Wow...1 month away from a whole year old! I am one of the luckiest mothers.
9/24/12
9/15/12
New accomplishments
It sometimes amazes me what Marsi is able to do. She always seems advanced to me. Today was no different. My mother in law is making my Halloween costume so we were over there. They had an animal book and I was pointing out all of the kitties. There was one on each page of the book. After going through the book a few times, I asked Marsi where the kitty was. She pointed to it!!!! I turned the page asked and she pointed to the kitty again!!! It was amazing!
She also is getting much better at pronouncing her meow. It has sounded like "Mo" for a long time. She is starting to add the W. We are going to be working on adding the E sound when she gets the W on the end really well.
Also, today Marsi asked for a meal. It was cute. Her word for food is "num num". Probably because I would always say num num while she was eating. She just walked up to me, patted me on my leg and said "num num".
It seems like she goes through learning spurts and this is definitely one of them! I am so proud of her!
She also is getting much better at pronouncing her meow. It has sounded like "Mo" for a long time. She is starting to add the W. We are going to be working on adding the E sound when she gets the W on the end really well.
Also, today Marsi asked for a meal. It was cute. Her word for food is "num num". Probably because I would always say num num while she was eating. She just walked up to me, patted me on my leg and said "num num".
It seems like she goes through learning spurts and this is definitely one of them! I am so proud of her!
9/12/12
A Better Explanation
I figured out that there were some people that really didn't understand the pictures that I posted of Marsi's surgery. I have decided to explain things a bit further with better graphic representation.
First, I want to show you why the heart murmur wasn't seen as worrisome until 4 months of age.
These are her growth charts. I know that my doctor has never talked about a BMI for age chart. Well, that is really the only chart that shows any drop in growth and a potential problem. She was growing so great!!! All the charts except the BMI chart look like a perfectly normal baby! (Yay mommy's milk!)
It was just that the murmur got harsh and was still there at 4 months. We went to the cardiologist within a few days. At the cardiologist, we got an x-ray and an echo. The echo showed the PDA...Not necessarily a massive concern, but needed taken care of. Then we saw what was REALLY concerning. How big her heart had gotten.
Yes, the oval is around the heart. It was huge. Because of this x-ray, something had to be done, and done fast. Through what I can only say was divine revelation for Endrit and I, we decided on surgery rather than a catheter procedure.
It was the best decision that we made. The catheter procedure wouldn't have worked. The PDA was WAY too big to ever have been closed via catheter. (Just for a comparison I know someone who's daughter had the catheter procedure done to close a PDA at 3 years old. Marsi wouldn't have lived to 3 years old...probably not even 1 with the size of hers.)
Here is proof of how massive the duct was...
The sutures are the 2 small lines at the top right of the heart. The clip is the whiter part under the sutures. The line added on the right picture is the length of the PDA. The surgeon was even surprised at how big it was.
I hope that cleared more things up. It is something that Marsi will learn about as she gets older. I want her to know that it makes her more of a miracle and extremely special.
The last picture I would like to put on is one that I took of her tonight. In all honesty, if I didn't know that she had surgery, I wouldn't notice the scar on her back.
(Don't look at my horrible cloth diapering. I am practicing the old fashioned way of putting on a prefold with a snappi and I am not good at it yet.)
First, I want to show you why the heart murmur wasn't seen as worrisome until 4 months of age.
It was just that the murmur got harsh and was still there at 4 months. We went to the cardiologist within a few days. At the cardiologist, we got an x-ray and an echo. The echo showed the PDA...Not necessarily a massive concern, but needed taken care of. Then we saw what was REALLY concerning. How big her heart had gotten.
Yes, the oval is around the heart. It was huge. Because of this x-ray, something had to be done, and done fast. Through what I can only say was divine revelation for Endrit and I, we decided on surgery rather than a catheter procedure.
It was the best decision that we made. The catheter procedure wouldn't have worked. The PDA was WAY too big to ever have been closed via catheter. (Just for a comparison I know someone who's daughter had the catheter procedure done to close a PDA at 3 years old. Marsi wouldn't have lived to 3 years old...probably not even 1 with the size of hers.)
Here is proof of how massive the duct was...
I hope that cleared more things up. It is something that Marsi will learn about as she gets older. I want her to know that it makes her more of a miracle and extremely special.
