New Classes and Meeting Some New Friends

Well these last few weeks have been quite busy and full of new things. Unfortunately our computer decided to hit the fritz, so I have been unable to blog and keep everyone posted on Addy's progress. My apologies especially to our faithful followers (Nannan, Mim and Joyce), thanks guys for being so patient and still keeping us in your thoughts and wanting to know how Addy is coming along.

Addy is doing wonderful and amazes us everyday at just how far she has come along. She loves listening to her daddy talk, and is quite intrigued with him when they have their story time and seems to follow along with him in the books. Every morning she wakes herself up after about 20 minutes of eye rubbing, grunting and tossing her head back and forth. Then suddenly those beautiful blue eyes open wide and we say hello and her face is just one big smile as she throws her arms over head as if to say "Hello world and another beautiful day begins". How can you not be affected by that, pretty impossible to not start my day with a smile!

On Tuesday the 06th Addy and I attended our second class at the Early Years Center called Infant Signing. It was a great program that gave us the basics to get our baby started with signing as a form of communication and learning. I had previously purchased a great book on Baby Sign, but this class was a real booster to get us started and working on it with Addy. We start with one word and do the sign continually over the week with Addy so she associates it to the object and the sign will be implanted in her memory. Then the following week we add on another word and so on while continuing with the sign already presented to Addy. Of course we started with "Milk" as our first word and have quickly moved on to words such as "Drink", "More", "Bath". Addy just stares at us like we are crazy but we know someday she will amaze and just start doing the signs. This may be very helpful in the long run in case Addy does end up having some issues with her vocal chords that may affect her speech.

On Thursday the 07th we began our four week class of Infant Massage, which Addy absolutely enjoys. She obviously gets this from her Mommy who enjoys the "Spa" life as a good little getaway for kicking back and relaxing. Addy just lays back and takes it all in and smiles away at the instructor, while mommy works hard and massages away. She really does well in this class and I can tell we will benefit and use this at home as well for those fussy days (which are really few and far between for Addy).

We finally hit the cottage the following weekend and got some good work done inside and out for the big rental on the May 24 weekend. This was Addy's first big over nighter up there and she did wonderful. She really is taking in all the sights and sounds of the outdoors and has some wonderful sleeps in her stroller in the fresh air. The weather was even warm enough for Addy to enjoy some sunrays, while sporting her mandatory sun hat and Baby Bandz sunglasses. What a DIVA!!!!

Sunday was an emotional day for me, my first Mother's Day as a new mommy!!!! What a wonderful feeling~I was so excited and so happy to hear those words, really brought tears to my eyes thinking back to the tough road it took us to get here. Thanks to all the well wishers for my big day. We travelled up to Chatham for that day to see Mim and the family, as it was her big "moving out" day from our old house at 202 Tweedsmuir. I took an emotional walk through with Addy and told her about all the good times I had there growing up since I was three years old. Memories that will stay with me forever. It was kind of a bittersweet goodbye for me to bring Addy to the house for the first and last time. It was like an ending to one era of my life, while the new one with her is just beginning. Here is a pic of the gang having one last drink at the basement bar. Cheers to many, many, many, unforgettable memories.

Last week Addy and I kicked it up a notch and took some long awaited day trips down to London to meet up with some old and new friends for lunch and a few quick stops for some shopping. We met with mommy's friend Andrea and her son Curtis, and had a wonderful visit, before Andrea sadly has to return to work as her maternity leave is just ending. Booo Hoo! Then we met our new friends Laurel and Story (who is also a graduate from St. Joes NICU last Feb-June) and had a wonderful afternoon visit and walk downtown London. For those of you who may not remember Laurel and her husband Matt did a wonderful fundraiser for the families in the NICU last Christmas and we received a very wonderful and generous gift from them and Story. It was wonderful to sit down and talk with Laurel and pick her brain since she is a mom that has gone through all this, she had some wonderful tips and words of advice that helped alot. It was so wonderful to meet Story and see how fantastic she is doing, you would have no clue looking at Story that she was a 25 weeker and just over a pound like Addy was. Laurel was very kind to ask me on as a committee member for this year's fundraiser and I gladly accepted. So be prepared everyone we will be reaching out for your support in the near future to help some new families for this Christmas season.

