phone photos

I need to get out my "big" camera more often, but the iphone is just so easy to snap quick photos.  Here are some from the past 10 days.  

PT & OT Essentials in our first year

Virginia started PT and OT in the hospital just about a year ago.  We were primarily focused on bottle feeding techniques at the time.  I wont talk about bottles here, because that journey warrants a whole post of its own ;) The other thing that we worked with PT on at the time was using infant massage as a way of helping Virginia.  Virginia seemed to have some emerging sensory issues and was always very sensitive to light, sound and touch.  I really believe that the infant massage that the PT taught me was helpful for Virginia.


This Lotion was our favorite to use for massage and general post bath moisturizing.

Upon coming home from the hospital we were immediately working on play techniques to help with her gross and fine motor development.  Below are our favorite items in chronological order from when we used them.

These links and this toy were good for grasping and visual tracking.

This mirror was used for tummy time very early on and still is a favorite today. It is big but not too big, stands up easily, shatterproof, easy to clean, and doesnt have that "fun house" effect that many infant mirrors have.

My mother is a pediatric PT and I have to say I was initially skeptical when she showed up at our house with the wingbo , but this prone swing really transformed tummy time for Virginia.  She lasted twice as long in the wingbo as opposed to tummy time on the  floor.  We used links, the stand up mirror, and suction cup toys with it to keep her entertained.  It also can be used off of the stand like a more traditional swing, although we haven't tried that yet.

We used this weighted stability ball  as an alternative for tummy time and eventually for core exercises.  The sand weight at the bottom gives it more support and control.

Typically I fall in favor of simple toys - board books, wooden blocks, stacking cups, small musical instruments.  Virginia loves these types of toys, but needed something a bit more motivating (lights and sounds) for some of the activities that she hated found more challenging ;)  These were the real motivators for her: musical garden , piano , and bongo drums .

As we struggled to find a sippy cup that worked the OT suggested using a honey bear container to teach her to drink from a straw.  Sure enough, a few days of working with the honey bear container and she was able to easily transition to a zoli cup.  I've linked to an actual honey bear training cup but we just emptied and sanitized a honey container that we had in the house and used a dunkin donuts straw.

We have a few new items that I anticipate that will be helpful with our  PT & OT in the coming year.

bilibo

pewi ybike

Any items or toys that you found helpful?  Any suggestions for us for the upcoming year?

From the Archives...

I was cleaning out my spam folder and found an old email from my dad (sorry dad, your emails aren't spam).  In it was a photo of Virginia from November 14, 2011 that I have never seen before today.  I believe this was just a week or so after she opened her eyes for the first time and probably the first time my Dad saw her beautiful eyes.  I still can't believe she was ever this small.

She also looks crazy red nice and pink (probably from a recent blood/platelet transfusion) and it looks like she had recently had her tapes replaced since that darn ET tube clip is so far in her mouth :(   Virginia was coming out of a pretty rough few weeks and looks pretty darn amazing though!

life in the grey zone

We are in the midst of cold, flu and RSV season and one of the most challenging things for us has been navigating the grey zone that we seem to fall in.  Last year Virginia came home towards the end of the season and we were obviously SUPER cautious and extra vigilant with sanitizing, hand washing, limiting visitors and until early May we only left the house for doctor appointments.  This year she is much bigger and stronger, doesn't qualify for synagis, and has been off oxygen and diuretics for nearly a year.  No one has given us specific instructions for this cold & flu season, as we seem to fall in that grey zone where "better safe than sorry" is said more than "don't even think about it."

Virginia still has never been in a grocery cart, has never touched a community bin of toys, has never been passed around at a large family function, has never had full freedom to play with her young cousins and has never visited the local aquarium, children's museum or zoo.  These are all things that are off-limits for us this winter but it is the other things, the less risky things that we struggle with as we sit in the grey zone of a former micro preemie.   We struggled with whether to travel to Maryland for the holidays.  We were careful to constantly be sanitizing and asking others to wash their hands, but it was risky to  be around so many people.  A risk that left my stomach in a pit as the holidays wrapped up.  I started to second guess our decision as I heard of RSV and flu outbreaks and as we learned of babies that we know being admitted to the hospital for RSV.  There was no taking back our decision and thankfully Virginia remained healthy, but it was a risk.

We take other risks too.  I occasionally take Virginia out for lunch, we occasionally go to small gatherings (after ensuring that everyone is healthy), and we occasionally host a playdate (again after ensuring everyone is healthy).  None of these decisions are taken lightly and I do often wonder if it would be easier to be in super lockdown than navigating this grey zone.  I doubt it....

By anyone standards Virginia appears to be a very healthy and active baby emerging into toddlerhood.  What we do know though is less than a year ago her lungs were in poor condition.  Some people use the example of trees. A full term baby's lungs are like a big oak tree in full summer bloom while a a preemie's lungs are like that same oak in late fall, not nearly as full of the important healthy bronchioles that help babies breath through a respiratory infection.

What I know is that we are following our gut, we are doing what we feel is best for our family, and we are reserving our right to make decisions and change them at any given moment for any reason.  This stuff is hard, as many things in parenting seem to be.  I'm not wishing these winter days away but I sure will be glad to see spring arrive and we already have a bucket list of things that I can't wait to do with Virginia outside the confines of our little house.

our little virginia - year one

I have finally finished and received the finished book!  Virginia's blog started as a way of keeping our friends and family informed in those chaotic and scary first days and weeks and then emerged into a baby book of sorts, a place for us to heal, and a place for us to share our journey and connect with others families.  This book is 137 pages of laughs, tears, anger, thankfulness, and beauty that I will always treasure and I hope Virginia will too.

For any fellow bloggers, I used blurb to create this book and am so pleased with the outcome.  You can auto export from any of the "big" blogging platforms and simply edit your book from there.

routine

The hustle of the holidays were a welcome distraction to our cabin fever quiet days at home but I think we are all glad to get back to our routine.  Virginia's morning routine started a bit early this morning so we quietly rocked and napped together for an extra half hour or so while the sun rose.  It was the most perfect morning of quietness, warmth, and snuggles until she woke up and realized that there was a whole clean room of picked up toys and vacuumed floors to destroy  explore :)

She treated me to the biggest smile and giggle right before I left for work

ohh what a year

2012 goes down as the best year yet for our little family.  As the calendar turned from 2011 to 2012 there was so much uncertainty, so much stress, and we were still living day to day.  I know that I didn't have the time, strength, or energy to think about what 2012 may hold but i had so much hope for Virginia and for Heath and I.  As we make the turn into 2013 there are still so many uncertainties but the picture is clearer than ever and our hearts are fuller than ever.  What we have experienced/ are experiencing is life,  life as we know it,  life on full throttle, and a life that we wouldn't ever change.

To my husband- Thank you for a year of strength, a year of hope, and a year full of love.  This year you were able to see through my words and into my heart and knew just how to protect it.   Im thankful that you get how this journey has changed me.

2012 in photo review - photos of the happiest days

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

 July 2012

 August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012