Spectacles?

Say it isn’t so! Because my terrible vision was detected at such an early age (first grade), Amelia had her first eye exam today. We saw Dr. Preston at Northwest Pediatric Eye Care. Everyone at the office was fantastic with Amelia and completely enamored with her cuteness.

The doctor did say that our little sweetie is likely on her way to needing glasses. Today’s appointment was to get a baseline assessment. We’re scheduled to return in six months and that will be the true test. At that time she may or may not leave with a new pair of spectacles. We’ll just have to wait and SEE! No pun intended.

The First Six!

Amelia had a big weekend; or rather, Mom was very happy that Amelia had such a great time on this one particularly important event. Yep, it's official - Amelia loves her bike trailer!

After last summer's poor performance, we were skeptical of what would happen. We arrived at Bothell Landing, put her helmet on no problem, buckled her into the trailer, still no problem, and took off. That was it. We kept waiting for the screams of disapproval that we heard a year ago, but there were none. Well, only a few down the road when her helmet strap got askew, she dropped her water bottle and couldn't reach it, or saw her snacks and immediately wanted one.

We completed six miles which includes a stop at the park for dinner - Subway sandwiches. A perfect evening! Mom, the closest cyclist for the past three years, is smiling.

Yuck!

Amelia gave us our first real scare this past week. She was so sick and dehydrated from some random bug she picked up that we had to take her to the Children's Hospital emergency room. We were able to get her rehydrated after some anti-nausea mediation, but that only lasted a day. The next day the entire cycle repeated itself and this went on for five days. There were repeat doctor visits, trips to the hospital, and lots of phone calls to her doctors and nurses. As of yesterday, she's doing much better. Thank you all for your prayers and concern.

Now to the fun part.

Last Thursday she had two firsts; her first visit to the emergency room and the first time she said her name. While watching photos on the laptop screensaver, she pointed and said "Me Me Aah." Yep, that’s "Amelia" said by a 20-month old. Too cute.

The other cute thing she did that was also so sad... When she would fill her diaper (with really bad diarrhea) as she did about every 30 minutes for all those days, she would stop, tap her waist, and say with a concerned tone "Oh no, Oh no!" Adorable. And then we would head upstairs to the changing table…

Quick Update

A wonderful day visiting Great Aunt Clarkie at her home in Palos Verdes Estates, CA.

Someone is sure enjoying the hotel room!

Great Grandma Jean's childhood chair from Panama.

Grandma Jean, Kirsten, & Amelia

Amelia's doing great! She’s talkin' more and more each day. She’s hasn’t shown too much interest in using the toilet lately so we'll wait a while before coming back to that. She loves her gymnastics class and going to Jump Planet with her friends to, well, JUMP!!! Swimming is now a routine she anticipates since she’s been going most Saturdays since she was eight months old. She laughs and plays in the water and has little fear of it. That was our goal! Check.

We went to Monrovia last month to visit Grandma Jean and Great Aunt Clarkie for a weekend. It was a delightful time getting to visit with family and let them enjoy Amelia as we do each and every day. The plane ride down was not too much fun for anyone as Amelia got sick with a fever and ear infection the morning we were to leave. She most certainly didn’t like the landing but the plane ride home four days later was a non-issue. She’s a traveling fool with eight flights under her belt and a brand new passport in hand ready for her first international venture.

Babies

Amelia noticed tonight what was on a TV news program for a flash of a moment; babies. She exclaimed "Babies, Babies". We asked her if she would like a baby sister or baby brother. Her unmistakble answer was a clear "sissa". We both laughed hysterically.

No, we have no other news except that we've started communication with a local adoption agency.

Talk Talk Talk

“Oooooh Wow” when she sees something new or something she really likes.

“Pease”
“Tank U”
“More”

“Sit sit” when sitting down on the bottom step to put on her “Shuuz”.

“Dog ga” Dog
“Wuf wuf” is the sound the dog makes. We don’t even have a dog. We have a cat.

Our little gal is full of words and is so very animated. What fun we’re having with her; big hugs, lots of kisses, smiles that never end. It’s all good. We’re quite tired of course, but isn’t that what we signed up for?

On Friday, February 15 Amelia will be 1½ years old. How did that happen?

For the past year we’ve been taking her to swimming lessons every Saturday morning. She’s become quite a water baby as she goes underwater, blows bubbles, and climbs out of the pool using proper techniques she’s learned.

Last week we took her to her first gymnastics class. The trampoline was a huge hit and complete entertainment for us. We’re going again tomorrow because we all had so much fun.

Stay tuned for more Amelia!

So Advanced!

Did I mention how advanced she is? I’ll get to her momentous achievement in a moment. smile wink

Earlier this month I was traveling to Winnipeg, Canada on business. Yes, Winnipeg in November. Brrrr. Gene and Amelia smartly stayed home while I wondered if she would notice I was gone for four days. A few nights into my trip, Gene told me she dropped a toy that made a loud crashing noise. This tripped the glass break alarm on our home alarm system. It’s just a quick ‘beep beep’ and is the same sound each door makes when it’s opened. After hearing the two beeps from dropping her toy, Amelia ran toward the front door looking for me to walk through it. Yep, she missed me. smile wink

OK, now for her two firsts for the day.

