We had Libby's 1 year checkup with the Doctor yesterday...and shots. Everything looked great and her ear infection is clearing up nicely. We decided to add a Flu shot to the normal 1 year shots just because Libby seems to get sick so easily from daycare. We didn't want to risk it! Four shots were just a little bit too much for our peanut. It took her a few minutes to stop crying but she really did well. Once we got her out of the room where the shots happened she was really fine. She fell asleep on the way home and took a nice 1.5 hour nap that caused her to stay up WAY too late for a baby...but oh well. =) Just incase you are curious here are her current stats:
Weight: 33.6 lbs
Height: 32 2/3 inches
The doctor was very impressed with Libby's vocabulary and how well she is moving around. It seems like we have a normal, great kid on our hands. =)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Libby's First Birthday Party
Libby's first birthday party was a success! She had so much fun! Here are the other pictures!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Libby's First Cupcake
Here is the (promised) video of Libby having her first birthday cupcake! She liked it!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Libby's First Birthday - The Cupcake
Libby doesn't like many table food items but one thing she does love - cupcakes. Oh boy we had a ton of fun with the cupcake yesterday for her birthday! Video to come soon!
Friday, September 26, 2008
12 Month Review: Happy 1st Birthday
My baby is a year!!! I can't believe it has been a year since she officially joined our family and the world. People warn you that it goes fast but I had no idea! Libby has changed so much this year and frankly I couldn't imagine my world without her now. She definitely has a little personality. Over this month she's really improved with stranger anxiety. There were times where she couldn't be left with anyone she didn't know but now she seems comfortable with more people (especially if they are male!). Libby is still making her 'famous' looks that will stop you in your tracks. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing these looks, you probably will someday. =) They definitely tell you what she's thinking/feeling!
Libby started marathon teething last week. It isn't like these are her first teeth. She has eight already but you would think they were her first. The drool was unbelievable - like a waterfall! And the screaming. Oh, the screaming. It just broke my heart. On Friday I had to go pick her up from daycare because she wouldn't eat for them for the second straight day (I wasn't aware of the first until the end of the day). Basically, she won't take a bottle and will nibble at solid foods. So, we have taken this as our opportunity to stop giving her a bottle. She's been off the bottle a week now and does not seem to care! She will drink water from a sippy cup and we're working on getting her used to milk. It's going 'ok' but she just prefers to only drink water! There are worst things in the world for her to like. =) So that is one transition down into being a toddler. The other is table food. We're still really struggling with this. She really does not like or want table food. When she gets it, she does the normal thing of play with it...and sometimes sticks it in her mouth but then spits it back out. We have had really good luck with pancakes, waffles, biscuits, nilla wafers, cheerios, goldfish, etc - basically any kind of bread. =) I'm not giving up hope but she is definitely a picky eater!! Here are some other things to highlight from this month:
Weight: 32.9 lbs
... will probably be able to:
... may even be able to:
Libby started marathon teething last week. It isn't like these are her first teeth. She has eight already but you would think they were her first. The drool was unbelievable - like a waterfall! And the screaming. Oh, the screaming. It just broke my heart. On Friday I had to go pick her up from daycare because she wouldn't eat for them for the second straight day (I wasn't aware of the first until the end of the day). Basically, she won't take a bottle and will nibble at solid foods. So, we have taken this as our opportunity to stop giving her a bottle. She's been off the bottle a week now and does not seem to care! She will drink water from a sippy cup and we're working on getting her used to milk. It's going 'ok' but she just prefers to only drink water! There are worst things in the world for her to like. =) So that is one transition down into being a toddler. The other is table food. We're still really struggling with this. She really does not like or want table food. When she gets it, she does the normal thing of play with it...and sometimes sticks it in her mouth but then spits it back out. We have had really good luck with pancakes, waffles, biscuits, nilla wafers, cheerios, goldfish, etc - basically any kind of bread. =) I'm not giving up hope but she is definitely a picky eater!! Here are some other things to highlight from this month:
Weight: 32.9 lbs
- Vocab -- Libby can say Ball, Cat, Stop, No, Hello, Mama, Dadda, Book, Closed, Down, Up, Boom
- Favorites -- Claps hands, bouncing everywhere and anywhere!, loves to stand, Rubber Ducky Song, Elmo Song, Sesame Street (as long as it has puppets on the show), Bunnytown (TV show), new inflatable bath tub that she can drown Mommy when she splashes, going to the Zoo, her daddy's old cell phone
- Dislikes -- table food =)
- Feedings -- see above. =) We're working on transitioning her to table foods but right now she's pretty much on baby food + carbs/breads for breakfast/snacks. She's a very picky eater so we're really struggling to get her to try things. I welcome any advice!!
