Santa!

Mommy took me to see Santa this afternoon and I slept the whole time :) At least I didn't scream like some kids did! The line wasn't too bad and I really enjoyed looking at all of the pretty lights. I like looking at the lights on our tree at home too - that keeps me occupied while mom wraps gifts!


It's been a busy few weeks, so apologies for not updating sooner. I'm still in my hip harness full time for another week - it will end up being 8 weeks total, then probably 8 weeks half time. The last ultrasound showed a slight improvement, but it's not as good as the doctor would want. I have to get another ultrasound in January to determine how long I have to wear it half time. Hopefully that will be the end of the treatment!

I officially have my first "daycare cold." Mom worked at home today and kept me with her with the humidifier next to my seat. Raz wanted to get the water in the humidifier so badly - we should have taken a video of it. My poor nose was so clogged this morning - it sounds like I'm snoring even when I'm awake :( There's nothing the doctor can do that we're not already doing, so for now I'll just sleep a lot and let mom and dad put saline drops in my nose. I've only been awake for a few hours today, so hopefully that will give me the rest I need to get better. In fact, I pretty much slept from 8:00 last night to 6:30 this morning, then woke up only for a half hour, then a 2.5 hour nap. Hopefully 3 days away from the other sniffly kids will help too. Parents are supposed to keep their kids home if they have "nasal discharge," but nearly every kid there has a crummy nose right now, so I'm glad mom and dad both have pretty flexible jobs.

My new thing is that I've discovered my hands and my tongue. I try to put my whole hand in my mouth, then get frustrated and screech when it doesn't fit. I also found my tongue and now stick it out at people. Mom says it's not nice to do that, but I think it's pretty cute.

Mom bought me this silly teething toy called "Sophie La Giraffe." Dad thinks it's pretty creepy and that mom got scammed into buying the trendy toy of the moment. You tell me - creepy or no? Oh yeah - besides the beady eyes and bright red cheeks and tongue, it also squeaks like a dog toy :)



Now that I have pretty good head control, I can sit in the Bumbo seat. I call this one "Gangsta Baby..."



I hope Aunt Terry is feeling better today!!! I said hi to her on the phone yesterday :) I'm excited to see everyone again next week and to finally meet Uncle Dan and Uncle Michael! Then I'll get to meet most of Grandpa Coble's family the Saturday after Christmas. It's going to be a busy few days :) Safe travels everyone and I'll see you soon...

First Day of School!

It's been a while since the last update, so I'll try to include as much as possible. It's been a busy few weeks, so bear with me!

My first day of school was somewhat bittersweet. Mom and dad dropped me off this morning and I was the 4th kid (out of 6) to arrive. They were definitely waiting and ready for me! Unfortunately, my doctor hadn't returned the paperwork verifying that I have indeed been vaccinated and I technically shouldn't have been allowed to stay without that. But the doctors office didn't open until 8:30, so they let me stay long enough for mom to call and find out the status of the paperwork. The doctor said they would send it over "as soon as possible," but they couldn't guarantee that it would be today, so my teachers asked mom and dad to come pick me up. So I got another day at home with mom while she "worked." I slept most of the day, so she was able to get some things done (email, conference calls on mute, etc.). Luckily she was planning on working from home today anyway, so it all really worked out ok. The doctor completed the paperwork today, so I'm going back to school tomorrow. I'm the youngest of the 6 babies in the "infant" room, so I know I will be spoiled beyond belief. One of the teachers apparently likes to hold babies while they sleep, so I will feel right at home :)

Last week was filled with doctors appointments. I had my 2 month vaccinations early in the week and did pretty well with those. Of course I cried, but it didn't hurt for too long. I had a fever for a few days afterwards, so got my first taste of Tylenol. I am now 9 lbs 2 oz, which is at least a half pound over what they expected as a minimum weight gain, so my doctor, mom and dad are happy with that. The torticolis still isn't better, so I have to continue to eat by looking to the left all the time.

