my brother rocks

my brother recently created a rather touching blog entry that i wanted to share.  please support stamp out cancer in anyway!

big head baby

so i cant remember what i updated on in my last blog (and apparently im too lazy to look), so ill just give you info on the last month.  hazel started pulling up around her birthday and really loves to be standing a lot of the time now.  this week she has started moving her feet while standing-so a few steps here and there while holding on to things, but not sure if its considered 'cruising' since she really doesnt cruise too far.  last friday we had a booster flu shot and pt appt.  i asked them to recheck her head measurement and it went up again 2% in a month.  not a lot, but still shouldnt be going up that much in a month i guess.  so her head is now in the 95% which i guess is considered macrocephaly.  the dr was going to her sons christmas concert so we didnt get to talk to her.  so we went on to pt and i thought she had improved so much in a month and to me doesnt seem as 'floppy'.  maybe i read the pt wrong, but she didnt seem as impressed with hazel this month as i was.  and she mentioned some inserts for hazels shoes once she starts walking or something...  i sometimes feel like she is worried more than she says and makes little comments but doesnt discuss further.  so on christmas eve hazels dr called me from her home and discussed the head growth and she doesnt seem super concerned but is referring us to a neurologist.  im nervous but also glad to stop the 'wait and see' approach and just have a specialist look at her and tell me there is nothing wrong.  but she did say if they do an mri hazel will have to be sedated.  i do not like the thought of that one bit.  but maybe the neurologist will say there is no need.  who knows.  she is going to try to get us in as soon as possible so hopepfully i will hear next week when her appt is.  so i feel hazel is doing better physically, but i think the main concern is the jump in head growth.  in my opinion my baby isnt one of those 'oh my gosh look how huge that baby's head is' babies.  so its odd that its measuring so big.  i think it just means shes got a big smart brain like her parents :)

hazel got soooooo much stuff for christmas we are figuring out how to build more storage in the garage to keep everything in this small house.  and we still have 1 more christmas to go to on nye.  it was so fun watching her this year at christmas.  although the bags and paper really were her favorite things.  hope you all had a merry christmas and have a safe, fun nye!

I can't believe my baby is 1!

pt and dr update

my little lady is trucking along in the physical dept.  we had physical therapy a week ago and she was still refusing to put weight on her legs.  the pt seemed concerned by this and how low her tone still is all over her body (she could bend her foot back so her toes touch her shins, she still has 'slip through' when you pick her up, she sits with her legs so wide spread, etc).  so back to worrying me.  then over the week she started pulling up!  first on a cushion on the ground, then a little higher level, now this morning up in her crib :)  so yay i felt better about things!  then we had her 1 year appt yesterday.  it was traumatizing for me b/c they did a tb test, drew blood and couldnt find a vein on either arm, and then 3 shots in her legs and one bruised immediately and bled all over the place.  but the dr seemed a little concerned her head is growing faster and now in the 93%.  she measured ours and tysons is a little bit on the big side so this could be why.  but she said we are going to keep an eye on her physical condition and if she seems to still be having issues down the road (3 months? 3 years? she didnt tell me), we will do brain scans to see if there is another issue.  they like to always keep me worrying.  i dont like the wait and see approach.  but she is very smart and everything else is right on track so im hoping its nothing.  dr google had me worried all night so im trying to stay away from him.  blah!  okay off to clean and i will upload pics from the first bday party and post them :)

a few pics of my babe

october

about a week ago hazel started crawling :)  and with her laid back personality, she still prefers to sit still most of the time.  she will crawl a short distance to get something but isnt a whole house traveler yet.  shes taking it easy on us.  she is imitating a lot of sounds, blowing kisses, pointing to her nose, doing motions to songs, etc.  shes a pretty awesome baby.  shes a good eater and a good sleeper (most of the time).  and shes just smiley and happy.  sorry i need to upload pics soon and post one.