- Crawling -- Eh, I just don't think this is going to happen! She's still trying but still goes backwards. Libby's really good at getting her knees up though and can spin on her tummy like nobody's business!
- Sleeping through the night -- Ever since being sick last Friday she has been sleeping through the night. Well, she'll wake up to scream but then put herself back to sleep.
- Illnesses -- We went about 2 weeks between colds. She got sick last Friday and went all weekend with 100+ degree fevers. Monday found out she had an ear infection and is doing much better now!
- Teeth -- So far just 8 but she's working on at least 4-6 more teeth (including her molers). She cannot do just one thing at her time like her Mommy!
- Shoes -- Still 6.5W =)
- Naps -- We're down to one nap from 12:00-2:00pm daily. Sometimes they don't happen until after 2pm on the weekends if we are out and about but usually the nap is from 12:00-2:00.
- walk holding on to furniture (cruise) - check! It makes me heart stop because she just started doing this but it is adorable. She's so proud!
- use a few gestures to get needs met - check! She'll look a certain direction and make her demands known.
... will probably be able to:
- play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye (most children accomplish these feats by 13 months) - check! Waving hello/good-bye is one of her favorite things. We say, "Wave hello to ..." and she'll do it.
- drink from a cup independently - check! We can only get her to drink water from a cup so far. Trying to get her to take milk from it is going to be a challenge.
- pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger (many babies do not accomplish this until nearly 15 months) - check!
- stand alone momentarily (many don't accomplish this until 13 months) - nope! We're getting closer but she still isn't sure of herself.
- say "dada" or "mama" discriminately (most will say at least one by 14 months) - check! She knows who is who. =)
- say one word other than "mama" or "dada" (many won't say their first words until 14 months or later) - check! We are keeping a tally of the words she can say (see above)
- "play ball" (roll a ball back to you; many don't accomplish this feat until 16 months) - check! The first time she did that we were so happy we (all 3 of us) played ball/catch for about an hour.
- stand alone well (many don't reach this until 14 months) - nope!
- use immature jargoning (gibberish that sounds like a foreign language; half of all babies don't start jargoning until after their first birthday, and many not until they are 15 months old) - check!
- walk well (three out of four babies don't walk well until 13.5 months, and many not until considerably later. Good crawlers may be slower to walk; when other development is normal, late walking is rarely a cause for concern) - nope!
... may even be able to:
- say three words or more other than "mama" or "dada" (a good half of all babies won't reach this stage until 13 months, and many not until 16 months) - check!
- respond to a one-step command without gestures ("Give that to me" - without hand out; most children won't reach this stage until after their first birthday, many not until after 16 months) - check! I ask Libby to put her hands up w/o gesturing when I put her in her high chair and she does it. It is a huge help!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Pulling Up
Here is a picture of my little kiddo pulling up. She started this last Friday and now it is a fun game =)
Libby and the Vent/Cat
We're loving these videos so here is one with Libby playing with the vent and Max chilling cause he knows he is in the clear!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Attack!
Libby loves the cat. The cat...eh, does not love Libby. He is great incentive to get Libby to move around the house though. =) Here is a video Jim got on his cell phone of a cat hunt.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Night My Life Changed
With Libby’s first birthday around the corner, I realized that I never really recounted what happened the night she was born. The following was my experience:
The next few hours were a blur. I know I did not sleep and the next thing I knew my parents were standing in front of me with my brother, sister and new little 4 week old niece there. Everything from that point on was just mixed together and I had no comprehension of what day or time it was.
That night may be a memory now but being able to be Elizabeth’s Mom is a gift that I will always be grateful for. She is truly a gift from God that I will always cherish. This has been a wonderful year and I am looking forward to the years to come!