1) After 15 months, she finally got her first ear infection. This diagnosis followed a weekend full of fevers, runny nose, and SIX new teeth. Thanksgiving this year was not fun at our house.

2) You already heard a few weeks ago about peeing in her new toilet just a few days after we bought it. Well, tonight, I’m proud to say she pooped in it! Now that’s cool!

smile wink

Time?

First Birthday at Green Lake
Long Beach Kite Festival
Picking Tomatos in Mom's Garden
Running Through the Pumpkin Patch
One Happy Pink Octopus for Halloween

Not sure what happened to the past few months? Since Amelia’s first birthday, we’ve been at a constant sprint. It seems even busier than the first year. Here are a few pics of what we’ve been up to.

She walks 100% of the time, except when she throws herself on the department store floor while throwing a tantrum.

Last night she opened the lid to her new potty AND actually peed in it. We’ve only had it two days. We were amazed and are convinced that our almost-15-month-old is the most advanced child in the world.

She eats all table food; basically whatever we’re eating. No special meals are prepared in our house.

She’s read every board book in her library at least 100 times. She’ll just sit down in the middle of the floor, grab four books, and look intently and laugh at each page. She also does this in her crib in the morning while I’m getting ready for work. Did I mention how advanced she is?

First Birthday

The birthday girl enjoying her first bite of cake,

after neatly eating all the frosting.

Yum!

Want some?

Less than four hours later!

And Now She Walks!

Grandma Jean's back yard

Beach at Malibu

Vacation? Well, it was anything but that. Amelia kept us on our toes the entire twelve days. The second day of our trip she decided to walk. Her first steps were in her Great Grandma Jean’s living room for all to see. She’s still a weeble wobble, but in the past week has made it up to about twenty steps at a time.

We had a delightful time celebrating Grandma Jean’s 90th birthday in Monrovia. It was great to see everyone for what turned out to be a terrific family reunion. We also enjoyed a visit with Grandpa John and family in Phoenix.

This new mom and dad are tired. We now need a vacation from the vacation. Amelia’s even tired. She took a 90 minute nap today on her first day back at school.

Before, During, & After

It was well past the time for a first haircut when we arrived at the salon on Saturday.

Pics

And Now She Sleeps!

Since starting "school" on March 1, the most Amelia has slept there is about 30 minutes in a day. It doesn't matter if she's there for a three hour day or a six hour day; she just doesn't sleep at school. My theory is that since she's my daughter she's a very social being. There's simply no time to sleep when she has the option to play with her friends.

Today she slept for 2 1/2 HOURS! I sure hope she's not getting sick. For the moment we'll chalk it up to a growth spurt.

She Stands!

Yep, Amelia decided to stand all by herself last Saturday afternoon. It just so happened that she was trying out her brand new wading pool for the first time, it was 90 degrees in Seattle, and she was wearing a polka-dot bikini! Nice! She just stood up out of the inch of water she was sitting in like it was nothing. Now she's practicing her new trick non-stop.

Photos to come :)

Time Flies!

Where has the month gone? Our family was sick for nearly an entire month. Then my dad joined us for a quick weekend visit; very fun! Amelia is now over eight months old and we can’t even believe it. I’m already thinking of ideas for her birthday party. Actually, I think we’ll have more than one party. Doesn’t everyone do that?

Last week she was exposed to Chicken Pox at her school. Two days later we’re still pox-free. Keep your fingers crossed. Thursday, May 10th we head to Children’s Hospital to meet her team of hematologists. The responsible parent in me says to call ahead to ensure she’s safe to be up there with her recent exposure. There are a lot of very sick children there who certainly don’t need chicken pox. I feel fortunate that we’re only going in for a consultation and a blood draw.

Enjoy the pics. I love the Easter dress and hat!

Definition of Hereditary Spherocytosis

Yep, it's official: mom passed it on to baby.

Hereditary spherocytosis: A genetic disorder of the red blood cell membrane clinically characterized by anemia (Kirsten's entire life), jaundice (yellowing) (Amelia had this at birth) and splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen) (Kirsten had an ultrasound last month confirming an enlarged spleen).

In HS the red cells are smaller, rounder, and more fragile than normal. The red cells have a spherical rather than the biconcave-disk shape of the normal red cell. These rotund red cells (spherocytes) are osmotically fragile and less flexible than normal red cells and tend to get trapped in narrow blood passages, particularly in the spleen, and there they break up (hemolyze) leading to hemolytic anemia.

The clogging of the spleen with red cells almost invariably causes splenomegaly. The breakup of the red cells releases hemoglobin and the heme part gives rise to bilirubin, the pigment of jaundice. The excess bilirubin leads to the formation of gallstones, even in childhood, There is also often iron overload due to the excess destruction of iron-rich red cells.

Hereditary spherocytosis is most common in people of northern European ancestry. It often shows up in infancy or early childhood, causing anemia and jaundice. The bone marrow has to work extra hard to make more red cells. So, if in the course of an ordinary viral illness, the bone marrow stops making red cells, the anemia can quickly become profound. This is termed an aplastic crisis.

