Walking & Potty Training Successes! June 3, 2009

It’s official – Kalyssa is now a toddler on the move.  On Monday (June 1) she took 8-9 steps from her Physical therapist towards me a couple of different times during her hour session.  She still prefers to crawl, but now we know she can do it … it’s only a matter of time before she’s chasing big sister, Brianna down on foot!  At her 15-month well-baby visit last week she weighed 18.8 pounds and was just under 19 inches long.  As the doctor put it … she’s consistently growing and gaining weight.  She’s probably just going to be a petite little thing.  Hmmm … probably my fault. I’m not exactly imposing at under 5 foot 4 inches tall.  Daddy is over 6 foot 1 so I was hoping they might get some height from him.   Brianna still may.

Brianna is now over 3 and half now and is achieving her own successes with potty training.  Due to the crazy economy … mommy is now at home with both girls full-time and I am able to keep her in big girl undies all day long now.  For several weeks she had one or two accidents a day, but over the last two weeks there have been several days where she stays dry all day.  She still “forgets” overnight so we have opted to only put pull-ups on her for bedtime and occasionally when we travel.  This is mostly because she often needs to go right “NOW” when she finally tells you and she is mainly successful at home because she knows where the bathroom is.

A big success in the last few weeks is that she will also go into the bathroom herself when she needs to – instead of running to mommy for help every time.  She is so proud of herself when she does this – and mommy is too!

Kalyssa at age One – Feb June 3, 2009

Kalyssa prepares for her first birthday cake

The week before Kalyssa’s birthday she hit not one but two milestones.  She began crawling for short spurts before crying out for mommy to pick her up … (for which I tried not to be a “sucker” and answer every time to make her crawl farther) AND she finally had her first two teeth break through her bottom gums the day before her birthday!

She enjoyed her birthday party, but did not much like the hat pictured here … or her birthday cake.  Apparently, she doesn’t like cold very much – and we had gotten her an ice cream cake from DQ.

Can’t believe it has been a year, but she has sure grown.

Kalyssa – 11 months old! January 21, 2009

Kalyssa on Christmas Day 2008

Brianna prepares to make Snow Angels

Kalyssa has reached some major milestones since I last wrote on here … She has been sitting up on her own for a while, but just this week has begun to transition from sitting up to laying with her belly on the floor (without getting one of her legs stuck beneath her).  She weighs about 16.6 pounds according to my bathroom scale and although she has been saying da da for some time along with other random sounds … this week she sure sounds like she’s working on ma ma.  Of course she only says it when she’s upset!  She’s definitely reached the separation anxiety stage – if I leave the room she will become upset – and when I come back she becomes upset again the moment she spots me.  Brianna went through this too at around 9 months as I recall … and it does last a while. :0)

We are still doing therapy to help her with her developmental delays.  We will soon be adding an Occupational Therapist in addition to her Physcial Therapist in order to work on her fine motor skills a bit more extensively.  For a while she would hold one arm back rather stiffly even when taking a bottle and she remains resistant to holding her bottle during feedings but the arm no longer falls back stiffly.  These are common muscular problems seen in preemies.  She appears to be progressing out of them naturally, but adding the OT to her therapy should help us make sure we are doing all we can for her to develop those skills normally/rapidly.

Mommy is also busy potty training Brianna.  She’s making progress.  We now wear big girl undies most of the time at home and “school” but we do tend to have a lot more accidents than successes.  She gets very upset about the accidents and we hope one day soon it will just “click” to tell us beforehand!  Meanwhile, I have a first birthday party for little sister to get planning!

Kalyssa 8 months – 2nd ear infection October 22, 2008

Last night was not fun by any stretch.  Kalyssa has had congestion since Saturday, but has been relatively normal other than asperating her nose now and then.  However, last night at 3 AM she began screaming and whimpering intermittantly with only 5-10 minute periods of sleep.  She was also shaking her head back and forth and I immediatly thought … ear infection.  Took her to the doctor and she does indeed have one in her left ear.  This time, they also prescribed numbing ear drops to alleviate the pain until the Amoxicillan starts kicking the infection. They also weigh and measure her every time so I have an official 8-month update on those.  She weighs 14 lbs 11.2 oz and length is 24.3 inches.

