Jane is Three!

Our beautiful Jane

It's November 5th, 2013 and Jane's third birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies. I remember as if it were yesterday, how around midnight my water broke and I was admitted into the Provo IHC Hospital. Around this time (3:30AM) three years ago the epidural stopped working properly and the, not so wonderful part of labor started. However, at 1:08PM Jane was born; a healthy, beautiful baby girl who brought tears of happiness to her mom's and dad's eyes. Even though the C-section was a blur, I still remember how David brought Jane to me and I kissed her tiny face.
Many things have happened since then. Jane, you are now a big sister and have learned so much in these three years since you were born. You weigh 35lb and wear 3T and even some 4T clothing. You are tall and have beautiful, long hair. A lot of people compliment you for her beauty, cuteness, pretty hair and big, blue eyes. You are a good big sister. You like to hold Kaley on occasion, and marvel at how small and cute she is. You also take care of Alyss and always make sure that she gets something before you do. If you ask for some chocolate, you first give a piece to Alyss and then come and get a piece for yourself. You and Alyss like to play together too, even though almost always your play turns into fighting as you both try to figure out how to do things together. Life can be pretty hard when you are a toddler. You are trying to understand how things work, you want to be listened to and do things that you see grown-ups do and, you want to be always be right. All these struggles turn many times into full-blown tantrums and meltdowns when you go and close yourself in your room or just hold tight your pillow and sometimes put your face in it to cry. You have a small pillow that you sleep with and carry around the house. You used to want to take it outside with you but nowadays you just leave it on the couch in the living room to wait for you until you come back home. You also have a little fluffy puppy and a rhinoceros that you love very much and who help you fell better when you are sad. In the beginning we weren't sure how to deal with the intense feelings that you experience. We are now starting to realize that you are learning and want to be considered as a member of the family who has something to say and wants to be listened to. So, we are trying to be more patient and understanding and to help you understand your feelings and learn how to express them. We know that you are having a hard time sometimes but we also know that you are very smart and have a good heart and that you will learn in time how to deal with your emotions. We just want you to know that we are here for you no matter what.
Jane, we are so excited to start a new year of your life and to see you grow and become a child more, and more every day. I can't wait to take you to sports or dance or who know what else you might want to do. I can't wait to start teaching you how to draw and color and how to read and write. We already have small conversations and you are starting to ask more and more questions about what things are and why they are the way they are. You love to talk on the phone with daddy, you absolutely adore daddy and love to spend time with him. He loves spending time with you too. You like to watch movies on the computer and know how to pick a movie by yourself. You like "Horton hears a who" or "Elephant" how you call it, you like Walle-E, Toy Story (or "Buzz"), "Monsters U"  (or "Monsters"), "Bolt" (or "Puppy") and "Despicable Me" (or "Minions"). You also like "Sophia the First" and "Doc McStuffins" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on Disney Junior on the iPad. You still love music and to dance and you can sing the "ABC song", "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or "Old McDonald". You and Alyss dance and sing with mommy many times and we have a great time whenever we listen to fun music.
Jane, sweetie, now that it's your birthdayI want to wish you a wonderful fourth year of life. I hope that you will be healthy and very happy and that you and your sisters will have a wonderful time together. I hope that me and daddy will be able to help you learn more and more things about life and that we will be able to be here for you and give you everything you need to be the best three year old that you can be. WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING. We are proud of you and are very excited to have more adventures with you and to see you grow and learn more every day. We love you Jane! Happy third birthday!

Well-child visits and development for Kaley

2 Weeks:
We found a pediatrician, Dr. Barbara Bean in South Jordan, that Dr. Merrill recommended and this is where we took Kaley for her two weeks well-child visit. Everything went well but the doctor heard a murmur in Kaley's heart and sent us to a pediatric cardiologist. We went and Kaley had a heart ultrasound that confirmed that there is a small hole in the center of Kaley's heart. The doctor wasn't concerned and said that many times these type of holes close on their own by the time the child is two. We will need to have Kaley's heart checked again when she's one and hopefully she will be all better by then. Other than this problem, Kaley is healthy and happy and is growing fast. She is also exclusively breastfed.

