5 Months

Ally is 5 months old now and nearing my all time favorite age. She is getting to the stage where she is always in a good mood when well rested and fed, and she can't move! I know it won't last long, so I'm trying to savor every moment.

We have started giving her 2-3 bottles a day and have started baby food. She loves baby food, but I forgot how messy and labor intensive it is. I've been trying to give her one meal a day of solids, but it ends up being about every other day. I looked back at our old blogs and was shocked that at this point I was giving Sophia 3 solid meals a day. It's hard to remember having that much time on my hands!

She is becoming more vocal and has babbled "mama" several times. She is also starting to master the scream that most parents call "the pterodactyl scream" which is the most fun to practice in crowded restaurants. Two of her favorite toys are Trent and the remote control, but her Daddy feels the same way!

She can sit up now, but I still haven't seen her roll from her back to her tummy yet. She hates being on her stomach, so she doesn't have much motivation to start anytime soon. Makes me wonder if I'll end up with another kiddo who skips crawling.

Nap time is still a daily battle and she still isn't sleeping through the night. She ends up in bed with us most mornings and we are always shocked at how much room such a little person can take up. We have nicknamed her favorite sleeping position "the starfish" since her arms and legs are about the same length!

She has now fallen head over heels for her older sister and Sophia is still just as smitten as ever with Ally. Sophia can get Ally to laugh longer and louder than anyone else, but unfortunately it usually involves games that I think are too rough.

Still having video trouble so here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhugzyvViEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4C5glHjdis

I am scheduled to go back to work after the holidays, and although I know I'll enjoy having some adult time, I'm going to miss spending so much time with my girls. I'm also a little worried since Will hasn't had both girls by himself for more than an hour or two, so keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

Sophia Brag

I'm still having trouble uploading video, so check out our little smartie pants by clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QUckXDii8E

Here's a closer look at the finished product. Not bad for a 2 year old!

Christmas Program

This year Sophia had her first Christmas program with school, and I'm not sure which one of us was more excited! If you've spent any time with Sophia in the last month, then you know she practiced her songs all. the. time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX5Wj_wU7gU



The day of the program, Sophia was so excited that she actually smiled for the camera!!!

A couple days before the program, Sophia had told me that she wasn't going to sing. She enjoyed singing the songs so much that I thought she'd give in, but nope - she didn't utter a sound the whole time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6ndVSnY6o0




The next day of school, Sophia's teacher congratulated the class for singing so well, and Sophia proudly exclaimed "I didn't sing!" Maybe next year she'll at least do a hand motion or two!

Doctor's Appointment

Ally saw her pediatrician today for her 4 month check up and to follow up on her fracture. Her weight was 13lb 9 oz, which puts her just under 50%. Her height was 24.5 inches, which puts her at 50%, however she measured an inch shorter at the hospital 3 days earlier, so she's probably somewhere in between. And as usual with our kids, her head size is still above average at 70%!

I was once again reassured that the fracture should heal without any problems. The doctor looked closely but couldn't see any bruising or swelling. We have seen 4 doctors at this point and they all have given me different opinions as to how large the fracture is and exactly where it is. She showed me the CT report which didn't say much other than that there was "a minimally displaced fracture of the frontal bone with no bleeding." Since Ally doesn't seem tender at all, I guess it doesn't really matter, I just wanted to be extra sure I avoided touching the area in case it did cause her any pain.

Her development is right on track and she's been so happy these days. She's full of smiles, giggles and other sweet baby noises. And she seems to have forgiven me for her fall!

I'm having problems uploading video, so here's a link of Ally 24 hours after her fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0x8tdnLkFM

The Most Terrifying Moment of my Life

I'm sure everyone who reads this blog is aware of what happened this week with Ally. I am so thankful for all your love and support. I'm not sure if you want to read this, but here's the detailed story of what happened. I thought writing it down might help me stop replaying it in my head.

On Monday afternoon, I was holding Ally and thinking about dinner plans while Will was getting Sophia ready to go to the park. I reached up to grab a cookbook and was going to lay it on the table behind me and then put Ally in the Bumbo seat. As I turned around, Ally squirmed and fell out of my arms. I dropped the cookbook and tried to grab her, but it was too late. I watched in horror as my baby landed head first onto our tile floor. I knew it was bad, really bad. I heard this horrible blood curdling scream, and realized it was coming from me. I yelled her name, scooped her up, and she began to cry.

Will heard my scream and came running in. Sobbing and rocking Ally on my shoulder, I told him what had happened and told him I thought we needed to go to the ER. As soon as I said that, Ally stopped crying, her eyes shut, and she went limp. Panic took over and I told Will we needed to leave NOW as I buckled her in her car seat.

