Lately

B is sleeping soundly while I blog.  Poor gal had a few immunizations this morning.  She is getting all caught up though...yay!

We have a week full of appointments this week...most of them early in the morning.  We are trying to get all caught up with everything before baby comes so that we can hunker down at home for a few weeks after he gets here.

I was sick all weekend and quarantined myself in our bedroom so I didn't spread nasty germs to Battley.  I actually missed her even though we were in the same house!  Ha!

Hmmm...what else is going on:

H is finishing up one sport in the next few weeks and then we are on to the next one.  I'm so proud of him...he beat his best race time from pre-injury this past weekend.  He wouldn't be happy I posted this pic, but he doesn't read this...hehe!

For some reason we forgot to check the mail on Saturday so Sunday afternoon I had a surprise in the mailbox!  I entered a contest on a friend's blog and won...my winnings were in the mail.

Now this is what I was supposed to win:

 

She sent some extras and some FUN bows for Miss B too!  What a way to perk up a sick weekend!  She started making and selling hairties and bows...oh, and on the side she is an architect!  So is her twin sister!  They are too cute!  She has been praying for Battley since we found out she has T18.  I never knew how inspirational she was until I started reading her blog...and yes, I read the whole thing in one day!  So I asked her permission to share her blog.  www.silentstubborns.wordpress.com

I hope you find it as inspirational as I do!

C

Oh...and for Tracy who posted a comment about the camera.  Adam says to tell you that we also have a video monitor that we got from Target for inside the house.  It is made by Summer.  You can see it on the pics I just posted of B's nursery.  The monitor allows you to move the camera back and forth so you could watch the baby and the pulse/ox.  Ours doesn't run over wi-fi.  It does interfere with it sometimes though.  H turns the camera off to listen to his ipod when he mows.  I can send you the model if you are interested.

The Nursery

The bunny that started it all...he's a little wrinkly right now:

 And the bunny that finished the whole room:

This lamp was made by a most special friend of Battley's.  The bunny's name is "Bumby"...he is the perfect finishing touch!  Everything in B's room...well mostly everything...has some special meaning or came from some special place.  It's perfect for her!

And I have to give Adam credit for the cornice.  He built it to hide the arched window...yay for handy guys!

C

Stroller & Stuff

So we are getting down to the end of this pregnancy...thank goodness!  Less than 6 weeks to go!  I have been doing some stroller research, which I will gladly admit sometimes included running down mommas and asking them how they liked their stroller.

We have 2 strollers now...both are just strollers anyone can buy commercially.  Since we now need a double stroller, which will be an investment, I wanted to make sure we get one that will last a good while.  My requirements are: it hold 2 infant carriers, it hold 2 children who sit up, it hold one sitting and one in a carrier, it has storage for all Battley's stuff, it is lightweight, I would prefer that if I am spending a lot on it that it also convert back to a single stroller for when it's just B and I, and most importantly it have a seat for Battley that can always face me.  The last requirement is HARD to find in a commercially available stroller...yes I could go find a medical stroller, but those suckers are heavy and probably 4 times the price!

So here it is:

 

It's called a Baby Jogger (brand) City Select (style) stroller.  It comes as a single and you add the parts to make a double.  Guess what?  It's NOT CHEAP!  But...it meets all my requirements and look at everything it can do:

 

So...here's where I need help: I'd like to find a used one that is in decent shape that I can buy.  If you don't mind, please keep your eyes open for me if you know of anyone/anywhere that may have one for sale.  THANK YOU!

Battley's room is finally finished!  I will try to post photos this week.

H started his first JOB this week!  I am so proud and just pray that we have instilled a good work ethic in him.  He is very excited to start making his own money...so am I!  My friend Amy and I had our first real job together (not counting baby sitting and working for family).  I will never forget when we realized that all people do not have a strong work ethic.  We would go home tired after working and ask each other why we were getting paid the same amount as folks who weren't pulling their weight...ha...good lesson to learn early on!

H is working but also doing something he loves...he's reffing soccer games.

My gal is fussy today...I'm hoping it's just a tooth!  Off to see what I can do...

C

Oh...I've posted twice today so read on...

One & a Half

On Sunday Battley turned 18 months!  Now when we are out and get the number one asked baby question: "How old is she?" I can just say One & a Half!

Not only was it her half bday, but it was our wedding anniversary too...6 years!  We actually got out just the 2 of us and went to eat!

