The Emma Report

A new Trinity

2008-08-24T21:09:00.005-04:00

Emma, Big Sister, and I were on our way to Home Depot this morning when Big Sister brought up the topic of the Tooth Fairy. She spent some time explaining in detail how she intended to confirm the existence of the Tooth Fairy, and it boiled down to this:

1) When her first tooth falls out, she plans to put it under her pillow and go to sleep.

2) When she wakes up in the morning, she will look under her pillow.

3) If the tooth is gone, there is a Tooth Fairy.

She went on to explain how the Tooth Fairy can see you all the time, and concluded: "God, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy."

Thomas redux

2008-08-11T15:02:00.003-04:00

It's amazing what kids remember. After we looked all over the place yesteday, Laurie issued a missing Thomas alert and this morning we received an email reply:

D..... says the last time he saw it, Emma was playing with the Thomas part in the TV room on the couch - the one closest to the chair by the TV.

To make a long story short, 15 minutes, a bump on the head, and a face full of dust later, I located Thomas upside down shoved between two parts of the La-Z-Boy. I also found a few other toys, and a whole new appreciation for the amount of space inside a La-Z-Boy sectional. Thanks D!

Thomas the Tank Engine

2008-08-10T23:52:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot of excitment over the last few days: Friends and family visiting, a weekend party, helium balloons, new stuffed animals, educational toys, and a scooter. But overshadowing it all for our now-three-year-old has been Thomas the Tank Engine. She has literally played with it (and the accompanying wooden track) several times each day since we gave it to her on Tuesday night. She's sat with it, eaten with it, and would probably have taken Thomas to bed with her if we let her. It's really cool to see her take such interest in a new toy (as opposed to, for example, just playing with the box.)

Unfortunately, over the weekend, Thomas went AWOL, and extensive searches of the family room and other areas have yet to reveal his whereabouts. So, if you see a blue engine puffing by...

Third Birthday!

2008-08-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that Emma is three years old! While we can't help but recall the trauma of her extremely premature birth and her precarious state three years ago, we also celebrate her many achievements. The simple pleasure of watching Emma enjoy new toys on her birthday brings a smile to our faces.

The new love of Emma's life is Thomas. The Tank Engine, that is.

I remember that hand when it was about the size of my thumbnail...

We had a small family celebration tonight, and Emma practiced blowing out candles and eating cake. The big party is Saturday (more photos to follow).

Happy birthday Emma!

First bicycle

2008-07-05T22:07:00.003-04:00

Emma's been riding a plastic tricycle for a while, and on our last camping trip it became obvious that she needed a better fit. So, following the time honoured tradition, father and daughter headed off to Canadian Tire. I don't know where that tradition came from -- perhaps good marketing, or perhaps because when I was a kid stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Rona didn't exist. There was Canadian Tire, the local lumber store, and K-Mart, and they all sold different stuff. And bicycles were at Canadian Tire.

Unfortunately Canadian Tire's selection of Emma-sized bikes was non-existent. I expected that leaving the store without a bike would result in a major meltdown, but Emma cheerfully accepted the explanation "Everything too big" and we headed off to Walmart at one of the employee's suggestion.

While Walmart's inventory certainly isn't anything to brag about either, they did have a few tricycles and a small bicycle. After test pedaling several of them, and some tense negotiation, we settled on this one...

First Camping of 2008

2008-06-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago we went camping at Association Island near Henderson Harbor, New York. We had a fantastic time on a waterfront site, although the water (Lake Ontario) was pretty cold. We woke up the first morning to see more than a dozen geese just outside our trailer.

Emma and Big Sister sit down...at the same time!

Rocks anyone?

No beach on your campsite? No problem! A bin from Loblaws half-full of water will keep them entertained for hours!

... and hours!

What? A popsicle moustache?

Yum!

Really, there's a balance beam here somewhere...I know it!

Hey, dad, can you put one of *those* in my bucket?

Emma and Michaela discuss the finer points of a blade of grass. (If you can't get them to both look at the camera at the same time, looking at each other works!)

We are so ready for summer...

2008-06-23T22:45:00.000-04:00

Emma takes up Golf

2008-06-22T22:41:00.002-04:00

Emma's one-handed swing is unconventional, but don't get your toes too close!

