June 21, 2009

I don't know how it happens that a month has past since I posted. *sigh* Everything is so crazy right now.

Amaree being silly with her pants on her head.

Well, first I will give a weight update. Amaree had her 9 month checkup and she is doing very well. She weighs an amazing 11 lbs, 11.5 oz. She is about 23" long. Can you believe that she is almost 10 months old?

Happy girl! Notice the wrinkled nose-it is part of the smile!

We have tried feeding Amaree some solids, and that has not gone very well. Amaree will eat some oatmeal and some bananas, but when we try and feed her anything else, she throws up, and throws up and throws up. We eventually called the pediatrician and asked, but they weren't very helpful, they said as long as she is having wet diapers she is okay. Um, that is not the problem! I called out to the NICU and they said that her tummy might not be ready for solids and so we are holding off a little on the solids for another month.

I have two teeth!

Also, I was cut back on my hours at work, and now I work two days a week, WITHOUT Amaree. This has been very difficult for everyone. Amaree won't take a bottle. She will clamp her mouth shut and turn her head. We were trying to get her to eat other solids, but she would just throw them up. The Andrew and Amaree bottle showdown is a show full of drama. Andrew actually brought her to me on Friday so I could feed her. Hopefully we can get her to eat more foods soon.

Sometimes I put Amaree on her back, and I will turn around and Amaree will be like this, looking at me.

Amaree is sitting up by herself. She will sit for quite a few seconds, sometimes even a minute before she falls over. She also is rolling and squirming herself around the room. I will put her down, and then I will look at her a few moments later and she is moved a long way from where I put her. I feel crawling is soon upon us!

Amaree is sitting up by herself!

Yesterday, Andrew and I were working in the yard. Andrew was working on the trimmer and it was really noisy. We look over, and Amaree has the seat cushion over her ears. She would move it when the trimmer was off, but when the trimmer would come on again she would cover her ears. She was doing it by her self, too. We thought it was really funny.

Loud noises, Mom!

Amaree is still a very happy and pleasant baby. She and I are great friends. She has been making these funny faces and I have been trying to get them on camera, but as soon as she sees the camera she starts smiling. I will have to keep trying to get some of those faces.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

May 24, 2009

I can't believe it has been a month since I wrote last. So much has happened! I kept meaning to update, but the time has just gone by so quickly. Amaree has finally got her first and second teeth! The first one poked its little head through on a Sunday. I am actually sad about it. It means that she is getting so big! I actually like her little gummy smile, and she does this thing where she pushes her gums together and blows and she makes these little sounds that crack me up.

We put her down for bed and we found her chewing on her bed. I grabbed the video camera and this is her chewing on the bars.

The second tooth came through exactly one week later. She had an appointment for her shots and she now weighs an amazing 11 lbs and 2 oz. There were three babies blessed in our ward a few weeks ago and they were all bigger than she is. I am not sad about that, I am so proud of her. It is just funny that she is now 9 months old and she is still so small!

We did the March for Babies for the March of Dimes last weekend. We went to Logan and walked five miles. We made a poster for Amaree and all wore matching t-shirts, and we raised a little over $1000! It was really fun, the walk was beautiful and it was great to meet and talk to other families who have been through what we went through.

Amaree is such a wonderful baby, she is so happy and so friendly, and she is so good. I am still not quite used to her as part of our family, I mean it seems a little strange that we are now a family of three and she is our daughter and will be living with us for a VERY long time. I think it is like when you first get married and it takes a year or two before you are used to it. Maybe by the time she is a year or two old it will have sunk in.

April 26, 2009

I had good intentions to post, but you know what they say. However, I do have some fun things to share with you. First, Amaree has learned to roll over! This is so exciting for us-another huge milestone, we will take it! Here is a video collage of her rolling over:

Amaree was also blessed in church last week. It was a special day. Leticia spoke because she is going to Russia, and then to have Amaree blessed the same day was really cool. Here is our little Amaree in her beautiful dress, courtesy of Annie, her grandma.

Here is Amaree with her dad, and as always, supporting the Jazz.

Amaree's dress so so beautiful, it is hard to see in the picture, but the dress was sparkled under the lace. She was so cute!

Amaree loves her mom!

I also have pictures from Easter.