hazel's first birthday is in less than a month.  i cant believe it.  we took her to the zoo last week and i just started crying while walking to see the elephants b/c life is awesome.  im blessed with a great family and am so thankful for it.

tyson and i celebrated 5 years of marriage yesterday.  we celebrated by golfing (only for 5 out the 18 holes b/c i was whining b/c my toes and fingers were painfully frozen), massages, steak dinner, and settled into our villa with a hot tub and champagne at the end of the night.  i love that guy.

everyone have a happy halloween soon!

vent

this post is about weight.  i understand being skinny to most people wouldnt seem like a problem.  and i am thankful im not overweight b/c i know that is a struggle for some people.  but being skinny isnt always easy.  ive always been small.  i was very small in jh and hs.  i looked like i was in 5th grade when i was a junior.  i hated it.  i wanted boys to like me but no one wanted someone who looked like a child.  i would shop with mandy and our moms and cry to my mom in the dressing room b/c i couldnt fit in the gap jeans like mandy got that were so cool.  back to the kids section where there are no cool clothes for a high schooler.  then in college i gained the freshman 20 (in my case) and then thinned out a little after college when i stopped eating ramen and lipton noodle packs everyday.  i really became a pretty healthy eater after college.  people think when you eat healthy you are trying to lose weight and almost give you a hard time about it.  but i dont think noodle packets have anything in them that my body needs and i was tired of dragging everyday.  so over the past few years i get the usual comments about being thin which is fine... I am.  but at least i wasnt super stick skinny like hs.  i got pregnant and gained 35 lbs which no one ever believes that i truly did but whatevs.  now im breastfeeding and most of you know i have an altered diet b/c of hazels dairy and soy intolerance (which is really just eating extremely healthy).  with both of these things, i have become stick skinny again.  and EVERYONE loves to comment about it.  even the random customer at the hospital who isnt even my patient.  not one time, but 3 times he says something.  and the last comment that really pisses me right off is "you need to eat something".  sooo you are implying that i dont eat.  i dont care if you are big or small i dont think you should comment on size.  okay no big deal if you are trying to be nice.  like people say 'wow youre so little after having a baby'-thats fine b/c i know they are trying to compliment.  but when you are saying it in a way implying that something is wrong with my weight is rude.  i dont go around saying, "wow you are so fat"  "you really need to stop eating as much"  "do you realize how big you really are".  i think people are just idiots.  and its embarrassing to me in front of coworkers, friends, my husband, even by myself.  now i have started to become really down about my appearance.  i hate going out in public and i try to wear big clothes to avoid the nasty comments.  after college i had learned to love my little body- my no ass, no boobs, etc and i am not complaining about being small b/c like i said i know it would be difficult to be the opposite.  im upset b/c people think its okay to say negative comments about it.  and i am constantly saying "oh i only weighed like 75 lbs in hs" so they know its just my body type.  or "oh you should see how much i eat" like tonight i ate a subway sandwich, pork steak, 2 eggs, a full serving of potatoes, chips and salsa, and a piece of cake within an hour.  seriously. (again im defending myself to even you my blog followers).  why do i say these things?  i shouldnt have to be on the defense.  i should let them say their stupid nasty comments and let them think what they want.  when they make the eating comment i should say, "nah i was just going to see how long i could go without food before i die".  i wonder what their reaction would be.  maybe they would shut their big FAT mouths and ill smile with my skinny little mouth.  

not to be a know it all...

but hazels dr was concerned she dropped from the 25th to 18th percentile in weight and wants me to start giving her formula once a day... what?! why suggest formula as the only option?  any of you know i have a chubby little girl.  so i researched and kellymom along with other websites say drs freak out at 6 and 9 months when the percentiles drop in breastfed babies but its normal and they are using charts based on formula fed babies.  so WHO or CDC (whatever that means) recommends using this chart as of recently and im looking and hazel is a little above the 50th percentile!!  dr wants me to call monday with the exact amount of milk im producing when pumped (i didnt do it) and start supplementing and come back for a weight check in 2 weeks.  hmmm how do i tell her no without sounding like a know it all?