I had a second ultrasound on Friday - this one with the harness on. There is apparently only one radiologist in the area who is specialized enough to do these types of exams, so we were lucky to get an appointment the day after Thanksgiving. She seriously lacked any kind of bedside manner, though. I was pretty good and slept through most of it, but once I woke up, she took my diaper off and you can imagine the rest... Needless to say, I had to wait while mom changed ALL of my clothes before we could leave. And that is quite a task considering that the brace has to go OVER my onesie. Now we have to wait for the orthopedist to call to discuss the results and let us know how much longer I have to wear the harness full time before we can go to half time wear. Hopefully he'll let me wear it during the day once we go to half time wear - that would probably make it easier to sleep at night! There's probably 2 more weeks full time followed by 6 weeks part time.


I enjoyed my first Thanksgiving and hope you all had a great one as well! Mom and I watched the parade in the morning, then had a great day with friends and I watched mom and dad eat all day long!

This isn't the greatest picture, but there will be more to come soon...dad says now that Thanksgiving is over, it's ok for me to wear my Christmas stuff :)




I also had a nice visit with my Great Grandma Speicher last weekend! Her friend Amanda was able to drive her down for the weekend, so we enjoyed the time we had together. We snuggled a lot and she gave me a few great gifts: the outfit that she knit for my grandma (Rebecca) to come home from the hospital in when she was born, and a plate that was made for my grandma with her name and birthdate on it. They are both so incredibly special and mom and I are grateful to have them.


Grandma and Grandpa Coble also paid us a visit last Sunday and brought us a box full of books that used to be Grandpa's and mom's when they were little! It was fun to look through the box and we will enjoy reading the books in time to come :)

I'd better wrap this up and head to bed - mom makes me get up early to go to school!

Boo :(

I have a clogged tear duct :( I can't decide if it bothers me or not, but it definitely looks yucky. Hopefully it goes away soon, although I've been told that it will probably get worse before it gets better. At least it's not pinkeye.

I also discovered the mirror on my papasan seat! I can smile at myself and keep myself occupied long enough for mom to take a shower and still be happy when she's done. That's a first - I never used to like being on my own - I'd have to be sleeping in order to not scream in the seat. I guess I'm just becoming a little more independent now!

It's Snowing!

I just saw my first snow! Looks like it will be a lot of fun when I'm bigger and can go run around in it and throw snowballs! It's not much, but enough to coat the chairs and table on the deck. There are also a few deer in the woods behind the house, including the big one with antlers that dad tried to photograph the other day. Raz is waiting by the back door still waiting for the black kitty that visited when Laurie was here. It has been back once and we've seen it in the woods, but Raz keeps hoping.

I'm 8 Weeks Old!

Hard to believe that I've been around for 8 weeks now. I'm definitely getting used to the world and have started socially smiling and giggling a lot. If I hear mom or dad across the room, I usually turn my head to see where they are. My new favorite toy is my bouncy seat - the puppy makes me laugh and I kick at the kitty and bunny. Every now and then they sing at me and I smile. Dad's going to try to get a video to post, but here are a few pictures. Sorry the pictures are so big - mom doesn't have the right software on her laptop :(


We had a great visit with Laurie, Courtney and Kaylee last weekend! I was pretty good, but did show my true colors a few times and was fussy at times. I had fun with the girls and particularly liked it when they held my panda bears for me to look at. That brought many smiles and coos. They also gave me a beautiful cradle that says Sydney on the side! I can't wait to put my dolls in it some day. For now, I think we'll put my books in it since I'm not quite big enough to play with dolls yet. One night while they were here, I decided to stay up from 7:45 pm to 4:30 am, but I made up for it by sleeping from 8:30 pm to 4:30 am the next night. I woke up a few times to eat, but wasn't awake for long if at all, so mom and I both got a lot more sleep than we're used to. I've slept pretty well this past week, but have still had a few nights where I've been up partying pretty late.

