Is it Really Almost March??

Things are going very well here at the Sanderson home. I have gone into an organization kick so all my free time is spent cleaning out every cupboard, closet, bookshelf, and you name it! I am throwing/giving away things we don't need, packing up things that we don't need in our little one bedroom so we can store it, and trying to make the most sense of all the remaining items. We are currently looking for an affordable two bedroom but that's no easy task here in Southern California. So for now we are making the most of what we have:)

Suzie continues to grow and bring us more and more joy. She is getting better at using the right side of her body, which was a concern that the therapists had noticed. She rolls from her tummy to her back consistently and is starting to roll more from her back to tummy. She likes to sit up, but doesn't care for her bumbo seat. She loves to stand up while we're holding her. Now that she rolls over more, she is starting to wake up earlier:) But she is still a very good sleeper so we are very thankful. She doesn't particularly like to eat so I do my best to get her to take 4-5 ounces five times a day. She'll take the first ounce very well and then lose interest! We haven't started her on solids yet because the last time we went to the pediatrician, she still didn't have the best head control. Her head is still a little heavier from the hydrocephalus, but I think when we go next month they will give us the go ahead. She is now in size 2 diapers but she is still wearing her 0-3 month clothes for now. She has a special daddy smile. Every day when Kyle comes home, he gets a special smile from our little girl. It's so precious! She loves to chat, smile, squeal and loves to be held as often as possible!

Suzie had her first trip to the snow a couple of weeks ago! We went to Forest Home for the night. We had a great time, but she didn't really care for her new surroundings:) We did get some fun snow pictures though! Sorry I'm not the best photographer. She doesn't like the flash so they are kind of dim, and she moves so much, they are blurry! They are still cute though:)

Getting stronger!








I was so glad to capture her happy face, I didn't even mind that it was blurry!




This was the huge cabin we got to stay in!


And this was the view!


All bundled up and ready for the snow!


She didn't quite know what to make of the snow...




Nice and toasty in the cabin!


Suzie loves her time with daddy:)


She is now almost exactly 1/3 the size of daddy!


She'll tolerate the bumbo for a few minutes before getting tired of it

7 Months Old!

Suzie will be 7 months old next Wednesday. She is 4 months old if you look at her adjusted age. I can hardly believe how far our little girl has come! She is doing so well and bringing joy to our lives every day.

Today we went to get her monthly RSV shot. It did not go well. I was so thankful to have my mom with me because it was pouring rain on the way down there and it made for a very stressful trip. We were late getting there which made us late in being seen. Suzie was already a little fussy when we got there and she screamed harder and longer after her shot than she ever has for any of her other shots. When she received her 2 month vaccines in the hospital, she didn't even cry at all. I think she was so used to being poked and prodded all the time, she was kind of numb to it. Now that she is home and we coddle and comfort her every little cry and try to keep her for any sort of pain at all, she is a total wimp! She cries harder and harder with every shot she receives. She cried for at least 20 minutes (although it seemed like an hour) at the hospital. I don't mean a cute little newborn cry either. A harsh screaming painful cry. It was to the point where all the nurses and doctors were peaking their heads around the corner to see what we were doing to this child. So I finally was able to get her calmed down by walking her and holding her very tightly for a long time. When we got in the car she was so worn out she fell right asleep. But then we hit major traffic due to the rain and the minute we stopped moving, she started crying again. Plus we were stuck in traffic for an hour and a half so she ended up eating an hour late! Poor baby! I hope she sleeps well tonight:)

So the doctor gave me her 7 months stats today:
Weight: 12 lbs. 6 oz (15th percentile)
Height: 24.5 inches (45th percentile)

She is getting so big! I saw on a friends blog that she would periodically post pictures chronicling birth through the current month. So I thought I would do that for this post. I'll start with a few recent pics to show her at 7 months and then I selected a picture for every month since she was born. I am amazed at how far the Lord has brought our little Suzie!

Here are some recent ones at 7 Months Old with mommy and daddy. Check out her chubby cheeks!!




6 Months Old--Getting so big!

5 Months Old--Suzie had her first Christmas

4 Months Old--First Thanksgiving

3 Months Old--Got to come home!

2 Months Old--Just after Shunt surgery

I did two for 1 month because they are both so sweet:)


Birth--I couldn't believe that she could survive weighing under 2 pounds!

One last thing. The Governor's proposed budget for this year cuts out funding for the program that provides all of Suzie's therapy. Please join us in praying that this proposal does not pass so she can continue to receive these much needed services. Thanks!

Videos

Well I thought I would post a few new videos of little Suzie. She is doing very well and adjusting to her new schedule quite nicely. It has been very nice for me to be able to get a little more done during the day. I am able to spend more time with Lord which is a huge blessing. And I've been able to clean more and even start exercising! Now I have no excuses:) She takes one really good nap in the morning when I try to get as much done as I can. Then she usually takes another pretty good nap later in the day and two shorter ones. But she really seems to be in a much better mood. I am realizing what a sacrifice it is to plan my day around her naps. I can't really go many places other than where I have to go if I want to stick to her schedule. My sister says it gets much easier when they cut back to just two naps a day but right now she is at four! So I look forward to that day. She is sleeping peacefully right now which is why I am able to post this stuff:)

Here is a picture from the Suzie's first wedding! Kyle was in two weddings last month and she was able to make an appearance at both. She made quite the impression at this wedding when she started crying in the middle of the sermon! I had to quickly rush her out the door but everyone heard her. So I learned my lesson and at the next wedding, we stayed outside:)

Scheduling

Suzie had been very fussy for about two weeks and I was pretty sure that it was because she wasn't getting enough nap time during the day. Kyle and I would take turns pacing around the apartment with her to try to console her. Then she would fall asleep in our arms and wake up the minute we put her down. She was only sleeping for about 20 minutes here and there and I realized it was time to start her on a schedule. She has been on a feeding schedule since she came home from the hospital, but I realized it was time to put her on a nap and wake time schedule as well. First step was to set up the pack n' play in our bedroom for her to nap in. Since her room is only separated by a curtain in our living room, allowing her to cry for a long time in her crib is just not an option. The first few days were incredibly rough. She would cry for 20 minutes and then I would go to console her and the poor girl would have her whole face just covered in tears. When I would pick her up she would do the very sad little whimper cry. Then I would put her down and she would cry for another 20 minutes. Then I would pick her up and she would be so worn out, she would fall asleep in my arms. Then I would put her down only to have here wake up 20 minutes later! So it was a very tough few days. By the third or fourth day, she finally learned to cry herself to sleep. Not for every nap, but one or two a day. Then on Sunday, she was actually starting to just fall right asleep without crying! She is still struggling with taking longer naps. Some times she will nap for an hour or even an hour and a half, but other times she only sleeps for 30 minutes before waking. But we are seeing improvement and in just a few days! I'm so thankful for that. And she seems to be happier now that she is getting more sleep. It is very difficult to be consistent with all her different appointments. But I am working on being as consistent as possible.

Here therapy continues to go very well. The therapist reminded me this morning that it is too early to tell if Suzie has any cognitive disabilities. It was something I hadn't really thought about in a while. So it was a sobering reminder to pray fervently for our little girl's development.

We finally got our camera back so here are a few pictures I snapped this morning. She smiles a lot, but it's very hard to capture a smile in a picture. I'll try to get more smiley photos later.




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