a little relief

we had hazel's 9 month check up and a physical therapy appt today.  we have been working her hard the past few weeks and she is getting stronger but still brought up the weakness/low tone to my dr and pt.  they agreed she is weaker and has low tone, but in the normal range of low tone.  not a neurological concern (she already knew what i was thinking).  it was nice to hear.  i was just making sure it wasn't a symptom of something else going on.  they seemed confident in thinking its a mixture of effects from torticollis and just her personality-laid back!  she could really care less if she can't reach something or isn't moving much.  we got a lot of new things to work on strengthening her core b/c she is super weak through there.  when shes on hands and knees her back arches b/c her little belly is on the ground!  she cant get it up.  and she isn't able to move side to side or grab things to her sides.  but she was excited to see her arm and leg strength making awesome improvements.  shes had a fussy week and i think about how sore i am after a workout... maybe shes sore from us working her so hard?  poor little girl gets picked on everyday!  it will be exciting when we can someday just play and not have these constant thoughts in the back of my head of which way to place the toy or position her or stretch her neck sideways multiple times a day while she squalls.  but until then, i am just very relieved that (hopefully) she isn't going to have any long term problems.  i would love if she was crawling by 10 months but we shall see.  we will keep at it!  thanks for the prayers everyone!

the queen of all carriers

I scored an Obimama Wrap Conversion Mei Tai made from a Natibaby Mea Rosso.  

Its a beauty.. and definitely the most comfy carrier.  Isn't the hood applique so perty??

ooo I just saw it 'pinned' here.  and this is my exact carrier since they are all customs.  wow haze, we are celebs.

new wraps

poster child for torticollis

from the second she was born (well looking back at all the pics now) i feel like i should have noticed the pattern of always tilting her head the same way.  at 4 weeks i was crying constantly and telling tyce something was wrong b/c how misshapen her head and face were and tyson thought i was crazy.  id call the dr and they would reassure me and tell me to have her look to the left more.... but i was so confused b/c this is the way she always looked.  so i stuck with my gut and kept turning her head to the right.  the turn got better but the tilt was still there.  then my sister and her hub noticed it always still tilted too so at 4 months we asked the dr again and finally got referred to pt.  i feel like a bad mom for not pushing it more.  4 months of time wasted.  her physical therapist says she needs to be moving by next appt.  i would be fine if she was not crawling just for the reason of being a "late crawler".  but her little body is so floppy.  i still have to support it when i carry her  or she falls back sometimes.  she cannot put weight on her legs too long before they buckle and this is with you holding on to her (not just by her fingers) and her whole body wobbling everywhere.  no scooting, no turning in circles, no pushing herself up, no moving at all.  just sitting if i put her there or laying there if she is down.  im worried and sad.  of course you google and it says its b/c of her flat spot so im worried it hurt her brain and thats causing the delays.  although im sad, i keep telling myself there are much worse things.  she is a happy girl, a good eater, and loves to dance!  prayers please!

chewbeads

i know i posted awhile back about chewbeads and not wanting to spend the money... well i ordered a wrap from sweet bottoms baby boutique this week and you got a free teether or piece of jewelry for free and i got turquoise chewbeads!!!  i will say i think they are worth the money (even though mine were free).  very cute and very chewy :)  plus i'm selling this wrap so it was really a freebie!

i'm a wrap star

sleepy wrap in orange-my first newborn stretchy wrap.  dont mind me looking like death-i was sleep deprived and hormonal... oh wait i'm still those things :)

 natibaby amazonia-my first woven wrap!  i actually just sold this today :(  i'll miss you!

didymos waves allegro-a great summer shorty!  thank you, Brayden for being my model.  real men can rock purple :)

 ellevill zara sun-probably our favorite color for the summer (at least for now)

stash shot all together.. such a pretty rainbow of colors!