We went to the orthopedist again last week and for now, everything looks ok. My neck muscles appear to be stronger and I turned my head both ways as soon as the doctor put me on the table. It's too early to tell how the brace is doing for my hips, but I'm having another ultrasound next week with the brace on - that should tell us how much longer I have to wear this silly thing. The doctor said at a minimum, 4 more weeks full time and 6 weeks part time, max is usually 6 more weeks full time, 8 weeks part time. So anywhere from 10 more weeks to 14.

Mom's sad that she has to go back to work in 2 weeks :( I think I'll enjoy being able to play with the other kids at daycare, though (at least I'll tell mom that so she doesn't feel so bad leaving me there...). We dropped off all of the paperwork last week and the teachers all remembered my name and are excited for me to come. I might go stay with them for a half day the week of Thanksgiving just to see how I do, but we'll see. Mom doesn't want to give up any time with me before she goes back!

Hope everyone is doing well :)

Strawberry

Mom and Dad keep telling me that Grampy Clements is going to teach me all about "Strawberry" when I get older. In the mean time, they bought me this silly hat! It's still a bit big, but I think I'll grow into it.


Here are some other photos from the past month as well. I'd better go...I get to meet Aunt Laurie and Cousins Courtney and Kaylee soon!

Rough Day

The highlight of my day is that I met a nurse that I really liked! We just got back from the orthopedist and with the exception of being put back in my carseat, I did very well. I hardly fussed at all even though my morning nap was interrupted. I surprised mom after how much I screamed during the ultrasound a few weeks ago.



The orthopedist was really nice and unfortunately we'll get to know him pretty well over the next few months. I do have hip dysplasia and torticolis, although it's not as bad as they initially described. My left hip is affected - it doesn't pop in and out of the socket, but the ball of the joint isn't centered as it should be and the joint therefore doesn't have the range of motion that it should. The joint probably did pop out of the socket at my 5 day appointment with the pediatrician, but it has improved somewhat as I've grown. The orthopedist seemed very confident in the pediatrician's ability to diagnose the problem, so he didn't second guess the initial diagnosis for a second. The doctor thought it was rare for me to have this problem since mom had a "normal" pregnancy, a non-breech delivery and no other known hip problems in the family (anyone know of any grandmothers, aunts, female cousins who have had hip replacements??? If so, that's probably where this came from). What does this mean? A "soft" hip brace full time for 6-8 weeks, then half-time (12 hours/day) for another 6-8 weeks. They even gave me a pink brace! The brace doesn't bother me as much as it bothers mom and dad, although it does make diaper changes challenging and means I shouldn't be allowed to hang out in my carseat (it keeps my legs turned in, not out to the side). I let out a scream like mom was killing me when she changed me after we got home - dad had to come downstairs to check on me :( We'll have to have an x-ray of the joint after I turn 6 months old - before that my bones aren't fully formed and nothing will show up on the x-ray. There may be additional treatment past the first 12-16 weeks, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I have to go back in 2 weeks to check the progress, then for another ultrasound with the brace on. In the mean time, I'm supposed to be carried with my legs turned to the outside as much as possible to let the hip joint fall into place. Mom tried out the other carrier when we got home and that does the trick pretty well! It's not supposed to be for babies under 15 lbs, but the doctor told us to use it and it's actually pretty comfy to sleep in :)

The torticolis isn't too bad either - we're supposed to just make sure I'm looking to the left to eat to encourage me to look that way. There's no better motivation for me than food!!!

Wish us all luck as we get used to this. Sleeping at night is already difficult enough, but the swaddle blankets won't work with the brace on, so it may be tough for a while. We'll do the best we can and will keep everyone posted!

New Tricks

Guess what I learned to do today? That's right, it took a bit of kickin', but I figured out how to roll myself over! I consider it my form of silent protest against the doctor's mandated "Tummy Time". Check it out...



As you can see, I was exhausted and then amused by my new discovery. (Actually, it wasn't that hard, but you're seeing me after Mom made me do it three or four times in a row to make sure it wasn't a fluke...)



I know Mom already mentioned this, but in case you missed it we watched Dad fly a helicopter last weekend. She thinks he's nuts... I think he rocks!

