Cat Fancy

Ever since she was old enough to be aware of our cats, Emma has been fascinated by them. When she was younger, she would sit in her bouncy seat, intently tracking them as they padded around her. Now that she is mobile, she is constantly scrambling after them, chasing them down the hallway as they scamper away from her and hide under the chairs, safe from her grasp.



While we've been working on the concept of "gentle", Emma's version of patting the cats typically involves grabbing fistfuls of their fur and squealing in delight. More than once a peacefully sleeping kitten has been jolted awake by her not-so-gentle caress.



If you saw the earlier video, ya'll know how much Emma loves her bath. Well, she has almost as much fun splashing in their water bowl.

And let's not even talk about how many times we've found her sitting beside an overturned bowl, gleefully playing with the cat food.



You wouldn't think kitty kibble would taste good, but Emma doesn't seem to mind...



Iams is a good source of fibre, isn't it? :)

Happy 1st Due Date Birthday

While Emma celebrated her first birthday back in August,



today was supposed to be her first birthday. Her due date was November 25th 2005.

We had some family fun to celebrate the occasion:







We were back at CHEO again for another RSV vaccine yesterday (Emma is just a smidge shy of 20 pounds) and Big Sister held Emma's hand to help her "be brave" while she was getting her needle :)

Unfortunately, both girls have colds *again*! Emma has her first ear infection (and is on antibiotics for 10 days) and Big Sister said that her ear was hurting this afternoon, too. Let's hope things don't get worse....

One Year Ago...

November 17th 2005: after 104 days in the NICU, Emma finally came home:








365 days later:







15 pounds heavier, 11 inches longer, so close to walking...

You've come a long way, baby!

Recent Pics

Checking out the Museum of Nature...




Prehistoric plaque?



Hey mom, I thought we had a deal about the pea thing?



Hmmmmm...



You said these were clean!

RSV Season

Emma was back at CHEO on Friday to have her first Synagis injection of the RSV season. RSV is a very common virus which causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and children. However, in high-risk children (including very premature infants or babies born with certain heart or lung problems), RSV can quickly become serious and even life-threatening.

We had been concerned that Emma might not qualify for the shots this season (the shots are very expensive -- over $1000 per month -- and are typically only given to preemies during their first winter), but thankfully Emma was approved for the injections for another season and will receive the monthly shots free-of-charge from now 'til April or May.

While we were at CHEO a nurse mentioned that some children have already been admitted with confirmed cases of RSV. Last season, CHEO didn't see the first cases until January. I hope this doesn't mean this season will be particulary bad.

While the shots help to protect preemies from RSV they don't guarantee the babies won't catch it, so you may not see much of us for the next several months as we'll be back in "hibernation mode" trying to avoid the viruses and keep Emma as healthy as possible.



We're already looking forward to spring!

P.S. Emma weighed in at a "hefty" 19.5 lbs. last week.... That's a loooong way from the 3.5 pound baby she was at this time last year :)