This is Amaree's cousin Gavin, who was born two months after Amaree. I think he dwarfs her.

Amaree found some eggs!

April 13, 2009

Amaree had her shots last week and so we have a weight update. She now weighs a full 10 lbs and 8 oz. She is gaining very consistently, exactly one pound every 28 days.

When she got her shot she was so good! She felt the needle go in, you could see it on her face, but she didn't cry and then she felt the serum go in, and then she started to cry. She then cried for a few minutes, but then was back to her happy little self.

She has been getting very vocal and almost laughing. It is so fun to listen to her coo and talk. Often, when I put her down for her nap, I can hear her talking to herself until she drifts off. I caught the very tail end of her story before she stopped.

Andrew has been so busy with school and work, Amaree and I are both looking forward to the semester break so we can have him around. Of course the silly Jazz will probably be in the playoffs so it wont matter if he is home or not. *sigh*

I have been working hard on getting ready for the March for Babies. Everyday that it is nice, Amaree and I go for a walk with Kathy. We are up to 2 1/2 miles. We should be ready for that five mile walk. I put Amaree in a little bike trailer/stroller. It has a flap to protect her from the wind, and she is so small she doesn't fit in the strap and harness system, but since I am only pushing her, I put her on the bottom with a blanket and a rattle or two. She enjoys watching the scenery, until she falls asleep, but then as soon as we stop, she wakes up. I hope the weather is good for our March. I think it will be a great opportunity to raise awareness and gain support for those who have to go through what we have been through.

I am also trying to get a support group for NICU graduates. If you know someone out here who has had a preemie, please direct them to my blog or to me so we can support each other.

Amaree is so fun sometimes, and so much work other times. Some days she will play happily by herself, and then other times, like today, I can't put her down without hearing about it. Some days she just wants to be held. Just one of those days today, I guess. It is okay, because I am making up for days that I couldn't touch her at all.

April 6, 2009 honest scrap

Andrew's honest scrap

1. I have man-crushes on most of the Utah Jazz Basketball team. I fantasize about hanging out with them, hunting with them, going on man-dates, and having them pick up the tab. I would have the biggest bro-mance with my man Deron Williams. Go D-Will!

2. I don't like telling people what I do for a living because of the reaction I get. So don't tell anyone but I investigate child abuse. ( I know what a Freak)!!!

3. I honestly believe that someday I will get lucky and shot a trophy buck with my bow. (what can I say, it could happen)

4. I often present like a tough guy (a mans man) but the truth is I am an extremely sensitive guy. (I will admit I cry).

5. I find some of my greatest joy in serving people.

6. This is not something that I want to be judged for but I have gotten in touch with my feminine side. This is a little to hard to say but what the heck, I have scrap booked.

7. I enjoy doing home projects but when they take more time than I think they should take I become really frustrated. (why can't home projects ever go as planned)

8. I thought I knew it all until I became a Dad, boy was I wrong. I love being a Dad, I learn something knew about myself and being a parent everyday.

9. I am a very loyal person and I need what my father-in-law calls Vitamin F (time with friends). I love to spend quality time with my friends.

10. Last but not least, When ask what I wanted when we were pregnant (boy/girl) I said I don't care I just want a health baby. Well as we all know Amaree had a rough start but she is doing better than we ever could have expected. I got exactly what I deserve a strong willed, impatient precious little angel and I would not change a thing.

April 4, 2009-Honest Scrap

So, this Honest Scrap has been going around the blogsophere, so and I just got tagged. The goal is to list ten honest things about yourself. I have been thinking about it, and I am going to give it a try:

1. I am not as mean as I would like to be. Honestly, I try very hard to be nice. I know I often miss the mark, and sometimes come across as sounding meaner than I meant to, but I would love to be a Miss Parker. *sigh* She is my hero. Say whatever I want, and have people cower when I walk into the room. Okay, so this is my illusion of grandeur.



2. I actually like being a mom. I mean, right now I do. I even think that it is easier than I expected. Of course, I am only counting the time home from the hospital, and I know that it is going to get harder. The time in the NICU doesn't count because I have never done anything harder in my entire life. I even think that if I added up all the hard things in my life that the NICU would STILL come out weighing more.