It seemed like a normal Wednesday. Well, as normal as being 37.5 weeks pregnant while on bed rest could be. Wednesdays were my favorite day of the week because Jim and I had our doctor appointments then. I had been having problems with my blood pressure spiking. The doctor and midwife had told me to relax but it was difficult not to worry about how my body was handling the stress of the pregnancy and the effects it was having on the baby. Oh the baby! I was so excited about having the baby. To digress, the concept of me being pregnant and having a child was blessing.
During the summer of junior year of high school I developed an odd rash that the doctors could not explain. My parents graciously took me to various doctors and a specialist in St. Louis. This was occurring during my senior year of high school. It should be one of the best times of my life and my Mom tried to make it that way. I was oblivious to what was really going on. Then my Doctors told me their diagnosis: lupus. It wasn’t full blown but I had symptoms that were similar to that diagnosis that it was their best guess. To make matters worse, they told me I needed to watch for more signs of it progressing and I should not carry a child. They were worried hormones and the changes I would undergo during a pregnancy would cause the lupus to go into full blown mode. So, from that point on I knew I would adopt because I wanted to be a Mom. I never really worried about a spouse not agreeing with this approach because I had not planned to become married. Well, that was true until 2003 when I met my husband Jim. He was adopted so he understood adoption and wanted to adopt his future children as well. In April of 2005 we were married and in early 2006 started talking about extending our family.
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life terrified that I wouldn’t be around to watch my future child/children grow up so I decided to be tested to see how I was doing health wise. I avoided doctors like the plague so I had no idea if the lupus was worse but I had not experienced any symptoms since that summer/fall of 1997. What we found was that I was given a clean bill of health. My current doctor talked with specialists, even the ones we had seen in St. Louis, and they could not figure out how I was suddenly 100% healthy. I was tested again 6 months later to make sure everything was still clean and it was! So Jim and I changed our plans and decided to see if we could get pregnant.
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life terrified that I wouldn’t be around to watch my future child/children grow up so I decided to be tested to see how I was doing health wise. I avoided doctors like the plague so I had no idea if the lupus was worse but I had not experienced any symptoms since that summer/fall of 1997. What we found was that I was given a clean bill of health. My current doctor talked with specialists, even the ones we had seen in St. Louis, and they could not figure out how I was suddenly 100% healthy. I was tested again 6 months later to make sure everything was still clean and it was! So Jim and I changed our plans and decided to see if we could get pregnant.
Everything fell into place. We were pregnant on the first month and were blessed to find out we were having a little girl a few months later. Unfortunately the pregnancy was not a smooth process for me. I had high blood pressure very early into the pregnancy and we kept a close eye on it. As the weeks went on, it kept going higher and higher. I had a very stressful job and that was not helping the situation. In early September (25 weeks into the pregnancy) the doctor ordered me to stop working. Our hope was that this would cause the blood pressure to go down. I rested on the couch all day and only got up when necessary. Unfortunately it did not help and on Wednesday, 9/26, the midwife ordered us to go to the hospital for observation at 5pm.
Jim and I were excited and nervous. We knew there was a chance I would be induced that night and we could have our baby within the next few days. Driving to the hospital we called our parents and gave them the update. When we got the hospital and they hooked me up to the various machines, my blood pressure went even higher into the stroke zone. I was terrified but the baby was handling it like a champ. Her heartbeat was great and there was no cause for concern for her. Meanwhile I started having contractions. We got very excited and had hoped this would be the night! The nurse confirmed we would be having the baby in the next few days if not tonight via a cesarean. I had never been in the hospital much less major surgery so that terrified me. Our Doctor arrived a few hours later around 9pm and told us we had two choices: induce or cesarean. We choose a cesarean just because on my blood pressure and within minutes they were prepping me for surgery. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. I was terrified but also excited. We were having our little girl that night.