Laboratory studies show evidence not only of many spherocytes but also increased numbers of reticulocytes (young red blood cells), hyperbilirubinemia (increased blood levels of the jaundice pigment bilirubin due to the breakup of the red cells) and increased osmotic fragility of the red cells.

HS is due to a deficiency of a protein called ankyrin. Ankyrins are cell membrane proteins (thought to interconnect integral proteins with the spectrin-based membrane skeleton.) The ankyrin of red blood cells (erythrocytic ankyrin) is called ankyrin-R or ankyrin-1. It is represented by the symbol ANK1.

The HS gene, that for ANK1, has been mapped to chromosome 8 and, specifically, to chromosome band 8p11.2. HS is inherited as a dominant trait so, if a person with HS reproduces, their child (irrespective of whether it is a boy or girl) has a 50:50 chance to have HS (At least Amelia got Gene's blue eyes).

The treatment of hereditary spherocytosis is to remove the spleen (splenectomy). Although the red cell defect persists, the breakup of the red cells (hemolysis) ceases. Splenectomy, however, is a hazard in young children. Young children without a spleen are at increased risk for overwhelming sepsis (bloodstream infection), particularly with the pneumococcus bacteria. Splenectomy is therefore usually postponed if possible until the age of 3 years. Before having a splenectomy, anyone with HS should have the pneumococcal vaccine. Persons with HS (or another cause of brisk ongoing hemolysis) should take supplemental folic acid.

The prognosis (outlook) after splenectomy is for a normal life and a normal life expectancy.

Source: http://www.medterms.com

Oh well; I've lived up to this point undiagonosed. This way she'll have an explanation instead of all the mystery.

I'm Not Napping!

Amelia is now standing in her crib. She pulls up and chews the paint off the railing. Yuck!

Sick Sick Sick

Amelia finally got sick. First it was a fever of 103 for three days, followed by a rash on her upper body for several more days. She was diagnosed with a common (and completely unheard of to us) childhood illness called Roseola. Who knew?

Just as she was feeling better and Mom got to go back to work, green gunk started collecting in her eyes. Now she’s on antibiotic drops to cure her eye infection.

This was her first month at school, and likely where she got all these bugs. I hope the second month finds Amelia feeling much better. Besides her illness, she also got her first two teeth this last month. She’s growing!

New Mom - Healthy Baby

Well, today didn't go as planned. I dressed up Amelia for her school pictures today. Yes, we call it school instead of day care. It's easier on our hearts. We're certainly not worried about her care as the place is fabulous; we simply feel guilty. So we'll call it school.

This is only her second week and she LOVES it. She hasn't shed a tear yet and the only downside is that she's having so much fun she doesn't want to nap. We get a very tired and sometimes cranky kid to play with for the evening.

So I dressed her up for her pictures this morning and then thought we would just swing by Children's Hospital real quick for her blood draw. Am I dense? Apparently. Three hours later with one screaming baby with three needle pokes in her arms, I'm on my way home to start the peace treaty!

She's napping now and has been for over two hours. She did not have a good time this morning.

Now don't panic about the Children's Hospital visit as she was probably the healthiest kid there today. Remember my diagnosis during pregnancy of Hereditary Spherocytosis (June 14, 2006 blog post)? We're checking to see if Amelia inherited it. There's nothing really to it other than a bit of anemia and possibly an enlarged spleen. Better to know now rather than a surprise diagnosis during pregnancy.

Good thing the photographer at school has a two day gig. We'll catch them tomorrow.

Six Months Old Already?

February was a big month for Amelia. After reading the blog, my father promptly purchased an airline ticket and came to visit for the weekend. We had a fabulous time just relaxing and laughing with Amelia. She’s so very happy. I’m pleased to report that she has now met every one of her grandparents. Next we’ll focus on meeting cousins.

She ate her first food, winter squash, in the presence of Papa. She has now moved on to peas and sweet potatoes. Fruit is next on the list. She prefers to take the spoon from you and feed herself with it. What a mess!

Last Friday, February 23, Gene proudly announced that we have a tooth. I ran downstairs, inspected her gums myself, and confirmed that a tooth was breaking through. That’s when I began to sob. My baby has a tooth!?!? How can this be? The time is going by just too fast. You couldn’t really see it for several days, but now it’s a beautiful pearly white getting taller each day. It’s official – I’m the mother of a baby with a tooth.

Our dear little baby is resting at the moment; recovering from her series of four immunizations today. It was her six month well baby visit. Here are her official stats.

Birth - 8 lb. 1 oz. weight & 21 1/4 in. long

2 months – 10 lb. 12 oz. weight (50%) & 22 3/4 in. long (75%) & 15 1/8 in. head (40%)

4 months – 13 lb. 3 oz. weight (45%) & 24 7/8 in. long (85%) & 15 7/8 in. head (35%)

6 months – 14 lb. 9 oz. weight (25%) & 25 7/8 in. long (70%) & 16 1/2 in. head (40%)

As you can see, we have a tall yet petite little gal on our hands!!!