Daddy's Shoes

2008-06-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Lately there has been a fascination with daddy's shoes...

Phrase of the Day

2008-06-09T07:34:00.004-04:00

Sorry folks, we've been busy and neglected to post for a while -- photos soon, promise!

Emma's vocabulary has been expanding rapidly, and she recently determined that she is no longer a baby. Apparently she is a "Big Girl" now. Just ask, she'll tell you. Repeatedly.

This morning she walked up and proudly announced, "Big Girl Tooted!"

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:34:00.006-04:00

Emma's message for all you Mom's out there...

(Emma says click on the link for the mp3 file)

She knows the routine....

2008-04-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

Emma had a follow-up appointment with her ENT doc at CHEO last week.

You know your former micropreemie has seen a lot of doctors when she patiently opens her mouth and turns her head for the docs to have a peek at her throat and ears, then hops down and announces: "All Done. Sticker Please."

Spring has Sprung!

2008-04-21T23:00:00.002-04:00

In the span of one month, we've gone from this:

to this:

It has been unusually warm here over the past week. Our average daily temperature at this time of year is typically in the mid-teens (Celsius). This weekend, our outdoor thermometer was reading more than 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit):

The girls have gone from snowpants, boots, and mittens to shorts, sneakers, and tee-shirts in the matter of 7 days:

They managed to find a small patch of snow in the farthest corner of our backyard:

and had a great time playing in the snow wearing their summer clothes!:

We're enjoying this wonderful weather while we get it and hoping that Mother Nature doesn't have some more winter-like nastiness in store for us!

Emma's Easter Slide Show

2008-03-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

Waving the White Flag of Surrender

2008-03-17T23:06:00.001-04:00

Over the course of the last month our home has been hit by plague, pestilence, and cranky, cranky children.

Seriously, over the course of the past 4 weeks, we've had:

4 nasty colds (2 of which Emma has had the misfortune to have)

3 icky flu bugs (of the gastrointestinal variety)

2 rounds of antibiotics, and

1 case of Strep Throat.

Oh, and let's not forget the 125 cm. of snow. That's 50 inches. More than 4 feet.

I give up.

Spring cannot get here fast enough.

P.S. Eric came back from a doctor's appointment this afternoon with a new sickness to add to our ever-growing list. Sinus Infection. Lovely.

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-02-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

Big Sister announced this afternoon that her teacher is going to have a baby.

Apparently Mrs. F. showed the class an ultrasound image last week.

Clearly unimpressed by the blurry display, Big Sister complained:
"I couldn't see anything in the picture, Mommy. It was too dark."

I explained that the baby was still tiny and inside his Mommy's tummy, so it was hard to get a clear picture.

Big Sister thought about this for a while, then offered a suggestion: "I think they need to get a flashlight in there."

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Miss Emma wishes everyone a very smiley Valentine's Day!

We baked some cupcakes for Big Sister to bring in to her School/Day Care bakesale today.

Of course, Emma had to sample them:

Emma's verdict: Finger-licking good!

Word of the Day

2008-02-12T20:03:00.002-05:00

It's amazing the difference two years can make. Gone are the drama of respiratory emergencies, replaced by colds, runny noses and the occasional outburst -- in other words normal two-year-old stuff.

Mom's out tonight, and big sister knows that's a good opportunity to negotiate for a DVD. "You picked the last one, right dad?" she attempted. It went something like this...

Dad: No, you did. Remember, we watched Barbie Fairytopia?

Big Sister: Oooooh, can't I choose?

Dad: No, because you only want to watch Barbie Fairytopia or Barbie Island Princess, and we've seen them enough the last few weeks. Let's watch something that Emma would like, maybe something with animals in it.

Big Sister: How about Barbie Swan Lake? We haven't watched that in a long time.

Dad: No, that wouldn't be fair to Emma.
Big Sister: Emma likes Barbie.

Dad (stupidly): Emma, would you like to watch Barbie or something with animals?

Emma: Barbie no animals.

Dad: Barbie OR animals?

Emma: Bar-bie.

Dad: Wouldn't you...

Emma: Bar-bie! Bar-bie! Bar-bie!