So all in all we have been having some great fun getting outside and enjoying the weather and just plain enjoying life!!! Addy is coming along good in her growth, a little slow on the weight gain some weeks, but all in all she is growing!!! She is just around 13 1/2 pounds and fitting nicely into her 3 month outfits now!. Even though Dr. Stare had some concerns with Addy's vocal chords, she seems to be babbling up a storm these days and getting out some good, loud noises. Addy can hold her head up well and we have been slowly getting her into her exersaucer to explore new toys and sounds. She loves to be in a standing position but the poor wee thing though has such short little legs and arms, her feet dangle beneath in no where land, and her little arms can't reach far enough to grab the toys. Nothing that a little prop up pillow won't solve. We try to ensure that we continue everyday with Addy's exercises to strengthen her shoulders, neck and upper body. She sticks out and grunts along as we work her out hard for hopes of some improvement. We have noticed lately that she has started to kick some with her legs and has finally really discovered her little hands, which quickly go into her mouth. She still greatly enjoys her daily baths and kicks and giggles while in the water. We hope this is a good sign to come that she will enjoy the pool and lake waters of the summer that are just around the corner.

Family Visit and Reuniting with Old Friends

Well as the month of April came to a close, Addison received her last Synergis shot for the RSV season (respiratory syncytial virus). We are so excited as this means that we can officially put cold and flu season behind us and venture out into the real world. We kind of have already but I guess this is the official okay from our doctor that we are good until November. I was able to have my scrapbooking girls over for a great "girl day" and Addy joined in the fun. We got some great projects done and had some good laughs. Our dear friend Carol has the majic touch and got Addy to coo up a storm, babbling away to her. This was wonderful to hear after having received the news of concern for Addy's voice from our doctors a few weeks ago. Addy did very well and even got out a few loud ones including a sad little cry, where we are all sure she said "Mama" in her tears!!!!! Greg was not there though so I guess we cannot claim that one official yet. We know it though Addy, you said it girl.

On Friday the 01st of May we went for a visit down to my mom's place, so Greg could do some work and Addy and I were going to have a wonderful visit with our dear friends from the NICU. We were going to see Addy's boyfriend Deecon and his mom Jennifer whom we shared our 3 month journey through NICU with. We were so excited to catch up and share our thoughts, concerns and stories. Jen and Deecon arrived and it was sooo good to see them, we really miss our family (nurses and fellow parent and their children) that we made through our journey. Deecon looked absolutely wonderful and is such a big boy. This was our first time seeing little Dee without any tubes on his little face and he is sooooo cute. Jen and I talked each others ears off and she made me feel like I was normal and not a crazy mom on this planet. The kids hung out and took each other in, Deecon couldn't keep his hands off Addy it was so good to see. Sadly they had to go but we vowed to make this a date at least every couple of months to keep in touch!! Thanks guys. We continued our visit with Mim, Aunt Danielle and the boys and Great Aunt Betty and Uncle Les. By the end of the evening Mim got some great news that she finally sold her old house, which is the one that Danielle and I grew up in. A bittersweet moment actually as we know it has been a big stress on Mim trying to keep up both places, however we would be finally leaving and closing the doors on a big chapter in all our lives. We will be heading down on Mother's Day weekend to do the big move and say goodbye to alot of good memories. Brings a tear to my eye right now.

Around 4:00 pm the next afternoon, Cousin Maria and Peter came down and spent the night. Addy was so excited to see them and we were excited for them to see her, as they had been unable to see her since their hospital visit at Christmas when Addy was only about 3 1/2 pounds. The minute they arrived Addy was in their arms and she enjoyed every minute of it. We had such a wonderful visit and cannot wait till they come again. It gave us a chance to really get to know Peter, who is wonderful and so good to Maria who is so dear to us. I am not sure but I think over the day and night they were there I am pretty sure Maria said to Addy "I Love You" at least once every 5 minutes. Ha Ha. This is why Addy has her namesake. Love you guys and hope to do it again real soon.