Jim and I were excited and nervous. We knew there was a chance I would be induced that night and we could have our baby within the next few days. Driving to the hospital we called our parents and gave them the update. When we got the hospital and they hooked me up to the various machines, my blood pressure went even higher into the stroke zone. I was terrified but the baby was handling it like a champ. Her heartbeat was great and there was no cause for concern for her. Meanwhile I started having contractions. We got very excited and had hoped this would be the night! The nurse confirmed we would be having the baby in the next few days if not tonight via a cesarean. I had never been in the hospital much less major surgery so that terrified me. Our Doctor arrived a few hours later around 9pm and told us we had two choices: induce or cesarean. We choose a cesarean just because on my blood pressure and within minutes they were prepping me for surgery. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. I was terrified but also excited. We were having our little girl that night.
By 10:00pm, way past my bedtime!, I was fully prepped and 
ready to go into surgery. Jim looked silly in his scrubs but he knew I was terrified so he stood by me as long as he could. Then they rolled me into a room and at 10:34pm Jim and I had a beautiful daughter. I remember when I saw her for the first time I couldn’t do anything but cry. It was all worth it. We already knew what we were going to name her, 
Elizabeth Ann, but just being able to call her that and see her versus just talking with her was magical. She looked all wrinkly but gorgeous and perfect. Jim got to hold her right away but I couldn’t because they had over done the drugs a bit on me. I couldn’t feel either of my arms and wasn’t confident enough to hold her. It was very frustrating but I knew I would have plenty of time with this new addition to the world. The nurses wheeled me to another room and Jim went off somewhere with a nurse and the baby. After awhile Jim came back with his parents and sister. They were introduced to Elizabeth, who was already being called “Libby”.
ready to go into surgery. Jim looked silly in his scrubs but he knew I was terrified so he stood by me as long as he could. Then they rolled me into a room and at 10:34pm Jim and I had a beautiful daughter. I remember when I saw her for the first time I couldn’t do anything but cry. It was all worth it. We already knew what we were going to name her, 
Elizabeth Ann, but just being able to call her that and see her versus just talking with her was magical. She looked all wrinkly but gorgeous and perfect. Jim got to hold her right away but I couldn’t because they had over done the drugs a bit on me. I couldn’t feel either of my arms and wasn’t confident enough to hold her. It was very frustrating but I knew I would have plenty of time with this new addition to the world. The nurses wheeled me to another room and Jim went off somewhere with a nurse and the baby. After awhile Jim came back with his parents and sister. They were introduced to Elizabeth, who was already being called “Libby”. 
The next few hours were a blur. I know I did not sleep and the next thing I knew my parents were standing in front of me with my brother, sister and new little 4 week old niece there. Everything from that point on was just mixed together and I had no comprehension of what day or time it was. That night may be a memory now but being able to be Elizabeth’s Mom is a gift that I will always be grateful for. She is truly a gift from God that I will always cherish. This has been a wonderful year and I am looking forward to the years to come!
Sleeping Angel
Libby is getting another cold plus teething again and it is making her exhausted at night. Last night Jim was trying to feed her a bottle and then this happened. She just swotted at the bottle and as Jim took it away she curled up in his lap. I think she would have slept like that all night if we would let her!
Standing
We've almost moved to a new phase in the Ski household - Libby standing. She can pull herself up even though she thinks she needs our hands to do it. I really think that once we get her to stand it will only be a short time before she starts walking. She loves to walk with our assistance. It is going to be fun!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Libby Swinging
Sadly we have never put Libby on a swing...until yesterday. We put a very confused baby in a friend's swing last night and Libby loved it!! Looks like Libby will want to go to the park more now!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Picky Eater
Libby, as it turns out, is a very picky eater. We are having a horrible time getting her to eat table foods. One thing I tried this morning were the Eggo Mini Pancakes and they were a hit. Here is a quick picture from her first bite. It was just too cute!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Libby Walking
Libby just took off walking with assistance today and I shot a quick video of it. It is too cute!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Baby Must Haves: Foam Mats
If your house does not have carpet and your baby is trying to crawl or walk, I highly recommend having foam mats as your temporary floor. Jim and I couldn't decide on a rug we both liked and settled on the mats and now are so happy because they are a thick foam where Libby virtually cannot hurt them. Plus, they are colorful and are puzzle pieces so she can learn colors and how put them together as she gets older. She's already discovered how to pull them a part. They are available lots of stores but we bought ours from a company called 'Get Rung' and they were much cheaper. Just thought I'd share =)
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