Never Toooooo Many Photos, Right?!

Hey y’all!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have last updated the blog!

I will let you in on a little secret as to why that just might be….

So here it is: I strongly dislike writing.

I know, I know. Some of you probably had your mouth drop open. (I’ve had so many of you tell me that you enjoy my writing and that I should write a book! You have no idea how much that flatters me SINCE I hate doing it! :P)

But-

We love sharing our journey with y’all and we love telling everyone just how good our God is for giving us our sweet Annalise so I continue to write. 😉

(That’s why the Facebook page gets updated almost daily and the blog not so much… because it is so much easier to write a couple sentences of what that day brings compared to an entire blog.)

Anyways… 😉

On August 19^th, we had Annalise’s 6-month checkup! After taking her vitals and measurements (13lbs 10 oz and about 25-25.5 inches long), we went back and visited with our pediatrician. She was so amazed at what all Annalise is doing now (She hadn’t seen her since her 4 month checkup so everything from rolling from back to belly, scooting, starting to talk… was all new to her!).

We talked about doing another scan to relook at Annalise’s brain. (Kevin and I secretly think that maybe there is more brain/tissue than they originally said.) They typically don’t want to sedate a child unless it is absolutely necessary and since the brain kind of “rewires” and “grows” during the first year of life…we are waiting until she is around the age of 1. That way, it will be a more “definitive” answer and will allow us to “re-diagnose” her.

We talked about trying to see if she can start on some baby food. One of the therapists we talked to before said we wouldn’t be able to do that until Annalise can sit up and have head control. So we are going to meet with an occupational therapist (hopefully soon) to decide and see if she can even eat orally. And then figure out how to “sit” her if she can eat. (Most kiddos have tubes and we have been so lucky that she has been able to grow and stay nourished by eating orally with a bottle. If she can’t figure out the process of how to eat, or doesn’t get enough nourishment, then it will have to come to a tube later on.)

The most exciting news of this appointment though was that Little Miss PASSED a CAR SEAT test!!!!!!! She is no longer in her car bed (where she was laying down flat). She rocked the test! She had to sit in the seat for 90 minutes while being monitored. They check on her oxygen levels and heart rate. If she dipped below certain numbers, then she would have failed it.

We are SO incredibly thankful that she did pass it. Things are so much easier now. 😉

To end her 6-month checkup, she got the last set of shots for a little while. She is always such a trooper for those. She barely even flinches and never cries!

Annalise is continuing to do well in physical therapy. Usually, the therapist wears her out and she has to take quick “power naps” throughout the hour session but we hope that this will all help her to lift her head eventually. Her head control with moving her head from side to side is REALLY good. She has mastered that within this past month! (You never really know how strong she is until you are holding her and she wants to move or get down and she throws her head back on you. THEN you realize how impressive that is considering her head size/weight to the rest of her body! ;P)

I’m pretty determined when it comes to getting her PT. I just think with how active she is and how much she is learning, that it is the best thing for her. So we are trying really hard to continue doing it. We get “reassessed” in a couple weeks at Children’s for PT and we want to keep doing it AT LEAST twice a month. (Last time we were there, it almost sounded like they were saying that we will probably “take a break” for a couple months then come back to it. This momma does NOT want that. So let’s pray that things work out. ;)) We do still have our Infant Toddler physical therapist coming once a month to help us out with things at home as well. Our CCVI “teacher” will be coming about twice a month as well now to help with things!

The newest big life change in Annalise’s life is that she may be starting to teeth! ;P

Last weekend, she started getting a little bit fussy, started drooling everywhere and preferred to be on her tummy with her fingers in her mouth (she has NEVER liked ANYTHING-other than her bottle- in her mouth so for her to stick her own hands in is HUGE! –developmentally huge as well!)

I won’t give her a pacifier because the last time I did…. she gagged on it and threw up everywhere. I think she has a natural reaction to swallow when something is placed in her mouth, preventing her from just sitting there and sucking on something. She is SLOWLY warming up to different teething toys. But that may be, because I try to make a game out of it. 😉

On August 26^th, Annalise woke up a little bit earlier than normal. I went and got her out of her crib and had tummy-to-tummy time with her in bed. And I got her to somewhat LAUGH for the FIRST time that morning! (It even woke daddy up because we had never heard that “sound” from her before!) It was by far the cutest sound we have ever heard and I was so caught up in the moment of it that I didn’t record it! She has made some other noises when we “tickle” her but she has yet to make that same sound again. I am just waiting for that day so I can record it! 😉

She really has become a lot more vocal in the last couple of weeks. She loves babbling, especially at books. Listening to her sweet little baby voice is one of the best things ever.

And apparently, she is deciding to maybe start a new sleeping routine.

Little Miss decided to wake up at 4 AM yesterday (her usual is 8-9… For the past several months even!). And she decided to stay awake and talk until my alarm went off to get up for church. Then of course, Annalise slept through church and lunch so by the time I could take a nap, she was up and ready to play and eat. Then it was time to go back to church for a Critical Issues Forum which she slept through most of it. So of course by the time we got home, she was wide-awake. Finally passing out at 10:45PM. At 11, I put her in her crib to which she woke up. Daddy got her out to try and put her back to sleep… But that was too much fun. She decided to smile and talk to him. So finally by midnight, she was back to sleep.

Only to wake up at 7 this morning…

Although she may be keeping me from getting sleep, I wouldn’t trade this for the entire world! Every day is a HUGE blessing with her!

Daddy is officially back at school, so we get a lot more mommy/daughter time! He is one year closer to getting his masters though and we are SO proud of him! Needless to say, now that he is in school again, all the craziness is going to start. We went down to one car -to cut bills (since I’m not working anymore)- so figuring out how to get everywhere between all of us will be fun. ;P Makes scheduling a little more difficult and means we get to be “stuck” at home on certain days. (Not like I have a problem with that… I’m so incredibly thankful that I even get this time with her and being able to stay home!)

Well… that about sums up what our crazy journey is like these days.

Just to let y’all know- never be afraid to ask us questions! I understand some people are just beginning to follow our journey and without going through and rereading every blog, it’s hard to catch up. I also know that some of you have been following since the very beginning so there may be things you are wondering about that I forget to address.

Finally, we are SO thankful for all of you. Your prayers and continued support for our journey is felt everyday and we are so blessed by all of you. I wouldn’t be able to stay at home with Little Miss and provide for her everything she needs without your help. (www.gofundme.com/hopeforannalise) What we appreciate most is your continued prayers though!

I hope you all have a great week! (Can’t believe tomorrow is September already!!!)

Cherish every moment and be sure to anchor your hope to the One who has already scripted the perfect ending! 😉

Just for fun…. here are a few songs that have been stuck in my head lately 😉

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!