2 Months:
At the two months appointment, Dr. Bean still heard the heart murmur and she also pointed out that Kaley's head was a little miss-shaped and that she might need a helmet if it doesn't fix itself by 6 months. We hold her mostly on her left side now to help normalize the shape of her head, and it's looking better in my opinion. She also had her two months vaccines (3 in the legs and one by mouth) and she did very well and didn't cry too much. By the next day she didn't seem to be bothered by the shots anymore and she seemed to be feeling ok. Also, the measurements were great, Kaley being healthy and happy. She loves to smile and to look at our faces. The doctor was impressed that she is exclusively breastfed and is as big and healthy as she is, but I know that she is that way, BECAUSE she is breastfed. Breast milk is the best food there is for babies and I will try to feed her as much as I can. I'm really happy that I can feed her breast milk and that she strives on it so well.

4 Months:
We actually went at almost 5 months so that we could take Jane for her 3 year appointment as well. The appointment went well. Kaley is tall and skinny. Her head has a nice shape now and the doctor didn't mention anything about a helmet anymore. We've been helping her lay mostly on the left side to balance the shape of her head and it seams that it worked. Her heart murmur is still there but the doctor didn't seem concerned since Kaley is so happy and alert. The doctor was pleased with how curious Kaley is and how much she smiles. She rolled from front to back at 4 months, which is right on track! We were advised to introduce all regular foods, puréed except for honey on top of the breast milk.  We started at about 5 months with just a little and by 5.5 months Kaley learned how to eat from a spoon and how to chew her food. She absolutely LOVES regular foods and gets really excited when she sees the jars :) she doesn't like bananas much and pretty much hates carrots and pears but loves squash and sweet potatoes. At this appointment Kaley had three more shots and the nurse gave them so fast that Kaley didn't even cry too much. My mom held her and she calmed down quickly. Both Jane, Alyss and myself got the flu shot too so all of us pretty much had to go to McDonalds afterwards to treat ourselves with ice cream for being so brave.

6 Months:

No appointment at 6 months. We'll go at 8 months in February when Alyss goes for her 2 year appointment and she'll catch up with her shot schedule then. Kaley is very happy and curious, loves to eat and smiles and laughs a lot. She also cries when she wants something and is starting to interact more and more with us. She loves her sisters and is always happy to see them. She looks after them all the time and smiles when she sees them. The girls love Kaley a lot too and always try to make her laugh and even feed her or calm her down when she cries. Kaley doesn't like pacifiers and she doesn't have a binky. She rolled over front-back-front at 5 months and sits up with very little support. She holds toys and likes to taste everything that gets near her. She also likes to talk and squeal and says 'mama' when she cries. :) I'm still breastfeeding Kaley. She is pretty small, still wearing 3 - 6 mo clothes but she looks happy and healthy and has cute chubby cheeks and round legs and arms.

7.5 Months:

At this appointment Kaley got the shots she was missing. She is on the schedule and on track with the vaccines. Kaley is healthy but small for her age. Actually more skinny than short. The doctor told me not to breastfeed her at night anymore and to give her real food, 3 meals a day. I will continue breastfeeding on demand though as I still think breast milk is best and most nutritious food for babies. We have been eating real food (no purées as she now hates them) and I think that she is now heavier but don't know... She does wear 6 - 9 months clothes now and they're starting to look short on her but she is still skinny. I think it's just her body type. She is happy and healthy otherwise but still has a heart murmur. She scoots everywhere and sits on her own for long periods of time. She feeds herself and is practicing the pincer grasp successfully. She repeats sounds and talks to me. She fakes a cough to get a response from me and laughs when I make funny faces and sounds. She likes to touch our faces, mouths, eyes and noses. She squeals with excitement when her sisters do something funny. She is very happy and smart, knows where her milk comes from and let's me know if she doesn't want something by pushing it away vehemently. She is starting to pull up on her knees and will probably crawl soon. Still no teeth which I don't really mind :)

