Sitting!

Today Gabriella sat up, completely unassisted for the first time! She had been able to hold herself up for a few seconds and then today, just like that, she held herself up for several minutes. It was like it just clicked; she used her hands and arms to balance herself and was so proud of herself. Last week, her physical therapist told us to put a pillow in front of her, on her lap and place her toys on top of the pillow to encourage her to sit up a bit more. That trick definitely worked!!

I am one proud mom!!! 

Last week, we had a reunion playdate with one of our favorite families from the NICU.  On the morning Gabriella was born, another micropreemie was transported to CCMC from another area hospital. A few days later, he was moved into the crib space next to Gabriella and we were so lucky to have them as our neighbors. I often think about how lucky we were to be surrounded by so many wonderful families during our stay there. We've stayed in touch with many and love seeing how well the babies are doing!

We love Ethan!! He is truly one of the strongest people in the world!

On Friday evening, our niece and Gabriella's oldest cousin had her senior prom. She looked absolutely beautiful!!  It brought back so many memories of our prom!  Seems like just yesterday... or a few (many) years :)

The rest of the weekend we had swimming lessons, a barbeque and lots of fun and relaxation. This week we are getting ready for Sandy's baby shower and Gianni's birthday!! Fun week ahead!!

Happy Monday!!
xo,
Mary

Sleep, swinging, and new tricks

For the past few nights, this has been the scene in our house from about 4am-7am. Gabriella has entered a phase where she wakes up around 4 and will not go back to sleep in her crib. But of course, will sleep for a few more hours in our bed. Sigh. Every evening I tell myself that I will be stronger and firmer and when she wakes up, I will rock her and then put her back in her bed. And continue to soothe her as needed but ultimately keep her in her own bed. And then 4am comes around, we are exhausted and my big plans for staying strong go out the window for a few more hours of sleep. One of these nights I will stick to my plan but until then, we'll spend the early morning hours getting side-kicked and punched by a baby making "snow angels" in the middle. 

We finally put up Gabriella's swing in the back yard and she loves it! My dad also got her a baby pool to soak in during the hot days and she is a big fan of that as well. I haven't taken any photos of the baby pool but I will during the next hot day.

Gabriella's latest baby trick is turning on her aquarium with her hands. She turns herself around in her crib and reaches up to turn it on. Watching her figure things out is truly amazing and can entertain us for hours!

June is always a busy month and this year is no different. We have a fun-filled month ahead with lots of birthdays (Gianni's included!), Sandy's baby shower, our niece's graduation, and a bunch of other activities. It will fly by, I'm sure!

Have a good week!
xo,
Mary

NICU follow-up appointment

This week we had our second NICU follow-up appointment at the CCMC clinic. While the first visit was about a month after our discharge to check her medically, this appointment was to test her neurodevelopment. We were really excited for this appointment because not only was it with one of our favorite neonatologists, it's known as the "fun" appointment because it is about 60-90 minutes of play time!

At 7 months old, Gabriella is measured as a 4 month old, which is her adjusted age. Some of the activities they did with her were tummy play, watching her follow lights, startle and turn to noises, respond to voices, grab objects, and look at images in books. We were really happy to find out that all of her motor skills are falling in the 4-6 month range! This means that she is right at or above where she should be for her adjusted age and catching up nicely for her real age.  Another area she was tested on was her verbal skills and much to our (happy) surprise, Gabriella is in the 6-9 month range! She babbles on and on, has a variety of pitches and noises and at times will try and "converse" with someone; sort of listening and then "talking" back. It was really cute to see her "talking" with her doctor and they were so happy!

They did feel some tightness in her hip muscles- especially on the left side which is the leg that she had a bit of trouble with at birth. When she was born, her left leg was gray and there wasn't good blood flow. Eventually, her vascular system adapted and her leg grew normally with good pulses. The doctor and physical therapist said that they don't foresee long term problems, but we should continue with tummy time and avoid her bouncy seat so she isn't too stiff trying to hold up her head and legs.  We'll go back in October and then again around 18 months old to continue to track her progress!

And one last smile from the appointment... they put her weight on the growth chart and for her adjusted age she is in the 50th percentile and for her real age, she actually made the chart!!! 3rd percentile but we'll take it!

xo,
Mary

Memorial Day

We had a fun and relaxing Memorial Day, spent walking to the parade in town, seeing family, and then went to a friend's house for a BBQ.  We always try and remember the real meaning of Memorial Day but it is always nice to have a long weekend to kick off the summer.

We hope you had a relaxing weekend!
xo,
Mary

Swimming lessons

On Saturday morning Gabriella started swimming lessons for the first time. It's a parent/child class and she absolutely loved it! Learning to swim has always been important to us and this is a perfect introduction to the water. The class is really cute, they sing songs, bounce up and down in the water, and play.

The water was a little chilly so we got both Gianni and Gabriella swim shirts for next week. But besides the cool water, it was a ton of fun and it was the perfect Dad/baby bonding activity. I'll try and take a video one week!

xo,
Mary