Who’s up for a game??? Part 3

Today’s clues:

Two pallets (yes, pallets) of potato chips.

One granite-topped vanity.

One giant couch, plus…

One chair.  Plus a baby.

I have enough clues for two more days.  No one’s guessed right yet!  Maybe we’ll do the reveal on Tuesday??? 

Spaghetti Skinny Dipping

“Hey, Noah- do you know what these crazy Moms have for us today???”

My friend, Alison, invited us to a “Messy Playdate” today, and I thought it sounded like fun.  So off we went to a little park where they had kid-friendly spray paint, cornstarch and water goop, pudding finger paints, bubbles, playdough…  All those good ol’ staples.

The best part of the whole thing, though, was the pool filled with spaghetti.

Yup.  Cooked spaghetti.

There must have been 30 pounds of cooked noodles in this little baby pool. 

And who better to share the experience with than our friend, Noah?

Once they got over the initial shock, I think they had a lot of fun!  Piper didn’t mind the new sensation at all. 

I think this is Piper asking Noah if this is how he usually takes baths…

Learning to stir.  Mixed in with a bunch of “bangbangs”.  Life is good.

Piper’s preemie-ness in combination with her seven weeks in the NICU, which included eight gillion and seven hundred million pokes, prods, and nastiness, funny lights, binging machines, and way too many people, have made her a little more susceptible to sensory overload.  I used to have to be very careful about over-stimulating her; it was easy for her to get overwhelmed with a lot of people, noise, funny lights…  She’s been getting better and better, and it hasn’t been much of an issue for a long time now.  But it’s always in the back of my mind.  After today, though, I’m convinced those days are past.

And I think that’s officially the last bit of NICU that we’re leaving behind.  15 months later.  Alleluia!

Who’s up for a game??? Part 2

What do these things have in common?

Today’s clues:

9 bags of dog food

2 giant coolers…  Baby’s extra.

Exercise anyone?  1 giant treadmill.

Any thoughts???

Who’s up for a game???

…and I’ll have a prize for the winner.  But I can’t tell you what it is because it’ll depend on who it is, if they have boys or girls, or no kids at all…  I want to be equal opportunity, lol.

Let’s play a game of “What do these things have in common?”

I’ll post a couple pictures a day.  First one to guess wins.

But, if you know what it is, you don’t get to guess.  You know who you are.  And so do I…  wink wink.

So, here are your first clues:

Growing, Growing, Growing

Piper had her 15 month checkup on Tuesday.  She had two shots leftover that she didn’t get at 12 months, so we needed to get those.  They didn’t have the flu shots yet (they were hoping that they might by then), so we’ll go back next month and get them for her, Luke and me.  It’s really nice that they let us get them, too!

Piper actually kept up on her 5% curve for weight.  I was pretty shocked; as of Thursday, she only weighed 12 1/2 pounds, so she gained a full pound in less than a week.  For Piper, that’s absolutely unheard of.  She’s been eating SO MUCH for the past couple weeks, apparently it just caught up with her…  (Of course, <ahem> there were some “outside influences” that kept her from “bottoming” out, and probably helped keep “stuff” from hitting the fan, but we won’t admit that…)  I was very relieved!  She’s still below the 5% in length, but I have a feeling that’ll be the story of her life.  Her head, however, is at the 50% on the Ds charts, and miraculously actually hanging on for dear life to the typical chart.

By the way- our clinic uses a Ds chart that has a 5% line, not just a 10% line.  My beef with it is that the scale for months is in base five, which isn’t very handy when the calendar is in base 12.  Anyway, does anyone know of a Ds growth chart online that has the 5%?

We went ahead and had a consult with the nutritionist they have in the clinic.  When the ped said that she was going to have her stop by, I wasn’t overly thrilled.  I’ve never talked with the one there in person, but the doctors have consulted with her(apparently a different one), and I’ve never particularly liked what they had to say.  I really liked this lady.  She was really impressed (and shocked) by the amount and variety of types of foods and textures that Piper is eating.  I’m not sure if she would have believed about how good an eater Piper is if she wasn’t eating her lunch then.  She didn’t have any suggestions there, which was good.  She did have a couple suggestions that I would never have thought about.  We usually have a glass of milk out for Piper to sip on in the day- I always figured that her volume would increase if she had it available.  But she said that it probably keeps her blood sugar up, so she’s not as likely to feel hungry between meal times.  Makes total sense!  So, our plan is to only offer her something to drink (outside of water) at meal times, and try to get two snacks in during the day.  She said that they like to see three snacks with three meals, but I have a hard time getting her to eat one snack.  So we’ll see if the milk plan works. 

I talked to the pediatrician about our ENT visit.  I wanted to get her feelings on everything.  I trust her.  Dearly.  So I was really anxious to get her thoughts.  She said that our doctor isn’t known for his bedside manner (along with the rest of that clinic…).  But, she did say that if she had a kid that needed something done, he’d be the only one she’d want to do it.  She said that he’s amazing at what he does.  Whew!  That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!  Makes me feel so much better!

Piper still has no teeth, but we’re going to hang out until 18 months before they make us go to the dental clinic.  I didn’t get my first tooth until then, anyway, so I’m really not worried about it.  It would be helpful, though, if she could chew with TEETH and not just gums!

So long as Piper agrees (keep your fingers crossed) we don’t have to go back until November.  We’ll stop by when we’re down there for one of our other appointments next month for the flu shots, but that doesn’t count.  Her ped said that she was going to try and catch us before we go home after the scope/tubes/ABR, and that, in the complete chance that we get admitted overnight, she’d be sure to come and see us.  One benefit to seeing doctors in the hospital!

15 months.  Holy cannoli.

Oh. No.

I have a sweet tooth.

A serious sweet tooth.

And, against my hopes, apparently it’s hereditary.

Looks like our candy budget is about to increase…

 

 

For the record, she found my stash.  I did not give this to her.  Luke ate it after he got home; it was completely mauled.  As bit in half as is possible inside a wrapper.  And with no teeth.  Maybe that’s for the best…

Piper and the Pool

Before dinner on Friday, Piper got to have a pool party at Nana’s house, too.  She even dragged the backyard hose to the front yard so that we could squeeze all the warm from that hose, too.  Spoiled?  Absolutely.

She sat on the edge to get used to the cold.  She was so excited.

Once we decided her incredibly bulky diaper was hindering her motility, she got to play the part of Neighborhood Nudie.  You can see how sad that made her… 

She must have gone in and out at least a dozen times.  She’d sit in the water (once she got used to the cold) and play with the balls.  She get out and play with the grass.  And then go back in again.

The soft sides of the pool were perfect for her- we don’t have one at our house because we happen to have two water-happy dogs whom I know would have it popped. 

Piper’s not the most daring of souls, so when she’s moving in and manipulating her environment as much as she was this day, it’s a big thing.  She’s getting so so so much better!!!

…even when she face plants with her butt up in the air!

  The reward for such an arduous afternoon?

I’m not sure who was happier- her or me!