9 Months:
At this appointment she only got one shot and she cried just a little and did really great after. The doctor was a bit happier with her weight.Though she is still very slim, she is gaining slowly and it getting taller. She is still not crawling, just does the soldier crawl. Also, no teeth yet! She likes to eat everything, still but doesn't seem to enjoy eating very much. Sometimes she eats alright and others she won't touch the food. I guess she is not a eater :) Other things that the doctor checked: the heart (still no change - so she still has a hole that hasn't closed yet), the ears - ok, the eyes - ok and a beautiful blue color. :)

12 Months:
It was a good visit. She got 2 shots and she did cry and was scared but I held and nursed her and she calmed down fast. I love how I can just reassure her and help her calm down by holding her close and nursing her. It makes me really happy to be able to do it. She weighs a little over 16lbs and though it is not a lot she is gaining and growing taller as well. The doctor didn't seem worried even after listening to her heart and could still hear the murmur (we also went for a check-up at the Primary Children's Hospital and they heard the murmur too but didn't worry and told us to return in another year). One little thing that the doc was a bit worried about was her eyes - she seems to not focus and look perfectly straight when the doctor put the light in her eyes but would adjust after a bit. In my opinion she has a bit of my eye problem. Her eyes are a bit too far apart so it takes her a bit to adjust and focus on things. I doubt she actually has a problem. It's mostly anatomy, in my opinion and also the fact that she is still growing and developing. Kaley is very happy and is developing well. She now stands while holding unto furniture, crawls everywhere, climbs on low chairs and up and down the stairs, goes up and down the slide, says a lot of words, gives hugs and plays with us. She shows emotion and things she wants and gets upset when she doesn't get what she wants. She is sensitive and sweet and loves to smile and play with us, her sisters and by herself. She likes to eat and some days eats all the time while other days she won't even look at food. She sleeps well at night (only wakes one or two times at the most) and we still co-sleep. I still nurse her and I doubt I'll be stopping any time soon as she absolutely adores "boo" :) If she ever catches me naked her face lights up and she would alternate between the two boobs while smiling and saying 'boo' in between sucks. It's the most priceless and wonderful feeling in the world.

15 Months:
Another successful doctor's visit. Kaley got 2 shots and cried very little. Mommy was there for her to give her a big, tight hug and she felt a lot better after that. She is right on track developmentally. Her heart still has a murmur but she looks and feels healthy so the doctor isn't concerned. She weighs 19lbs and still nursing quite a bit. She eats regular foods as well but doesn't seem to love them. She still sleeps with mommy and nurses several times every night. Since her last visit she grew a few more teeth, including molars which gave her a bit of a hard time but she bravely overcame all the discomfort and can now eat anything she wants with her band new teeth. Haley is still very happy. She plays a lot, likes pretend play, likes to talk and talk and says A LOT of words. She just started walking by herself at 15 months, after trying it and practicing for about 2 months, and is getting quite good at it. She also loves to sing and knows many songs.

18 Months:

This was a very good visit even though the girls were loud and climbed everywhere. As far as Kaley is concerned, her height and weight are good. She is growing steadily. Her eyesight is so good and... Not sure if I wanna believe it but the doctor says that her heart sounded good. I'm not sure I wanna believe it because it was pretty noisy in the office because of the girls talking so even the doctor was a little distracted. I really hope her heart is ok now! Other than that, the doctor advised that we stop nursing at night because Kaley's teeth seem to not like that. I asked about how to night wean her and the doctor just said that as long as we cosleep it would be impossible. I was disappointed by her answer especially since she usually is pretty good but I thought to myself that she told me that she didn't nurse much at all and so I'm pretty sure she doesn't understand these things. I'll research this and hopefully I can help Kaley sleep and not nurse anymore. It breaks my heart because I know how much she loves it but I also known that her teeth' health is important and also her and my sleep as well. 

This time Kaley got one shot and it looks like it will be her last one until she turns four. Good job little one! We did it!