Wowwwwwie!

I have a friend who I’ve known since middle school- we did Job’s Daughters together for a lot of years, and then competed in Speech through high school.  She got a big job in Singapore last March, so I’ve been living vicariously through her and her hubby since then, because, well, if nothing else, I’m pretty sure I’d starve to death if I were put in a similar situation.  But I won’t admit that.  I mean, really- how cool would it be to live a couple years somewhere like Singapore???

Anyway, Piper got a box in the mail today from Miss Erin- and it could NOT have been cuter!!!

It came complete with a pretty pink (and shiny!) dress…

…and BEAUTIFUL (Piper said so herself!) bracelets (which were exponentially more fun to watch Luke trying to put them ON than it was watching Piper take them OFF)…

…and a parasol.

Piper begged not have to put on her pajamas. 

Thank you, Erin and Dave, for thinking of the squirt!  The chopsticks are bound to bring hours of entertainment, I’m sure!

Car seat help!

Okay, so I’m hoping that you guys can give us a hand.

Piper is (still) in her infant carrier.  But, obviously, once the new baby comes, she’s going to have to find another way to travel.

Colorado law says that kids need to be one year old AND 20 pounds before they can go forward-facing in their car seat, which, if Piper stays where she is on the curve, will put us somewhere around December or January next year. I’ve also heard that a lot of pediatricians recommend that kids with Ds remain rear-facing until they get their neck x-rays at three years to check for AAI and AOI.  We have an Odyssey van, so hopefully rear-facing a convertible seat won’t be too big an issue. 

So, what do you use?  Love, hate, or otherwise?  I think my two top choices are the Britax Advocate and the Britax Boulevard, but I really don’t want to buy their newest versions because they go up to 70 pounds, which would put Piper in 8th grade, and I don’t want her drowning in it now. 

One of the only other things we need to get before Baby comes is a double stroller.  These are harder, because it feels like everyone has something different that they look for.  But, that being said, anyone have one that they LOVE? 

PS- On this note, if you’re in the market, check out AlbeeBaby.com- we bought Piper’s car seat and stroller there the first time and we’ve bought some other stuff there, to0- it’s by far cheaper than most other places on a lot car seats, strollers, high chairs- and it has free shipping with no tax.  They are great!

THE Face

Piper has perfected her “I’m really really mad at you and you WILL know it” face.

Unfortunately for her, it doesn’t quite work- I’m pretty sure that laughter is not her desired outcome.

But, really- who can NOT laugh at this face???  I don’t think that you can see it so well in this picture, but usually the pouty lips are accompanied by dimpled eye brows.  Her speech therapist should be thrilled with the oral motor muscle toning exercises that Piper impresses upon herself.  She takes this therapy business very seriously.

This little munchkin…

…had surgery 16 weeks ago.

Sixteen weeks.

And this last week, last week, she has FINALLY started sleeping through the night again.  (Do you hear the angel’s rejoicing?  No?  Must just be here…)

Problem is, she wasn’t up once.  Or twice.  Usually it was three or four (or five or six) times. 

You ever get that feeling that you’re losing your mind?  I was seriously starting to wonder if she was having real sleep abnormalities (lots of kids with Ds are on medication of one sort or another for sleep- but they all seem older than Piper).  I’m sure that the hospital itself, along with the time it took her to heal afterward, played a huge role.  But she has also been teething non-stop (she cut two a couple days ago, which, for those counting, were numbers three and four, and she has at least four more that are ready any day now, I think), which I’m convinced was at least 95% of her issues.  After all, his is my daughter who has a very loooow pain tolerance. 

Whatever the reason, I don’t care, because BYGOLLY, getting to sleep through the night has been pure HEAVEN.  HEAVEN.

…of course, by posting this, I’m dooming her to revert back.  Whoops.

Piper <<ahem>> “helps”

Piper LOVES to help.  She helps with everything. 

Problem is, sometimes her “helping” is enough to drive a person over the edge.

For example- if I have to fold the same item (rather, “itemS” is probably more accurate) 18 times before I can get it put away in the drawer, I just might scream.

I’ve gotten to the point where I try and fold clothes when Piper’s asleep.  Unfortunately, I seem to overbook her (often limited) napping hours, and it doesn’t always (hardly ever) happens that way.

So, what’s a mom to do?

Improvise, of course!

My solution? 

Giant socks up to the shoulders.

I call it “sensory awareness”.  Or “helping her learn to manipulate her environment”.  Or something.

It’s particularly funny when she tries to crawl on the wood floors.  Good thing she thinks it’s funny, too. 

And I’m willing to walk the line of “unusual methods” because, gosh darn it, it works. 

…poor kid.

Our Year in Numbers

 

January 2010

1: size of clothes that has been outgrown

6: pounds gained (by Piper, not me, lol…)

3: nights Luke and I survived in a hotel- with Piper

4: days I survived out-of-state.  Without Piper.

5: days spent in Florida for the NDSC

2: different surgeries

10: days spent in the hospital.  A huge improvement from last year’s 49…

27: new signs

30: visits to Children’s

4: number of new teeth (which is, by the way, twice as many as she had yesterday…)

5: Modes of transportation mastered by Piper: rolling, army crawling, crawling, cruising, and walking (mastered, if she’d put her arms down!)

364: Days I’m doomed to write “2010” on my checks and on the computer system for work.

7,214: number of pictures taken this year.  Yikes.

Countless kisses…

Innumerable smiles…

Immeasurable happiness.

Here’s to a less eventful, but equally fun, 2011!

Happy New Year!

December 2010

Oh my goodness- what’s happened???

So, we live in Colorado, right?  Usually people hear “Colorado” and “December” and infer that it should be cold.  And snowy.  And they would be right, usually.  Not so much this year.  This year, my kid was outside on December 29 in her little windbreaker jacket.  Riding bikes.  Not that I’m really complaining (although I’m totally excited that it’s been snowing all day today for the first time this season) because we got to go out and play! 

We played in Nana’s house on Christmas- once, Piper got distracted and turned around too far and about fell off the back.  So, Luke’s close in these pictures because I was hoping to stave off a Christmas season ER visit for a I-fell-off-my-bike-and-off-the-curb purpose.  She did great and never wobbled, so I think she can have some more independence next time.  Mommy paranoia, right???

Can someone please tell me what’s happened to my baby???