i have 3 new ones on the way!!!  yes i definitely need an intervention.  but i believe i'm already selling one.  and another one i'm chopping and selling part as a ring sling.  i will post daddy's baby carrier maybe after our vacation and trip to meet mr. robby.

hazel lately

where to start??  i have lots of updates but probably will forget about half.

little lady is rolling both ways and sitting up better and better while reaching and playing.  her pt seemed pleased with her progress but her right shoulder has moved up higher than her left.  so we are working on different exercises to strengthen her core so she isnt doing this compensation.  but now we only go see her once a month which is nice!  just work on things at home everyday.  

we saw her gi specialist again recently and we discussed slowly decreasing her meds.  we have started and although she is spitting up a bit more, she doesnt seem like it is bothering her much.  she still is very sensitive to dairy and soy so i still have all the restrictions... boo.  her eczema is constantly broke out so ive been wondering if shes allergic to more (eggs, nuts, wheat) but im kinda ignoring it for a bit longer b/c i already feel like im starving to death.  she said around 11 months i can trial more dairy and soy and see if she has grown out of the intolerance and if not we could do a special formula if i was going to stop breastfeeding.  i may continue for a bit longer if thats the case and just add in hemp milk and other fatty and calcium rich foods into her diet.

speaking of foods... haze is loving experimenting with new foods.  we do baby led weaning/solids.  you skip purees and let baby feed herself with soft food.  she does really great with it!  and she already does awesome with a straw sippy cup and a preloaded spoon.  (ill have to add pics when i get them uploaded.)

last week haze broke out in hives pretty bad.  we still couldnt pin point the cause.  but it seems like the cause could have been a different colored paint used on her feet for an art project.  who knows though. the dr said if it didnt go away in a week we would need to see an allergist.  it went away after a few doses of benedryl.  i feel like we might be headed down the allergist road anyways though with all the other sensitivities to things.

since school has been out, hazel has been wanting to stay up and party all night long.  i feel like i might lose my cool when im home alone with an awake baby from 1-4 am.  at least i dont have to work the next day.  we just sit and cry together.  im hoping this is just a couple month phase and things go back to happy sleeping patterns soon :)

i guess thats about it for now.  i better get to bed in case we have another late party night.  and a full day ahead tomorrow-change dipe, eat, eat solids, read, early nap, change dipe and clothes, eat, walk, play, read, nap, change dipe, eat, play, water plants, read, nap, change dipe, eat, eat solids, bath, play, read, night time sleep.  my life is pretty repetitive and i love it :)

instead...

i would like this one

pregnancy and infant loss awareness with babywearing!

tempting... and it even has 'rose' in it... but i dont love the colorway

photo bomb

baptism

potatoes mmm

can you tell i like sticking my tongue out?

just chillin at the yacht club

loving bath time!

helping mommy do laundry (or staying entertained at least)

so cool for summertime

serious talk with dad

smiling girls

baby toting

yay for babywearing!  go mrs peterson

a nursing fav

does your baby beat you up while nursing?  do you come out of a nursing session with scratches all over your chest and hair pulled out?  i know it sounds so fun.  ive offered a necklace but it wasnt long enough and all my others were too delicate.  i reeeeally had been wanting chew beads but didnt want to spend that money.  so i thought-ETSY!  they have everything.  and this chick makes the cutest!  ENJOY!

a sweet little blessing

This is about Joe Nichols and his wife Heather and their journey through recurrent pregnancy loss.  Hope.

christi

just looking through some old pics and found this!  good times with awesome people :)

6 months old

my, my... how did my baby get so big!  friday she turned 6 months and we had a day full of activities.  she had a photo shoot in the morning and im so excited to get the pics back!  they were sooo cute!!  daddy agrees that every single one is great!