See ya!

October 28, 2008

Jay and Molly gave me a huge cuddly panda bear at my baby shower and I think Raz is trying to steal it from me! At least she was willing to share for a few minutes.



Mom and I went to Target today and she bought me a "small" snowsuit to keep me warm...it's a 0-3 Month size, but it's ridiculously huge on me...maybe I'll grow into it by the end of the winter.









The last few nights, I've decided to party from midnight till 4 am. It's been fun - mom and I have read almost all of my books and listened to a lot of classical music, then slept late once we finally went to sleep. I haven't yet decided what tonight holds in store :) It's 9 pm now and I'm sleeping on mom in the carrier, but I'm thinking about getting up soon...

We Are...

PENN STATE! I had fun watching Penn State beat Ohio State last night! I think my cheerleader outfit was good luck :) Dad says he's going to the National Championship game if Penn State makes it and I hope to see them make it in my first year of life!

Finally found good socks...

Grandpa Coble came to visit yesterday and brought a lot of goodies from he and grandma, from Elenor, Sue and Clay (Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's best friend and her daughter and son-in-law), and from Jackie (Grandma Coble's colleague). Jackie gave me a cute Halloween outfit - a bib, hat and matching socks. And wouldn't you know...the socks actually stay on my feet for more than 5 minutes! In fact, I put them on before grandpa left and they are STILL on my feet after a night of squirming in the swaddle blanket! I also slept a little better last night - from 2-5:30 am :)

One Month Old!!!

Happy one month birthday to me! Mom and Dad took me to the pediatrician (again) this morning - I don't like it there very much - I always get cold and cry :( I'm a growing girl at 7lbs 8oz and 20.5 inches long. That's an 8oz gain in 13 days - right on track, so the doctor is happy with that. I'm still on the small side at 10% for weight and head circumference, 50-75% for height, but that's ok for now. I slept in my carseat for a good 3 hours after the appointment :)

For those that we have not had the chance to tell...the pediatrician first suspected a potential hip problem after my one week appointment and sent us for a hip ultrasound to follow up. The ultrasound last week confirmed the diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip, which apparently is a common problem in first born females. It means that my hip joints are loose in the sockets and may require treatment and evaluation by a pediatric orthopedist over the next few months. We have an initial appointment with the orthopedist next week, but we caught the problem early enough that hopefully the treatment won't be too bad.

The doctor today also said that I have torticolis, a tightening of the neck muscles which could have been caused by my position in utero. This means that I tend to turn my head to the same side all the time and that my head actually tilts in this direction. For now, that means some stretching and making sure that mom and dad position my head to the other side when they put me down to sleep. We'll ask the orthopedist for an evaluation of this next week as well. Dr. Siegel also gave mom and dad several pediatric physical therapists to contact if it doesn't get better in a few weeks.

On a positive note, my weight is up enough that we can cut out the formula supplements and I don't have to be woken up every 3 hours during the day to eat any more! I still eat a lot, up to 12 times a day and almost all evening/night long. Now I just need to figure out my days and nights and sleep for more than an hour or hour and a half at night :)

Other than all of this doctor news, it's been a fun few weeks! I had a great visit with Grammy and Grampy Clements last week!!! And I got to meet Aunt Terry too! I think it's safe to say they all love me very much :) The weather was gorgeous and we got to spend a lot of time out on the deck. We even took a trip to Panera - that was fun. Last Saturday was a busy day - mom and I got to watch dad take a helicopter lesson in the morning, then we went to a pumpkin patch, then we watched Penn State beat the pants off of Michigan! I got to meet Todd's kids at the pumpkin patch - Matthew and Anna - they're about a year and a half old. They weren't too interested in me yet, but I think they'll be good friends when I get a little older. I liked the animals there, but the cow tried to eat my hat!!! Dad uploaded all of these pictures to his website - you should check them out!

I'm Here!

Hi folks! I'm Sydney and this is my very first blog post... aren't you impressed?



I'll be posting every once in a while with pictures, stories, and such. Talk to y'all soon!