Prenatal Class Reunion and Addy Update

After the nice weather has hit us and we are climbing out of "cold and flu" season, we have been a little more at ease at taking Addy out and exploring new things to do. There is a great little center around the corner from us called Best Start/Early Years where Addy and I venture to every Thursday for a weigh in and chat with a Public Health Nurse. Through this visit we have met many wonderful ladies and have learned about all the wonderful free programs they offer for children and newborn mommies. Addy had her first class upon our return from Belleville called "Twinkling Tunes", where we learned many new wonderful songs to sing and entertain our babes. Addy loved the class, not necessarily mommy's singing, but she enjoyed seeing all the new babes around her and interacting with them on a social basis. It was great for both of us and we have signed up to take Baby Massage and Baby Sign in the month of May!!!.

On Friday the 17th we had some wonderful weather and got Addison up to the cottage for her first visit. All the neighbours were around so we had a lot of catching up to do and introductions of our new addition. Addy sat back and took it all in and enjoyed a nice nap in the sun while sporting one of her new sun hats, which she is just so adorable in!!! We hope to have a great summer with Addy up in the Port, enjoying the sunshine, beach, campfires and many walks along all the wooded paths in the area. Unfortunately after all of the fresh air Addy got a bit more snuffly in the nose and we believe caught a touch of a head or sinus cold. She is fairing it pretty well, but we are keeping an eye on it.

On April 20th Janice and Carolina our ladies from Pathways came for their monthly occupational and physiotherapy visit with Addison. The ladies were impressed with her growth and development and commented on how well Addy was doing. Our exercises have payed off and Addy was doing some wonderful movements with her arms and legs. The ladies are so encouraging and let us know some new exercises to keep us going in Addy's development that will help stimulate and use her muscles so that it she will improve in her growth and development. Again weaknesses were noticed in Addison's left side and in the strength or her neck and shoulder muscles, so we have to work on Addison's tummy time. This has been hard with her head cold that she cannot seem to shake but we have to push her through it. Here she is exercising with dad and Fergus cheering them on and offering his support.

Monday evening Addison and I attended our Prenatal Class Reunion, where we got to reunite with all the other families we met while we were pregnant, and their new babies. One couple Tanya and Ben had been in the NICU with their twins Sadie and Reese, so it was nice to reunite and see how the girls were making out. Here is some pics with Addy and her friends and a group photo of all the new additions.

On Wednesday the 22nd, Addison had a check up at her doctor's office and received her six month immunization shots. Again she cried only a little bit after the needles, she is such a tough little girl. Doctor Stare checked Addy over and was impressed with her growth and develoment and commented that save for Addison "petiteness" you would not know that she was a micropreemie baby. Doctor Stare was a bit concerned though with Addison's lack of vocalization and strength in her voice when she cries, so she is making a referral for us to visit with and Ear/Nose/Throat specialist in London to have Addy examined. Her fear is that as a result of Addison's PDA surgery three weeks after she was born, there may be some damage to Addison's vocal chords that may be affecting her abilitly to vocalize and make noise. Doctor Stare ensured us that she could not predict anything for sure, but wanted to be safe rather than sorry. We knew that this was a possible complication as a result of the surgery, but we thought we were out of the woods since we had heard Addy cry. However, it is still possible that the nerve connected to the vocal chords could be damaged, causing some or full paralization of Addy's left vocal chord. Doctor Stare advises that if this is the case we could be dealing with anything from absolutely no vocalization or speech, vocalization or speech with a soft or raspy voice, or no problems at all. We hope and pray for the later of course, but if the worst case scenario is the first option than we will deal with it and get Addy all the help that she will need to communicate. If this all that we come out with out of Addy's ordeal, we can deal with it, compared to the odds that were given for Addy's arrival from the start. She is such a fighter and will continue to be, we know that and love her for her strength and will she has shown us every step of the way!!!!