next she had physical therapy.  the pt said we have done a great job stretching out the tight side, now we have to work on strengthening the other side to help the tilt.  we also are working on using her right arm more b/c she cant raise it as high or cross midline too much.  and working on keeping her trunk straight which is another issue.  but overall she feels like she is doing really good.  i asked and she said she likes to see kids until they are walking since it affects using both sides of their body.  so it looks like we will have a long road of therapy but im thinking/hoping after more improvements our visits will be even further apart.  and im really liking our pt b/c she took extra classes on torticollis so i feel like she knows lots about it and is great with her!

finally to end her day, she had shots!  boooo!  but she actually did pretty good.  and we didnt have any side effects.  dr gave her medicine (to add to her long lists of other medication) for her horrible eczema! her back is covered in it and on her face and arms too.  im not big on putting steroid cream on her, but the dr said her skin could thin out in those spots if i dont treat it.  we are punishing daddy for all these issues he is handing down to her.

im so excited to only have one more week of school then i get to spend all the time in the world with my babe and hub.  this next weekend we are traveling to wisconsin for a wedding im in so that will be fun to have our first family trip!

Here is a pic of haze at her first trip to the zoo a few weeks ago.  she pretty much slept the whole time :)

wrap love

im craving this for summertime fun!

what?

why would someone want to buy this?

sorry fans (the few that i have)

my goal this summer break is to update more!!  things are great on the home front.  our reflux, allergy, fussy baby has turned into a smiley gigglebox this past month!  we love her no matter which way she wants to be, but it is nice to see that smile so much and hear her giggle.  she is still on 2 different reflux meds and mommy is still eliminating milk and soy from her diet.  around the time she turned this new happy leaf (4.5 months), she learned to roll over and sit up!  what a big girl!  its so fun to watch and im still amazed by it.

our other new development is that haze has torticollis.  this is where one side of your neck has a tighter muscle so it tilts that way b/c its shorter, and the other side is over stretched and weak.  i always noticed haze had a flat spot on her head since birth and favored turning her head one direction, but the opposite side of her head was lumpy from being crammed so low in my pelvis for a very long time so her dr was telling me to have her turn her head to the right... i was so confused b/c this was the side with the flat spot and the direction she already favored.  so i stuck with my gut and turned it the opposite way.  so the lumps subsided (separate issue from the torticollis) and she turned her head both directions more.  well all along while in her car seat she would have to head tilted sideway... yes normal for newborns to do this b/c they are on an incline and no head control.  well we started noticing it was always tilted the same way.  i still didnt think anything of it and apparently the dr didnt b/c i felt like she didnt think my concerns were a big deal.  well once she was sitting up i noticed it still always tilted and i started to worry b/c she sits with her spine like in a 'c'.  i was worried this could cause posture problems.  so when we went to the dr to get her ears pierced (yes she looks so cute :) ) i mentioned the head turning and tilting and she noticed now.  she got us in for a physical therapy eval and we started therapy right away.  i was fine at first b/c i thought it would be a few sessions of stretching and exercises and be done.  well then she tells me they can develop vision and physical issues if it doesnt resolve.  and now being at home doing these stretches and exercises for a few weeks i dont see much change and i read you usually have therapy through age 1.  so this may be a little longer process than we thought.  i know hazel could have much worse problems so im fine, i just hope we can get it fixed and it doesnt require surgery or botox or anything too extreme.

now for what you have been waiting for... PICTURES!  im bad about uploading so there are no new ones on the computer.  these were from about a month ago:

hehe i love this face

happy st pats day!

happy slobberbox :)

one month til summer break!  yay!!  i promise i will post lots more then of all our adventures together :)

taste the rainbow

i know this is a long time away... but im totally excited to do a rainbow theme for hazels 1st bday party! i have found so many cute food ideas and decorations i wanna start now!! hopefully by then her and i can both enjoy all the food we make. if not ill have to find a special recipe for dairy and soy-free rainbow cake and icing for my girl. oh and how fitting of a theme since shes my rainbow baby :)

summer here we come

hazel really wants this

for new mommies

wish i woulda seen this earlier! hope it helps you! and the slp in me loves this. and she didnt cry in the car seat today!