere, she will fulfill her mission at any cost. She's also very goal-oriented. Since she conquered the stacking rings, she's been working on her Haba train. She wants to be able to put the pegs into the holes and to put the blocks onto the pegs. So far, she can get the yellow peg in and put the blocks on about 1/3 of the time. They are the first toy she goes for during playtime. She's also very creative - she has figured out that if she puts things on the nursing stool (which is at an incline), they'll slide down. Pull-the-flap books are another favorite toy. She can lift the flaps herself and has such a good time. I think it's like peekaboo to her and that's still among her favorite games.

Teething is making Aerin very bite-y. She bit my left na-na yesterday and it was fantastically painful. She took me totally by surprise, too, so I cried out. This startled her into crying, to which I was somewhat less sympathetic than I usually am.

Aerin understands so much now. You can ask her if she's hungry, if she wants O's, if she wants Momma or Daddy, if she wants uppy, if she wants her baba, or if she wants a bite (Gerber apple wheels broken up into tiny pieces) and she'll let you know what she wants. She will also hand you whatever you ask for and give you five. She's also very good about not doing things that I tell her not to. I usually just say no, don't do that in a firm voice and shake my head and that's the end of it. Except she still won't keep her hat or socks on.

Sock Wars

Every night I put socks on Aerin because her feet get cold. Every morning I go into her room to find the socks on the floor. I'm considering taping them on.

Aerin continues to make feeding her a challenge. I did give her a couple of white raisins, which she loved. I can't give her too many, though, because they're not so good for baby digestion. We are making progress with the sippy cup. Today I put 2 ounces of cranapple juice and 6 ounces of water into one and Aerin took a few good sips.

In other micropreemie news, we were very pleased to hear that 16-year-old Hawaiian golfer Tadd Fujikawa made the PGA Tour event cut at the Sony Open on Friday. Like Aerin, he was born 3.5 months early, though he outweighed her by 3 ounces.

More Teeth

Aerin has had some cranky afternoons, which aren't much fun for anyone. She's finally getting more teeth and her mouth feels crummy. Her 2 front top teeth are coming in and she loves biting things in half with them.

Aerin can now identify my nose and mouth. She mostly does so by trying to jab her fingers into them, but she jabs at the correct feature. She loves when I ask her to give something to momma and then thank her. Her fine motor skills are fantastic - yesterday she put a very small wooden peg into its hole. I was shocked.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Aerin's Daddy's birthday! She is so excited that she is having trouble napping (we're hearing lots of "talking" from her room). We're going out to celebrate, something that was out of the question last year.

Aerin has mastered the rings. She can get them on the stick every time and shows no sign of getting bored with them. She's also still into putting things places and has started handing me things. She really likes to be thanked - she laughs every time I say thank you to her.

We've pretty much abandoned the high chair. She is so much happier in her booster seat at the table. We don't even use the booster seat tray anymore. I think she feels more included sitting with us like a big girl. She keeps putting her foot up on the table, though. It's pretty funny, but I'm going to have to discourage it because it won't be funny when she's older. I also worry that she'll tip herself over when she's bigger.

I'm trying to get Aerin to eat more regular food in the hopes of getting some weight on her. She has eaten decent-sized portions of chicken the past few nights (cut into tiny pieces, of course). I didn't expect her to like the chicken when I offered it because I cooked it with pepper and cilantro, but she loved it. I think her palate is broader than a term baby because some of the medicines she takes with gusto are very strong-tasting (and smelling). Of course, Aerin being Aerin, she won't eat white potatos or bananas or rice or avocado, which would help her to gain weight.

Standing Alone

Yesterday morning Aerin stood without support for 5 seconds! I know because I held my breath and counted. I was very excited, but Aerin didn't even notice. She didn't even fall when she was done, she just reached her hand out for support.

Aerin loves to close her door when she plays in her room. I keep it open and gated and she just crawls over and swings it shut. Sometimes she doesn't shut it all the way and tries to open it so that she can try again. This never works because she sits in front of it and blocks it completely. It's so funny to watch.

We recently discovered that Aerin loved edamame (Japanese soybeans). I try to give her a large variety of foods so that she won't have a bland palate when she grows up. She is very game about trying new foods - she'll let you put anything in her mouth. However, if she doesn't like the taste, she'll pull it out of her mouth and throw it on the floor. She's not a spitter at all. She also has a highly-developed gag reflex and will make herself throw up if she decides she doesn't like something after she's swallowed it. I was thrilled that she liked the edamame - it's so good for her. She would have eaten an entire bowl of it, but too much can upset the tummy.

New Year's Day 07

Aerin ate 2.5 black-eyed peas tonight. She ate a half of one by itself and decided that she didn't like it, so I snuck 2 into her green beans. For those of you who don't know (aka Yankees), eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is a Southern tradition that ensures luck for the coming year.

Andrew taught Aerin to make the kissy noise and it's too adorable.

Happy New Year!

