look alikes

In case you had any doubt about who Virginia looks like ... 

 I present evidence number 1 

and evidence number 2

Sure she has my coloring and maybe mouth, but this girl can't deny the Kent/Fairley genes!

Celebrate!

We had a busy, but great trip to Maryland this weekend.  The weather was amazing, so we enjoyed spending time on my parents deck visiting with our friends and family.  

Every trip to Maryland from June to early November involves a crab feast, unfortunately our hands must have been too messy to take any photos.  We had a great time hanging out and eating crabs with my parents, my sister and her family, and our friends Joanna and Rusty.  There is nothing like a crisp late summer evening spent with fun people around a brown paper clad table with a mountain of chesapeake bay crabs, a few dishes of melted butter, and some old bay dipping piles.  Its an event not a meal... something for Virginia to look forward to in the coming years.  

There is also nothing like Sunday brunch and redskins football with family, especially when celebrating a new engagement!  My cousin Nina (and one of Ginny's biggest supporters) got engaged Saturday night to Jay, who has been a Klem family favorite for a long time.   We were so so happy to be there to celebrate with them.

Congrats to Nina & Jay!  

Virginia meeting Nina for the first time!

Ginny, Nina & Karly

Virginia loves Uncle Shawn

Teresa, Karen and Virginia

The MKlem and BKlem girls

Virginia's first time meeting Kara.  Virginia loves nurses and instantly loved Kara, who is in her final year of nursing school and is going to be one amazing nurse.  

Virginia with Uncle Jim

Clare helping Virginia open her first birthday gift (a few weeks early!)

Moma and her girls at halftime

Moma, McKenna & Ginny

Flashback Friday - Feeding

As I gave Virginia a bottle today, I couldn't help but be amazed and reminded of how far she has come.  We cuddled together as she drank her bottle and before I knew it she had finished all 7 ounces.

All of January and most of February of this year was spent laboring over Virginia's feeding.  Our baby was no longer in critical condition but we had been in the NICU long enough to know that feeding was a big hurdle and had long term implications.  We no longer had the healthy naivety that helped us emotionally get through the first part of our journey.  By January we were well read and fully immersed in the possible realities as parents of a micro preemie.  In short we were scared out of our minds.

Virginia's feeding struggles brought to light the many unknowns that we would be faced with and was a good lesson in patience.  For me the anguish over her feeding troubles weren't about feeding, it was the anguish about the unknowns in our new reality.  The unnatural things like the ventilator, the pumps lined up of IV medications, the PICC lines, and the mountains of xray and ultrasound reports were all mostly behind us, but the reality of how unnatural the should be natural things was staring us directly in the face.

We did and continue to do the only thing we know how - put one foot in front of the other and enjoy each day with our beautiful blessing.

the first full bottle that Virginia ever took for me.  

Virginia had to be fed sitting up and we had to carefully help her pace herself.  

FUN

We are having a lot of fun these days.  Hope you get a smile out of these photos and videos :)

Virginia loves sitting on the porch bench

She likes rocking in the rocker in the mornings.

 

She loves with the "baby" on the iphone camera ;)

And she thinks Pippi is hilarious

savoring summer

We are savoring every last bit of summer.  This weekend included time at the beach, walks outside, watching thunderstorms, a blessing at church, and a special Auntie's birthday party.

RSV and cold/flu season are looming around the corner and we are trying to make the most of our last few weeks before we do a bit of winter hibernating.  We haven't found out if Virginia will be receiving synagis and we haven't discussed the specific do's and don'ts from our pediatrician yet, but we are planning on being very cautious and see how things go.

The Plan: We wont be doing much traveling this winter, we won't be going to the mall or grocery store with Virginia,  we won't be going to church as a family, and we either will graciously decline or be very careful at any gatherings with groups of friends or family.  We do still want to see our friends and family, but we will just have to be extra careful.  This is where we need your help.

-Please wash your hands or use hand sanitizer when you come in our house or before touching Virginia.

-Please get a flu shot and pertussis vaccine.  I used to be a flu shot skeptic until I realized that I shouldn't do it for me, I should do it for the many people that are more susceptible to complications from the flu and whooping cough (preemies, babies, elderly,and those going through immuno suppressant treatments).

- If we are planning to see you, please let us know if you or anyone in your house is sick, you think may be getting sick, or have been sick within the last few days. And yes, the sniffles and tickle in your throat count!

Therapy

Therapy - Unfortunately not the retail kind!  Virginia has now completed 6 months of therapy in the birth to three program and she has truly made some amazing progress in these 6 months.  At her initial evaluation, which was just a few weeks after she was discharged from YNHH,  she was barely able to lift her head off the floor while on her belly, could not reach for objects, and had very little head control.  After that appointment her therapist wrote formal goals for her development for the 6 months following the evaluation.  Virginia has reached every single one of those goals which include full head control, rolling, doing baby push ups on her belly, sitting up independently, eating solid foods, and  grasping and controlling objects with both hands and between hands.  Her newest tricks that surpass these goals include babbling, repeating some simple gestures, feeding herself puffs and toast, and rotating while on her belly.  We are so very happy with her progress and hope that it continues.

Her therapists have decided to increase the frequency of her physical therapy and also add occupational therapy, not because she is lagging behind on her goals but because it is clear that she is thriving with the help of the therapy sessions and she has been responding especially well lately.

Im certain that if her Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist from the NICU saw her now that they would be truly amazed.  Virginia's therapy file from the hospital was full of observations like severe feeding troubles, sensory issues, low tone, torticollis, trouble finding midline, disorganized motor control, and notably quiet.  Virginia, you have come a long way baby.

leaving on a jet plane....

Virginia must be studying the maps and globes in her room and be dreaming about traveling to far off places.  She went on her first plane rides this past weekend and was such an excellent traveler.  She has always been good in the car so I felt pretty confident that she would do well on the plane but traveling alone with a baby always presents challenges that you don't think of ahead of time.  Luckily my mini travel partner won over many fellow travelers with her smiles and giggles and we were blessed to have some very helpful strangers assist us.  

Once we were settled in Maryland she spent alot of time playing with and loving her cousins.  They are so sweet with her.  Virginia also got to visit with lots of other family and friends and greeted everyone with a smile.  

We also spent alot of time at the pool!  Virginia especially liked swimming in the big pool and watching all the other kids in the baby pool.  

She also tried out a jumparoo for the first time.  Id say she liked it!