So here are some statistics for Battley at One & a Half:

* weighs 13lb-6oz...you may notice that she has not gained lately...this is due to her being so sick and taking so long to get back on track...we are still working on getting her feedings down

* wears size 2 diapers, size 6 month clothing, and size 9 month jammies since she is so long

* has 2 teeth totally in (one on top and one on the bottom) and has a new tooth coming in very slowly on top

* loves reading, snuggling, bath time, playing, people, singing, and her daddy's beard

* not in love with riding in the car for too long or being ignored

* she is a night owl even though we have tried so hard for an earlier bed time...she would prefer to go to sleep at midnight and sleep until noon...we don't let her do this, but it's hard

* has 4 feedings per day of milk, one dose of Prilosec for reflux, one dose of coconut oil, one bite of baby food, and prune juice

* consistently uses the sign for milk when she is hungry

* has gone from ignoring toys to tracking them with her eyes and now reaching for them

* is working hard to sit up and can totally hold her own head up now

* loves her dog and her brother so much

* is Loved beyond words

She wore her birthday dress to church on Sunday.  If you have to look on the bright side of your child growing slowly, you can rejoice in the fact that clothing fits a long time!

C

Nanny 360

I have posted about this company before, but I am going to do it again because I LOVE their product and their customer service.

Way back when Miss B was a few weeks old we ran across this site online: www.nanny360.com

We ordered a camera for the car so that I can drive and see her since she sits in the back seat in a rear facing car seat.  Remember how we tried every mirror made and none of them worked well enough?  This was during the time Adam needed to go back to work so I wasn't going to have a back seat baby watcher any more.  For most kiddos you just toss a mirror up there and go, but NOT for Miss Priss...remember how she used to spit up before her surgery (always the fear of aspiration that could lead to pneumonia) and how she used to stop breathing?  NOT things you want to find out about when you arrive at your destination!  Basically I was going to have to stay at home with her all the time if I didn't find a way to keep an eye on her in the car.

This product has literally been a lifesaver for us.  We wouldn't be able to go to doc appts, therapy, anywhere!  And let's not even get in to the emotional side of what this product has done for me...I am not sure I would survive staying home all the time...I like all you people too much! 

So why do I post again???  Mr Baby Terhune will soon be riding beside his big sister!  This company has amazed us with their awesome customer service!  We are now the proud owners of a 2 camera system so I can see them both!  Woo-hoo!

And just a few of my favorite parts of the camera for us:
if it's raining I can turn the volume up and pay closer attention to the road because I can hear her breathing
it's COLOR during the day...great for making sure your baby isn't turning colors (this isn't a joke...it's a real thing that used to be a major issue for us)
it works in the dark when even a back seat baby watcher can't see!

This camera works inside your home or in your car...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by the Terhunes!

C

No News

It's that time again...I'm getting calls and texts saying I haven't blogged in too long.  I have NO NEWS...none!

Let me invent some:

* coconut oil is going GREAT

* therapy is good

* Battley is feeling great

* 7 weeks until baby

That's all I've got!

C

Clips

A few short videos of B and updates on Coconut Oil...

having a bite of applesauce in Speech Therapy

and doing some more reaching on her own

 

We have been doing the coconut oil for a week and a half now.  I can already tell a HUGE difference in the amount of time Battley will spend focused on one thing now.  Friday I will increase the dose to 1/2tsp per day.

C

Coconut Oil

After doing some research and consulting with all our docs, we have decided to try giving B a dose of Coconut Oil each day.  Some of our T18 friends have tried this and have had great results with more advanced talking/babbling than they have had before.  There doesn't seem to be any actual research supporting this, but there is a lot of chit chat about using coconut oil with people who have Alzheimer's.  Here is a link to Rebekah's page that talks all about their experience with it: Rebekah

We gave B her first dose on Friday.  It's just an experiment...we shall see!

Here is a quick video of B I took today at the DMV.  She is working so hard on her reaching!  A few weeks ago she wouldn't lift an arm to do this!

What were we doing at the DMV??  H got his driver's permit!!

And a little pic of B checking out her bro...the love!

We have an appt early tomorrow morning for a swallow study.  They will feed B some special food that will show on an x-ray and watch to see what she does with it.  Our hope is that she swallows it and it goes down the right way with no choking or gagging.  If this happens we will work on some more bites of food in speech therapy.  I wish I could go in with her, but since I'm a preggo I can't.

C