Aerin is ringing in the New Year asleep in her crib. She loves snuggling down under her blanket. I think it reminds her of when we used to do kangaroo care. She looks so cute under her blanket with just her little head showing. Aerin sleeps in the most uncomfortable-looking position ever - on her stomach with her legs straight under her body (her chin rests on her heels). All babies are flexible, but I think that Aerin has innate flexibility (inherited from me) that will stay with her when she grows. Our doctor assures me that some babies like to sleep in that or similar positions.

Aerin's new favorite hobby is putting things places. During breakfast, she puts some Cheerios on the dining room table and some on her changing table (and of course a large portion gets fed to the dog). When she's in her fort, she puts books and toys on the sides or in the seat of her swing or on the couch if she can reach. When she's not stacking and unstacking her beloved rings, she puts them everywhere from back into the toy basket to the top of one of her walkers to the seat of her bench. I find it very amusing.

Aerin still prefers books to all toys. Her gaze is rapt when we read to her and her comprehension is very high. She looks at the correct page while it's being read and looks at us expectantly when it's time to turn the page. She loves nothing more than being read to and has memorized all of her favorites. I'm sure y'all are wondering how I know this when she doesn't yet talk. Well, sometimes Andrew likes to be silly and make up his own stories or change the words and Aerin screams until he reads it correctly. She also loves to turn pages herself and will examine the words and pictures intently. She's in this new phase where she'll only eat if she's being read to. It's okay (but inconvenient) during supper when Andrew is there to read while I feed her. Breakfast is more problematic because it's just Aerin and me. I read a book, hand it to her, and shovel food into her until she demands another book by pursing her lips and shoving the spoon away. Then we repeat until the food is gone. It's gotten pretty old by now, but she has to eat.

Aerin is a tiny girl. She's in the 25th percentile for height and the 41st percentile for weight for her adjusted age (1 year). She's still not on the chart for her chronological age. She's a decent eater, but she's just not that interested in food. I feed her only organic fruits and veggies, with Cheerios and the occasional treat. She doesn't even get excited about treats and doesn't care when she finished something she likes (like pears or fruit-juice-sweetened snacks). She doesn't like avocado or bananas, which might help to put some weight on her. This is a loaded issue for me because it brings back memories of her painfully slow weight gain in the NICU (they had to give her fat through her feeding tube). We have to get some weight on her before her surgery this summer, so I'm going to have to get creative.

2006 was overall a wonderful year for our family, but I'm looking forward to the New Year. I'm hoping that we won't have any ambulance rides and that we'll say good-bye to hospitals in July. Happy New Year to all of our family and friends and blog readers who help us so much with your loving support. Don't forget to eat your black-eyed peas!

Having Fun

Not a Fan

We took Aerin on a rare trip to the mall last week. There were different characters walking around (presumably for Christmas, but a lot of them had nothing to do with Christmas at all, which was weird). Of course they came up to Aerin (everyone always does) and she was not a fan.

Happy Holidays

Happy Hanukkah, y'all! Aerin had her 15-month check up and everything is fine. She's healthy and her development is either normal or advanced. She weighs in at 20.8 pounds and is 28.5 inches long. She's allowed to sleep with a blanket now and she seems to like it (kind of). I'll be posting more when things slow down.

WalkAmerica

We have just signed up for our second March of Dimes WalkAmerica, which will take place on April 29, 2007. We raised over $600.00 last year and would like to raise $1000.00 (or more) this year. Our Marx Family Team 2007 page is up and running, so please check it out.

Aerin has learned to shut her door and to put the rings back on the stick (she just used to take them off and throw them around). This Friday is the anniversary of when she came home from St. Mary's PICU and her due date and the first night of Hanukkah, so we're pretty busy around here. We hope the holiday season is finding all y'all healthy and not too stressed.

Rusty Teeth. Literally.

Some time ago, I noticed some discoloration on Aerin's 2 teeth. I promptly freaked out because preemies are prone to a host of dental problems ("Preemie Mouth"). If a baby has cavities that aren't caused by human error (giving the baby juice, putting the baby to bed with a bottle, feeding the baby lots of processed sugars, etc.), often the only solution is to pull the baby teeth. I was so upset at the thought of Aerin having to have all her baby teeth pulled. I made an appointment with a special needs pediatric dentist.

We had our appointment Friday morning and it couldn't have gone better. I had filled out the paper work at home, so we didn't have to wait very long at all. I have a 2 page summary of Aerin's medical history that I give to doctors to save the time of telling it. Doctors are always thrilled to get it and Dr. Atkins was no exception. The let Aerin stay in her stroller and everyone was fussing over her, as usual. When Dr. Atkins put on his gloves and mask (with visor) and stuck his fingers in Aerin's mouth, I braced myself for the furious scream. Nothing. She just let him poke around in her mouth without a peep! She did kind of pull away at first, but when he didn't hurt her, she totally relaxed and just watched him. I was very pleasantly surprised. She didn't even mind when he scraped a little.