3. I never in a million years would have imagined that I would have a preemie. I mean-I have the big hips right? Big hips = child bearing. My whole life it was presented that if you have big hips you can have lots of babies. WRONG! And, guess what, you can do everything right, and STILL have this happen. There is no way to prevent it if it is going to happen. Which leads me to ...


4. I believe that we have no control over our lives. I think that control is an illusion. We THINK we have control, but we really don't. Of course, our decisions can make things easier, but really you have no control over getting cancer, getting hit by a bus, getting a job, who your family is, and all of these things make up who we are. See what I mean? It is all an illusion.


5. I am a TV junkie. I like TV. I love to watch HGTV, old movies, and mysteries. I have the television on when I clean, when I do laundry and when I am working on the computer. "Oprie calls it muli-taskin." (Can you name that movie? Here is my favorite -I will give bonus points for it: "I am not illiterate! My parents were married right here city hall!")


6. I don't care for music. I mean, I listen to it sometimes, but it usually starts to bore me after a while. I listen to NPR, or thanks to my Zune, podcasts. I like to learn things, and I like that I can listen to things to teach me new things.

7. I don't care for chocolate. Really, I don't like it very much. If I could have a grapefruit or some chocolate I would totally go for the grapefruit. I crave it. I like to eat it like an orange and get all of the juice and wonderful meat. My mouth is watering as I type. I want some grapefruit, but I ate all the ones that I had. :)

8. I like to think that people like me. I hope that people think I am a good person and people enjoy my company. I hope that I am not someone who people talk about, saying "Oh my goodness, can you believe her? Well, I guess you just have to take HER with a grain or two of salt!" If I am like this, will someone please tell me? I would rather know so I can fix it.

9. I have always wanted to own an island in the Caribbean or South Pacific. I would to have a beautiful house there where it over looks all my island and I can walk outside in the glorious sunshine and have a sandy beach where I watch the sunset. Of course the island has to have trees that provide bananas, coconut, grapefruit and pineapple so I can eat fruit whenever I want. And it will be warm, a nice retreat. *sigh* It is nice to have dreams.


10. Summer is my favorite season. I usually hate the other seasons because they are not as wonderful as summer, but this year, after missing fall and winter, I think that I am enjoying spring because it leads us to summer. I like summer because it warm, and I don't even mind the HOT. I like to have picnics in the grass, I like the late summer evenings, I like that I can leave my jacket and coat home. You can go outside with just your regular clothes on, not bring the entire contents of a closet to keep you warm. The fireworks and holidays of summer are also joyous. People visit in the summer. Summer is the time for adventure, school is out, projects get done, the earth is green...Okay so I REALLY REALLY love summer.

Well, there you have it, I have listed ten things about myself. I hope you all enjoyed it and I would love to hear your comments. And since I know you don't all check this because of me, here are some pictures of my gorgeous babies:



I hereby tag Andrew, Amaree and Courtney.

April 1, 2009-Seven Months

Amaree is now seven months old. She is learning how to roll over. She has done it several times but hasn't quite figured out exactly how to do it on purpose. She always seems surprised when it happens. Along with rolling over she has figured out how to rotate herself when lying on her back. She kicks and lifts her behind and back and then moves herself a few inches. She does this until she has turned herself around.

Amaree has turned herself so far that she is hitting her head on the edge of her gym. She can't figure it out.

I also think she is teething. She has been SO grumpy. Her cheeks are red, and she is always chewing on her fingers or anything she can get into her mouth. She is drooling much more and she isn't sleeping well, not that she ever did, but still... Grumpy girl.

A few moments of peace while she sleeps.

We have also attempted to give Amaree rice cereal. We are starting to do this to get her used to the sensation of food. So far she has not enjoyed it very well, see note above.

Amaree having her first rice cereal. Gotta love the camo bib that is enormous.

On thing that we have noticed is that Amaree has several scars on her little body. Of course she has the big one from her surgery, but she has lots of little ones all over her body. She has several on her legs that are about 1/2 inch long, and lots of little dots. She has a strange webbing on her tummy, which I assume was from some tape or something. I have read several things from other parents who discuss their preemie scars. One parent even had a doctor suspect her of abuse until they could prove that the baby received the scars from that same hospital's NICU. I know that we are blessed that Amaree has so few physical scars and the ones that she does have are minor. Some will be with her all her life, and some will be with me all my life.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me the March for babies!