The last picture I would like to put on is one that I took of her tonight. In all honesty, if I didn't know that she had surgery, I wouldn't notice the scar on her back.
Five
This is going to be a sad post, so, if you want to skip this one...no worries.
This time last year I was majorly pregnant and very excited for my baby girl to be born. This time 2 years ago I was sad. I was depressed. I had just miscarried my second pregnancy and was pregnant again just to miscarry again. I didn't know that I would go through it 2 more times after that.
Now that I am a full time mom to a beautiful little girl, I have time to really think about what happened 2 years ago. It was a horrible time.
I was teaching my first year in my own classroom. The principal decided to focus on everything I was doing wrong. The vice principal died and one of the students was shot and killed by another student. And I had 4 miscarriages in a row. It sucked. Then wen I was finally staying pregnant, I was super sick, pre term labor and on bed rest. I would never repeat those few months of my own choice.
I grew tons from it. It gave me experiences that make motherhood a blessing and a miracle. I try my hardest to think of the positive things that came from it. I know I hug Marsi a little closer and have a little more patience with her antics because of what I went through to get her (and keep her healthy after she was born).
So, that is my mope post. I would probably expect it to come around yearly. Those few months have shaped me into part of the person I am now.
This time last year I was majorly pregnant and very excited for my baby girl to be born. This time 2 years ago I was sad. I was depressed. I had just miscarried my second pregnancy and was pregnant again just to miscarry again. I didn't know that I would go through it 2 more times after that.
Now that I am a full time mom to a beautiful little girl, I have time to really think about what happened 2 years ago. It was a horrible time.
I was teaching my first year in my own classroom. The principal decided to focus on everything I was doing wrong. The vice principal died and one of the students was shot and killed by another student. And I had 4 miscarriages in a row. It sucked. Then wen I was finally staying pregnant, I was super sick, pre term labor and on bed rest. I would never repeat those few months of my own choice.
I grew tons from it. It gave me experiences that make motherhood a blessing and a miracle. I try my hardest to think of the positive things that came from it. I know I hug Marsi a little closer and have a little more patience with her antics because of what I went through to get her (and keep her healthy after she was born).
So, that is my mope post. I would probably expect it to come around yearly. Those few months have shaped me into part of the person I am now.
9/3/12
When used for good
I have been thinking a lot about how much my life would be different without the internet. A ton of my parenting strategies and style come from internet research. I got the confidence to labor and try to give birth at a birthing center with midwives. I got the courage to do cloth diapering...and the knowledge to help me tweak the way I use them so I didn't give up. I learned about developmental leaps and teething causing fussiness. I learned about wraps and how to make and use them.
I have a wonderful support group of ladies that I experienced pregnancy, labor and parenthood with. I owe a lot of my sanity to them.
Needless to say, when used for good, the internet is awesome!!! Beyond research, I was able to catch up on Dr. Who. That is pretty awesome too.
It is amazing to realize the scope of everything there is to learn on the internet. Want a conference talk, search LDS.org for it. Want to share it with friends, Facebook. Pictures to Grandma and Grandpa, Photobucket, Facebook and email. Need to help someone with computer problems, Team Viewer. Want to video chat, Skype/Google chat.
It is definitely something that I enjoy. I know that there is just as much bad on the internet as well. I am really glad I have no desire whatsoever to enter that realm.
I was just thinking about this today. I am very grateful for the internet for sure!
I have a wonderful support group of ladies that I experienced pregnancy, labor and parenthood with. I owe a lot of my sanity to them.
Needless to say, when used for good, the internet is awesome!!! Beyond research, I was able to catch up on Dr. Who. That is pretty awesome too.
It is amazing to realize the scope of everything there is to learn on the internet. Want a conference talk, search LDS.org for it. Want to share it with friends, Facebook. Pictures to Grandma and Grandpa, Photobucket, Facebook and email. Need to help someone with computer problems, Team Viewer. Want to video chat, Skype/Google chat.
It is definitely something that I enjoy. I know that there is just as much bad on the internet as well. I am really glad I have no desire whatsoever to enter that realm.
I was just thinking about this today. I am very grateful for the internet for sure!
9/1/12
Fasting/Prayer request
So, with it being fast Sunday at the congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I would like to ask for a group fast. Endrit needs a more permanent job. He graduated almost a year ago and has been very lucky to get a short term post doctoral internship with the University of Utah, but that ends very soon.