It was a 9 minute ride to the ER and it seemed like an eternity. I started worrying that she would have a seizure in the car or stop breathing, and it was then that I thought I should have called 911, but at that point we were almost there. Will pulled the car up to the ER and I jumped out and grabbed Ally's car seat. Her eyes opened, but she was glassy eyed and dazed.

I ran in to the front desk, visibly shaking with tears streaming down my cheeks and told the nurse "I dropped my baby!" She looked over the desk and saw that Ally was glassy eyed and was holding both arms straight up. She rushed us back and undressed Ally to take her weight and temperature. Ally started crying and I was SO relieved. The doctor was there within 2 minutes, and after examining Ally quickly, she ordered a CT scan.

Once Ally was back in my arms, she stopped crying, was alert and looking around the room. Sophia lightened the mood by saying "Mommy, the doctors are going to put a baby in your tummy!" The only time she's been in a hospital is when Ally was born, so I guess she thought that was the only thing they do there!

We were called back for the CT scan within 10 minutes. Will and Sophia weren't allowed in the CT room. Sophia could hear Ally crying and started getting really concerned, so Will took her back out to the waiting room and called a neighbor to pick her up.

The CT scan showed a large skull fracture above her right ear, but no bleeding. The doctor said it would heal quickly without treatment. She said that technically she could send us home, but if it were her child, she'd want to be admitted overnight for observation. I agreed that I wanted to stay overnight, but there was no peds service at that hospital. An abulance transported us to another hospital where Ally was admitted to the PICU so she could be monitored continuously. I rode with Ally while Will went home and gathered clothes, toiletries and food for me and Ally.

Ally fell asleep during the ambulance ride, so I tried to make small talk with the EMT's asking if they'd had any good calls. The EMT said that he thought this was the best call of the day because it could happen to anyone and everything would turn out just fine. He said he had dropped his 8 month old daughter a few weeks earlier, but she landed on carpet so was OK. Will met us at the hospital, and the EMT grabbed Will by the arm, looked him in the eye, and nodded at him before leaving. Will said he was shocked that the EMT even aknowledged him, so I told him the story. He was a Dad too.

It was so hard to see Ally hooked up to all the medical equipment, but the nurses were great and she had a blast pulling on all the wires. There was a chair that pulled out to a recliner for me to sleep in. I couldn't get Ally to sleep more than 5 minutes in the hospital crib, so despite all the wires, I put her in bed with me. It was SO uncomfortable and we were right next to the noisy nurses station, so I only got an hour or so of sleep. We shared a room with a 2 year old little girl who had been in the hospital for 3 months. I can't begin to imagine what her mother and family have endured and was so thankful to have 2 healthy children.

The next morning we saw the pediatrician and the pediatric neurosurgeon who both reassured me that Ally should be just fine. The fracture should heal in 4-6 weeks. We were given the OK to go home that morning. I was instructed to follow up with her pediatrician this week and the pediatric neurosurgeon in 4-6 weeks.

Ally is doing great and hasn't even needed Tylenol. You can't see any bruising or swelling. I however am still struggling. I replay that moment and the series of events again and again in my mind. I know it was an accident, but I still feel so guilty. If only I had put her in the Bumbo before I grabbed the cookbook...

Getting Get Well Kisses x 2!

4 Months

Ally has changed so much over the past month! Her 4 month check up isn't for another 2 weeks, but according to our scale, she weighs a little over 13 pounds, which would put her around 30-40 percent. I think the new weight is all in her thighs and cheeks!

This month she has started laughing, rolling from her tummy to her back, and grabbing objects. She's already getting to that stage where everything goes right into her mouth, especially her hands. She is experimenting with thumb sucking, and is using the pacifier less and less, so it'll be interesting to see which soothing method becomes her favorite.

She will now let us put her down once in awhile without protesting and will lie on a blanket for several minutes content to reach for her toys and suck on her hands. She hates napping during the day and it has become very challenging to get her to sleep more than 10-15 minutes at a time unless I lay down with her. Over Thanksgiving, she enjoyed her first time in an excersaucer, and she even stood by herself while leaning on a playtable! Makes me wonder if we're going to have another early walker on our hands.

Ally is still a little wary of her older sister and will often start fussing as soon as Sophia gets near her. It's funny to hear Sophia say "It's OK baby guwl, Sophia is here" when that's usually the reason she's crying! We're working hard to make sure the girls have fun together, but Sophia still needs very close supervision when she's anywhere near little Ally.

I think Ally has become a much happier baby over the last month. I have cut dairy out of my diet, but the colicky evenings may have just been a phase she has outgrown. Either way, we're enjoying all the smiles, squeals and coos, and I think I've seen a hint of another dimple on the right side!

A Contest

I thought we'd give the sibling rivalry a kickstart with a contest. Who has the biggest blue eyes in each of these pictures? (If you need help, click on the picture to enlarge it)

It's a tough call, so send in your vote!