To Auntie

Happy Birthday to our Auntie! We love and miss you very much! See you soon!! OXOXOXOXOX

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Fall!

OK, OK, I admit....I love fall. But, only for the beautiful fall colors! I dread the next season.... and fall reminds me of "that" season. Yesterday, I called Aaron at work and told him we had to take our fall pictures since it was the perfect fall day. Like the champ he is, he got out of work early and we enjoyed some quiet family time at my favorite spot. We then followed it up with dinner at the Outback! Perfect night!

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Our cousin

My nephews are down visiting us this week. I took EJ to my "secret" favorite fall location yesterday. He was so fun to photograph. His Mommy had to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star over and over, but I think we got some cute shots!




**** A few people asked if Ailyn's eyes could be the reason she is behind on gross motor. YES! In fact that is one of the reasons we are pushing to get the surgery done now. But, her eye doctor doesn't seemed concerned (at all) about her being behind on milestones. In fact we have brought it up many many times and all he says is "babies learn to adapt to their surroundings" We hesitate to switch doctors because we have been getting her eyes measured every 4 weeks for over a year. We are putting our trust into this doctor....not very easy! Thanks for your concern! *****

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Amazing Strawberry

I have all great news and was very excited to get blogging about it!! Ailyn has flipped a switch and has really jumped through leaps and bounds over the past month. It's been amazing to see!!

Our big news is that we met with the genetic doctor this week and our feelings were validated. Ailyn is just small. Something I have been saying from day 1. A Mommy knows these things! The doctor said that since she shows no physical signs of a syndrome and has already had genetic testing done at birth that showed nothing, he feels there is nothing wrong. He said exactly what we have been trying to tell the doctors. "You are not tall people, Ailyn is just going to be small, she had a very rough start and was 3 months early, give her that time to catch up" He also said she looks very healthy for her size. So yes, paying 20% of I am sure too much money was well worth the "I told you so" ;)
A light came on and Ailyn has been progressing everyday. The changes have been amazing. Her cognitive development is finally catching up. She picked up the phone,put it to her ear and said what we think is "hello". Baby dolls are an absolute favorite. She will pick up a baby, give it kisses and hugs and even feed a bottle. Ailyn also has more words and is babbling a ton. Her words are more sounds but she is really trying. I am trying to get her to use a word to tell me what she wants but I am thinking she is not ready for that yet.
Ailyn's gross motor has taking off as well. She can pull to a stand very well, her feet are still a little unorganized but improving. We are still working (hard) on getting into a sitting position. Today in therapy she needed very little help. She can get up to her knees quick now and is trying to move forward. Ailyn's movements are not that of a "normal" baby. It's hard to explain, but once she masters a milestone she does it "normal" It's a mystery to her therapists. One believes she is neurologically behind and I think that explains a lot. She is no where near walking but I can honestly say I think she may be walking before 2! A month ago, I would have laughed at that thought.
Ailyn had her last eye measurement and we are now waiting on the doctor to give the go ahead for surgery. We are starting to push the surgery idea. Ailyn's perception is way off. She can not put a block in a container or bang on an object the correct way. She tilts her head to see with her good eye. Today she showed a HUGE improvement though. She tried hard to get a shape into a container on her own after her therapist showed her how. We both cheered loud for her!

I can't explain how proud we are of her. It's the greatest feeling! Ailyn is finally "catching up" and coming out of her baby body into the toddler she is!!

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Outtakes

Ok, Auntie here are some of the outtakes just for you ;)

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Lucky Mommy

I am pretty sure I have two of the greatest kids ever! I know how very lucky I am to have them in my life :) Today I was in the mood for a photo shoot, however the children were not. Of course I don't show the ones of Ailyn eating grass, crying or pulling Camden's hair or Camden's eye after I poked him to move him where I wanted......but even though they didn't want to be there, they were champs and I have shots I will cherish forever!
Ailyn has been really improving on her gross motor skills. Camden and I caught her climbing on bins yesterday! Even though she is not steady and will not try to catch herself, so the fall is normally pretty hard. If you look really close in these photos you will notice a forehead of bruises!
Ailyn has also changed the way she plays with toys. She will now play with her baby doll, giving her kisses and hugs and feeding her a bottle. Today in therapy she was asked to pick the hammer up to bang on the bench and it took her a few minutes but she went to the hammer, picked it up and banged the toy. Sounds simple right? But, for Ailyn this is huge. So proud of our Strawberry!
Ailyn is also very social. Loves attention, loves to preform for you...... but not when the video camera is on her. She will look around and make sure everyone is watching her. She is a Daddy's girl for sure. You say Daddy's name and she lights up. And, this makes Daddy very happy.
Camden......Camden.....Camden..... is having a rough time at drop off in the mornings. Clinging to my leg and crying. I know he is fine the second I walk away, but it has really hurt me! I think I have cried along with him every day. On the other hand, he is enjoying school and comes home very happy. I even get to hear about his day :)

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