We hope and pray that everyone can fast and pray that Endrit will be able to get a long term position to be able to support our family. I am grateful that I am able, and willing to work to support our family, but Endrit really would like to get a job in the field that he spent 10 years of higher education to get his PhD; understandably!
Thank you for all of your love and support so far!
We hope and pray that everyone can fast and pray that Endrit will be able to get a long term position to be able to support our family. I am grateful that I am able, and willing to work to support our family, but Endrit really would like to get a job in the field that he spent 10 years of higher education to get his PhD; understandably!
Thank you for all of your love and support so far!
8/25/12
Veggies/eating schedule of a 10 month old
As a researcher and wanting Marsi to be the healthiest/happiest little kid out there, I spent a lot of my pregnancy and her life researching things. I didn't buy any parenting books or things like that. It was more of a "how should I introduce" this or that thing. One of those things was solid foods. I decided that baby lead weaning wasn't for us and decided on purees and cereal.
One of the best things that I decided to do because of a suggestion was to exclusively introduce Marsi to veggies for a while before she ever got any fruit. To this day Marsi will eat at least double the veggies than she does fruit. I always offer veggies first. She loves her veggies. I also decided that rice cereal wasn't for her either. There were things that she liked, but I decided it wasn't substantial enough.
Every morning I eat a bowl of oatmeal, so I decided to introduce Marsi to a breakfast of oatmeal and breast milk.
She loves her breakfast! It is usually 3 oz of milk mixed with 1/3 multigrain and 2/3 oatmeal cereal. (I added the multigrain for texture a week ago.) After that she eats about 1/2 jar of pureed fruit.
She gets a little bit of water from her sippy after breakfast. 2-3 hours later she has her first 7 oz bottle of pumped milk with a snack of a few yogurt bits and puffs right before her nap.
When she wakes from her nap, it is almost lunch time. She plays for a bit and then asks to eat in her own little way.
For lunch she gets a veggie jar and about 1/4 jar of fruit. She also gets her sippy of some water at this time too.
She takes her afternoon nap after she plays for a few more hours. Right before her nap time, she gets the 2nd 7 oz bottle of pumped milk and goes to sleep.
When she wakes up, she drinks a little bit from her sippy and plays for about an hour before dinner. Dinner is also a veggie jar and 1/4 jar of fruit.
She plays for a few hours until it is 7:30 pm. Every night at that time Daddy takes her to bathe and she gets ready for bed. She then gets her last 7 oz bottle of pumped milk right before she goes to sleep.
This didn't include all the stuff she mooches off of Endrit and I when we are eating at different times than her. She gets quite a bit of stuff from us, but it varies day by day. These are the constant things she gets!
One of the best things that I decided to do because of a suggestion was to exclusively introduce Marsi to veggies for a while before she ever got any fruit. To this day Marsi will eat at least double the veggies than she does fruit. I always offer veggies first. She loves her veggies. I also decided that rice cereal wasn't for her either. There were things that she liked, but I decided it wasn't substantial enough.
Every morning I eat a bowl of oatmeal, so I decided to introduce Marsi to a breakfast of oatmeal and breast milk.
She loves her breakfast! It is usually 3 oz of milk mixed with 1/3 multigrain and 2/3 oatmeal cereal. (I added the multigrain for texture a week ago.) After that she eats about 1/2 jar of pureed fruit.
She gets a little bit of water from her sippy after breakfast. 2-3 hours later she has her first 7 oz bottle of pumped milk with a snack of a few yogurt bits and puffs right before her nap.
When she wakes from her nap, it is almost lunch time. She plays for a bit and then asks to eat in her own little way.
For lunch she gets a veggie jar and about 1/4 jar of fruit. She also gets her sippy of some water at this time too.
She takes her afternoon nap after she plays for a few more hours. Right before her nap time, she gets the 2nd 7 oz bottle of pumped milk and goes to sleep.
When she wakes up, she drinks a little bit from her sippy and plays for about an hour before dinner. Dinner is also a veggie jar and 1/4 jar of fruit.
She plays for a few hours until it is 7:30 pm. Every night at that time Daddy takes her to bathe and she gets ready for bed. She then gets her last 7 oz bottle of pumped milk right before she goes to sleep.
This didn't include all the stuff she mooches off of Endrit and I when we are eating at different times than her. She gets quite a bit of stuff from us, but it varies day by day. These are the constant things she gets!
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