It turns out that Aerin has actual rust on her teeth from the iron supplement she takes to prevent anemia from the ulcers on her hemangioma. It's apparently not uncommon in patients with blood disorders who take iron. I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that teeth could get rusty. It won't harm her teeth at all and if it doesn't go away by itself, Dr. Atkins will just scrape it off at her next check-up. Her teeth look great, especially for a refluxer. Enamel erosion is common in patients with reflux because the of the stomach acids that wash over the teeth. Thank goodness Aerin's reflux is managed to the point where she rarely spits up. The doctor also saw where other teeth are coming in, even without an x-ray. Aerin only has 2 teeth (the front bottom ones) so far and she's already 15 months old (1 year adjusted). I was happy to hear that there are teeth up there, though I'm not looking forward to more teething.

BTW, I always get paperwork ahead of time if we're seeing a new doctor (or dentist). Most offices are happy to mail it to you if there's enough time before the appointment. If there's not, it doesn't take much time to stop in if the office isn't too far and it makes things much easier to show up with the forms already filled out. It's also a good idea to have a summary of your child's medical history on hand. I keep one in my diaper bag and, as I mentioned, give it out to new doctors. It's very important that the doctors know your child's complete medical history and you never know what you might forget with the stress of a doctor's appointment with a little one. This includes any remarkable prenatal history, as well. Aerin's history is 2 pages long, single spaced.

Rusty Teeth

I'll explain tomorrow.

A Few of Aerin's Favorite Things

Here are some of Aerin's favorites (and least favorites), just fyi:

Favorite Toy: books (she loves to turn pages and examine the pictures)
-runners-up include rings on a stick, pop-up activity center, and wooden turtle

Favorite Food: Cheerios

Favorite Dog: Marlowe

Favorite Word: Daddy

Favorite Activites: Feeding Marlowe her food, being held by Momma, crawling on Momma, watching Momma do things, playing with Momma

Least Favorite Activity: Baths

Least Favorite Food: Peas

Least Favorite Thing in the World: Being away from Momma

Four Generations

This Thanksgiving, Aerin's great-grandmother, Isabelle, finally got to meet her. It was wonderful to have 4 generations of women together. Maybe not so much for Andrew, though.

Aerin and Daddy

Progress

Aerin changes so quickly that I can hardly keep up with all of her new and emerging skills to report them. She has mastered the pincer grip with her right (hemangioma) hand, as you can see. She can even take a Cheerio out of your pincer grip, if you offer it to her that way. Any lingering fears I might have had about her use of that arm have evaporated.

While we were visiting our friends in Northern Virginia, Aerin discovered that she likes cars. Tristan and Aidan, four-year-old identical twins, were so generous about sharing their toys that they didn't even blink when Aerin went after their fleet. When we got home, I searched for pink cars, but they don't seem to have any in the stores. So I got Aerin a green VW bug (new model), a black Lamborghini, and a red pickup truck. I have pink cars on order. Aerin loves to push them around and crash them.

Aerin has developed her own trademark wave. She raises her left arm straight in the air, without bending the elbow, and kind of moves her hand back and forth a little bit. We went to the store the other day and she was waving at people right and left. I had also made the mistake of taking her out with a bow in her hair, so it took about 3 times as long to finish my shopping with all the people wanting to stop and coo at Aerin. I'm glad she brings joy to people, but sometimes I just want to do my shopping and leave the store in less than 2 hours.

In other news, Aerin won't leave me alone. She screams when I leave the room, which can be very frustrating. She's been extra clingly lately, always wanting to be held or to sit in my lap. I don't know how I got such a clingy child - I am one of the most indpendent people I know and always have been. C'est le vie.

Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Please visit the March of Dimes home page to learn more about their prematurity campaign or to see how you can help give all babies their nine months.

Update

Yesterday, Aerin interrupted the democratic process. We took her with us when we voted and the voting official in charge of helping people at the ballot tables (they really aren't booths) was so captivated by her that he completely ignored an elderly lady who was having trouble with the computerized ballot. Let's hope she uses her power for good.

Our trip went better than the last one, but Aerin is still not a good traveler. She did fine on the rides to and from D.C., but she was up from around 11:30 p.m. to about 4:00 a.m. She was also much fussier than usual. Part of the sleeping problem, I think, is that we didn't bring any music for her to listen to. She has an iHome in her room and I have the iPod set for 14 straight hours of music. We'll be bringing it if I ever work up the courage to take her on another trip. Still, it was wonderful to see our dear friends and their exceptionally cute children. Our hosts have 4-year-old identical twin boys and they are remarkable. You only have to tell them something once - it's amazing. They were so good around Aerin and never once tried to touch her or any of her things. Aerin was fascinated by them. Also in attendance was our other friends' 2.5-year-old daughter, who is always on the go. She loves musicals and it was so funny to see her singing and dancing. We dressed all of the kids up in their Halloween costumes, but we couldn't get them to pose together for a picture. Imagine that. There is a 1.5-year age difference between the kids and it's so interesting to see where they all are developmentally.

Lastly, we have some news. After much thought and prayer and discussion with our doctors, we have decided to postpone Aerin's surgery. I don't want her in the PICU during RSV season, especially when she is ineligible for Synagis. I am also not ready to have her in the hospital so close to the time when she was in the PICU with pneumonia last year. She'll have the surgery sometime in June. We're hoping she'll have more usable skin, so she doesn't have to have such a large graft. She'll also be bigger and stronger, not to mention how much more developed her immune system will be.