Other major milestones since her last post are that she still doesn’t seem to like Rice ceral much, with or without apples, but she has taken to stage 1 Sweet Potatoes rather well.  She does attempt to suck it off the spoon at first like a bottle, but by the end of each container she is usually opening her mouth for the next bite like a baby bird.  Not to good at getting off the spoon without my help yet, but is swallowing it instead of blowing raspberries or spitting it out.

Additionally, she has begun reaching for the pulls on her swing to turn the lights and music on as well as for objects on her carrier.  YEAH!  She’s finally figured out her hands are for more than chewing on.  Good going girl!

Brianna’s 3rd Birthday October 16, 2008

I know that so far this blog has been mostly about Kalyssa, but her big sister Brianna was also a preemie of 5 weeks (weighing 4 lbs).  Brianna is now tall for her age and you would never know that she had any developmental delays.  We did recently have to get her glasses as apparently she is extremely far-sighted and it was causing her left eye to turn inward toward her nose when she was trying to focus.  Many call this lazy eye.  Daddy had this problem when he was around age 6 though – so likely it has nothing to do with being born premature.  Last weekend we celebrated her 3rd birthday with a Tinkerebelle party.    This year she finally got it.  She knew it was a birthday party and knew to blow out candles (twice because she loved it so much) and she LOVED everyone singing Happy Birthday.  This time last year she was still a little intimidated by all the people in the house, but this year she was excited by everything.

The one thing she is behind on, though I’m told she will do it in her own time, is potty training.  She will tell you when she has had a BM afterwards, but otherwise she does not seem inclined to use the potty at all.  Though she knows all about it and will sit on it … I’m told it will happen any time that she’ll just “want” to.

She can count to about 20, though sometimes stumbles in the teens, and doesn’t really know what they mean since if there is more than one ball there are two balls (even if there are eight).  She knows her basic colors and shapes really well and is getting better at coloring all the time.  The thing that warms my heart the most has been two-fold though.  She now will tell me she loves me when I put her to bed and sometimes she sings the songs to me that I’ve been singing with her at bed-time for the last two or more years.  She may stumble on a few words now and then, but she’s definitely been paying attention.  She will also initiate names of friends to pray for and family members during “pray time” and it’s oh so cute.

Brianna and daddy check out Tinkerbelle on her cake

Happy Birthday to my big girl.  You are closer to being 40 pounds instead of 4 now, but you’ll always be my little one.

Progress being made :0) October 14, 2008

Kalyssa participates in the local First Steps program to help with her developmental delays and today we had a visit from her physical therapist through that program.  I knew she had been increasing in mobility but was delighted to watch her turn her little body while on her tummy up to 90 degrees to keep her eyes on a favorite llight up toy!  Additionally, we have had a little success with solid feedings lately.  She won’t put up with it for long, but we have actually gotten some of it to go in and not come out lately. :0)

We’re working on getting her to grasp toys as well.  She did begin grabbing the little fishes on her swing over the weekend and she giggled with glee when that turned on the music and lights (though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know she caused it with the pulling yet).  She’s very close to sitting up but hasn’t developed that reflex to put her arms down when she loses her balance.  Her muscles are very tight in her arms yet which is typical of preemies and part of why she is delayed on things that require her to move her hands far.  It is improving though and I look forward to how different she will be in two weeks when the therapist returns.  It seems there is something new every time she is here.  Yeah!

6-Month Update September 29, 2008

Kalyssa and Mom on 8/21/08 - Six Months Old!

We had her official pictures taken the following Sunday, but this shot was taken the day she was 6-months old.  Four days later we took her to her well-baby visit and she weighed 12.8 pounds and was 23.25 inches long. She didn’t like her shots (of course!) and unfortunately the pediatrition was again able to hear a heart murmer.  We have since had another echocardiogram and she does still have one of the two holes in her heart.  The good news is that the one in her lower-chambers/ventria has healed, but the bad news is that the one in her upper chambers/atria is still moderate in size.  It does not seem to affect her and the doctor’s are still choosing to watch and see if it grows smaller at this time.  We will have another echocardiogram at Riely in mid December to see if there has been any progress.  I promise I’ll post results!  Between six and seven months she has begun to sit up for longer with assistance and just this week has begun propping herself up with her arms when on her tummy regularly.  You can’t get her to sleep on her back at this point … she’s rolling over and around constantly!

Bonus Photo:  First Attempt to Feed Kalyssa Solids … It’s still not working, but gee she looks so small in that chair!

kalyssa

First Ear Infection – 5 Months Old July 21, 2008

Picture below!

