February 25, 2010

Amaree is eating like crazy, we think that she is going through a little growth spurt at 18 months she is moving into 6 to 9 month old cloths. We picked up Amaree's glasses today we figured it would be a fight but she seems to like them. She has been wondering around the house exploring her new world with her enhanced vision. We were looking through the thick little buggers and they seem to be very strong, it is no doubt they help her see much better. We went a saw some of the nurses and ladies at the NICU that grew so close to Amaree they were all so excited to see how well she is doing they could hardly contain themselves. Amaree as usual was her flirty little self showing off for them. A part of us felt like we did not want to put glasses on her but they sure look cute on her. We are probably very bias but we think that Amaree can make just about anything look good.

Feb 4, 2010

Amaree strutting her stuff

Amaree trying to be like mom !!!!!

It has been way to long since we updated the blog. Amaree has been doing so great and life has been so busy we have lost track of time and updating the blog. Amaree has decided that she is done seeing life on all fours. She started walking about 2 weeks ago. One day she was crawling the next day she was taking a few steps between mom and dad and after a coouple days pratice she has become a pro, walking upright all over the house. Everyone that sees her walk makes comments like she is not big enough to walk, but those that know Amaree know that she has a spirit that will not allow her to body size to get in the way of what she wants. Jessica took a full time job working for Duchesne County doing computer repairs the first of this month and Amaree is adjusting to being at the sitters 4 days a week (dad watches her on friday's). We are so blessed she is so fun to be around and brings so much joy into our lives.

November 16, 2009

Amaree fell asleep and I put her in the laundry basket. She is so tiny still!

Amaree has been doing great. We have had a lot of drama, but it is life as usual. Since Amaree has learned to crawl, she has also learned how to climb up on things. This caused a few problems. First, her cradle had to be put away and we got out her crib. Because she can already stand, we had to have the crib lowered before we could put her in it. Now the drama-she HATES it. She acts like we are abusing her when we put her in there to sleep. It has been major drama but I think she is starting to get used to it.

This is the face that Amaree makes all the time. I had to take a lot of pictures to finally catch it on camera. She usually makes a snorting sound with this face. It is so funny.

We have also been through Sick Amaree 101. Amaree is normally a happy, flirty, inquisitive baby. She loves people and going to new places. When she is sick she just cries and wants nothing but to be held. Even to put her down causes major screaming when she is sick. She hasn't been really sick, just a virus and a cold and now her molars are coming in. She has eight teeth and more are on the way. Sick Amaree is a real trial for me. The crying is so constant. I like my Happy Amaree.

She is still so tiny. She weighs about 13 pounds. When people ask how old she is and I respond with "14 months", I get quite the reaction. It is kinda fun to see the looks on peoples faces.

Amaree in her Halloween costume-Little Pocahontas. This is the only one that wasn't blurry! She is so busy!

For Halloween, Amaree wore the buckskin dress that Andrew and I made her for Rendezvous. She was so cute!


Today is November 16, and Amaree came home from the hospital exactly one year ago yesterday. This has been such an amazing year. She has grown and changed so much. She has such a fun personality. Everywhere we go people comment on how inquisitive and attentive she is. She is so social and interactive that people are amazed when I tell them her story.

August 31, 2009

Amaree did great eating her cake!

Amaree turns 1! Yesterday was Amaree's first birthday. It was wonderful! It was nice to make new memories for this day and to spend time with family. Andrew and Kerron made a beautiful cake for her. I made a video of her first year and all we have been through. We also had a brick of cheese that showed how much she weighed. We had root beer floats and lots of friends. I am so grateful for our friends and family who supported us through the trial of her hospitalizaiton.

Birthday girl opening her presents!

We also went on vacation the first of the month. We drove to Washington state. We drove most of the night so she did okay, but it did get to her the last hour each way. We saw Mt. St. Helens, the Pacific Ocean and family.

Oregon coast and Mt. St. Helens

On the way back we saw the eye Dr. He is still concerned about her vision. It is better and it is improving on its own, but we're not out of the woods yet. We also got to go back to the hospital and see one of her nurses. it was awesome.

Amaree is getting all her teeth in at once! She has her two bottom ones, but she is getting SIX all at once. There have been some grumpy days, but she is often so good.

Amaree is crawling and getting into everything! She is so funny now. She loves exploring and following us around the house. Amaree loves getting up on things. She has learned not to let go, she had several bumps and scrapes from letting go and falling.

Amaree still flirts and is super cute with everyone. I cannot believe that it has been a year! This time last year was so scary and nerve racking. This is so much better and so wonderful!

July 25, 2009

Wow! Another month has passed and we have been so busy! Amaree was asked to be the Ambassador for the March of Dimes Eastern Region so we went to a few fund raising events and told her story. We did the jail & Bail events for both Roosevelt and Vernal.

The Jail & Bail event in Roosevelt

I was in a play for Altamont Longhorn Days and that was taking a lot of time. It was a fun little melodrama, and I have forgotten how much fun that can be! Here I am:

Vera Carlton and Hilton Hays, "He Ain't Done Right by Nell"

Amaree is so mobile now! Still not crawling, but today I caught her grabbing the carpet pulling herself while kicking her feet. She also rolls herself and scoots to get where she wants. Andrew has been trying to teach her to crawl.

Go, Go Go!

This is what it looks like. It is so funny to watch. Jake, my BIL says that it counts as crawling. But here is something that is truly remarkable. If you have ever seen anything like it, let me know:

Isn't that amazing?

Amaree did something today that she has never done before. I put her down to play with some toys while I finished getting ready for work. I was blow drying my hair and I could hear her crying. She was really loud so I turned off the dryer and went to check on her. She had followed me across the room and into the hallway. I think that once she got to the hall she was unsure about where I was. I was just so surprised that she knew where I went and then followed me across a room and into a hall.

Amaree has gotten herself into a tight spot!

The other fun thing that we did was we had portraits done. Amaree was so cute! If you want to see some of our pictures, you can see them at Heroes Photography. Not all of our pictures are there yet, but the ones that are there are really fun. There should be some more of Amaree and Andrew.

I also want to give a shout out to our Nurses from the NBICU. I have heard from a few of you and I want everyone to know how amazing you are and how I still think about you and still admire all the hard work you have done. Thanks again for all the work you do and for the miracles that you give.

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.