Kalyssa is doing very well, but we were a little worried when she started eating less and sleeping a lot more last week.  She didn’t seem to be sick, but the clues were there that something wasn’t quite right.  A trip to the doctor on Thursday revealed that she has her first ear infection.  She’s too little to be pulling on her ear and letting you know, but it was definitely why her appetite was down.  Sucking on a bottle definitely causes the pressure in her ear to bother her so she was taking in only a little bit to satisfy her tummy and then wearing out.  She’s been on Amoxacillin for a few days now and we gave her pedialyte for 24 hours to see if that increased her eating.  It did – so then we switched to formula without the thickener to make it easier for her to suck down.  She seems to be doing much better and we are going in for a weight check at the doctor’s office this morning before I take her back to day care.  She was 10.5 lbs last Thursday.  Can’t believe she is 5 months old today!  Well, I’m hearing her crying in the other room so I’ve got to go!

Kalyssa July 2008

4 Month Well-baby Check Up June 27, 2008

Kalyssa weighs 10 pounds! Whoo hoo! She’s doing very well. Additionally, we started her at day care at the beginning of this week. I’m still adjusting to getting everything ready the night before and dropping two kids off at two different buildings etc. It’s only Thursday and I’m exhausted.

Kalyssa received 4 shots and an oral dose of immunization yesterday. She was a little fussy and had a slight temperature. Today she slept a lot I am told – so I’m guessing the shots are still affecting her. She has met several of the 4 month mile stones despite being a preemie, but as expected she hasn’t yet hit a few others. The pediatrician is recommending a local program called First Steps that will likely work with her day care to check in on her development and the meeting of future milestones as she grows. I know my oldest participated in NICU developmental clinics – so we will likely be attending those as well. The main one that she hasn’t hit is grasping her hands in the middle and reaching out to objects. She follows things with her eyes pretty well and engages you with a smile and cooing, but she doesn’t yet know what to do with her hands.

She’s been left on her reflux meds and her Neosure plus thickener. The nurse knew of a route to try and get our insurance to cover both the Neosure and the Thickener and so we may now begin to pick up a shipment of those at the pediatricians office and save a bit. Neosure runs about $15 a can and is not a big can. They last maybe 3 days. The thickener is about $40 for a 80 packet box. Each packet thickens one 4 oz bottle and Kalyssa is about to drink 5 oz at a time lately. So we really think the nurse’s efforts are going to make the special preemie formula’s and thickeners more reasonable for us. Another side note is that our local Wal-mart doesn’t carry the powdered Neosure formula and buying the liquid variety is even more costly per oz. We’ve found that CVS is the best place to buy it if you can’t get assistance from your doctor. Wal-greens also has the powdered formula, but you have to ask a worker to unlock the case to get it for you.

Incidentally, Kalyssa may not be allergic to corn. The nurse was aware of other babies that have experience runny stools when the thickener called “Thick It” was used to try to prevent reflux. The gel called “Simply Thick” is the one that seems to work best for us.

Allergic to Corn? June 5, 2008

I’m not 100% certain, but we think that the product called “Thick It” that we were using to thicken Kalyssa’s formula may have been the cause of her runny stools.  When the diarrhea wasn’t improving quickly my mother and I decided to try using rice cereal instead of the “Thick It” to try and help things become more solid.  Rice cereal was given to her as the first attempt in the NICU to thicken her formula and keep it down due to her reflux so I didn’t feel it could do her any harm to switch for a while.  And … since Rice cereal is also one of the items on the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast) diet recommended to battle diarrhea in older kids I thought it might help.  Well it did – a little too well. First she normalized and then she started to become constipated.  So we switched back to the “Thick It” again.  It only took 1-2 days before it was turning into diarrhea again.  When she came home from the hospital she was on a product called Simply Thick that was a gel-like product and I am going to order it on-line from the maker since my local CVS doesn’t seem to carry it.  The “Thick It” was CVS’s suggestion when I asked for the “Simply Thick” but as I look through the ingredients one of them is corn and I’m now wondering if Kalyssa’s little system doesn’t like corn.  I guess we’ll know for sure as she gets older, but for now I’m putting all stops on using “Thick It” since it seems to be the culprit in her extended diarrhea and possibly not the virus at all … (sigh)