Yes, folks, the new word of the day is Barbie. I'm in hell.

M.I.A.

2008-01-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry about our missing in action status over the past month.... No excuses, just not much blog-worthy has been happening 'round here.

I mentioned last month that our nanny abruptly quit just before Christmas (she had moved the month earlier and was finding her hour-long twice-daily commute too much to deal with). I'm happy to report that we were able to find a fabulous new caregiver (Liz) quite quickly. I'm even happier to report that Emma has adjusted to her new caregiver amazingly well!

Every morning as we bring her to Liz's home, Emma happily toddles off to play, often without even a goodbye wave or backwards glance. Not a single tear has been shed! She clearly enjoys her time there, has learned several new songs, and has brought home a portfolio full of new artwork.

Liz has also been amazed at how well Emma has adjusted. She wrote in our daily journal last week that Emma is a delightful, sociable little girl and one of the most easy-going children she's ever had the privilege of caring for. As a working mom, I can't tell you the relief I feel knowing that Emma is receiving loving care (in a safe, stimulating environment) when we're not there to give it to her...

In other news, Emma will be starting group speech therapy in a couple of weeks. While she's become quite a "chatterbox" she's still somewhat speech-delayed for her age (not uncommon for a micro-preemie) and I think she'll really enjoy the group sessions and social interaction...

Finally, there was cause for big excitement at our house this week....Both girls have been taking swimming lessons and today Big Sister successfully completed Preschool level D, while Emma 'graduated' from Parent & Tot 2.

Summer 2020 Olympic Swim Team, here we come!

Pictures of 2007: The Year in Review

2007-12-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

January

saw the arrival of Emma's first tooth (finally!):

and her first experience of snow as a mobile baby:

February

We celebrated Valentine's Day:

and had lots of fun at Winterlude:

March

brought Emma's evolution from crawling baby (at Uncle Dean's wedding):

to toddling toddler:

to Dancing Queen:

April

started with a freak late winter storm:

and ended with balmy summer-like weather:

May

we spent most of our days outside, enjoying the beautiful weather:

June

saw us working on Emma's table manners :)

July

marked Emma's first 'official' haircut:

and our annual summer vacation (this year, to southern Ontario):

August

we celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday:

September

Emma was finally able to meet her great-grandmother who travelled from Germany to celebrate Opa's birthday this month:

October

While Mommy returned to work (after being off for 2 years), the girls enjoyed playing in the leaves:

and Emma went trick-or-treating for the first time:

November

after we mopped up from the Great Flood (caused by a broken pipe in the kitchen), the girls had a bit of fun with the industrial fans the renovation crew left to dry out the floors:

we enjoyed the Santa Claus Parade while attending the annual Children's Christmas party at Eric's office:

but Emma was not feeling well and slept right through Santa's arrival:

December

brought us a ton of snow!:

we celebrated Big Sister's 5th birthday:

posed for some Christmas photos:

and the girls were very excited to see that Santa Claus had left some presents under the tree on Christmas morning:

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!... May 2008 bring you nothing but joy, peace, good health, and happiness!

Memo to Santa

2007-12-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,

It's not that Emma did not enjoy the gifts you so thoughtfully left for her under the Christmas tree this year. She did. Really.

Apparently, though, what Emma really wanted for Christmas was 24 cans of cat food.

No kidding. Over the past 3 days, Emma has been happily occupied, stacking the cans in various combinations while her Christmas gifts sit largely ignored in the playroom.

Perhaps next year, Santa, you might want to consider bringing Emma an empty cardboard box or two. She'd probably get a real kick out of them, too....

signed,
Emma's Mommy

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Seasons greetings to you and yours and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2008!

Snow much fun!

2007-12-24T23:40:00.000-05:00

December pictures

2007-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

December is a notoriously busy month, what with Christmas and Big Sister's birthday. Add in a couple of holiday parties, a school Christmas concert or two, a couple of quick trips to the doctor, swimming lessons, gymnastic classes, a busy few weeks at work, a frantic search for a new caregiver ('cause our nanny abruptly quit last week!!) and we've had a pretty crazy month so far!

In spite of the hectic days, we've also tried to have some family fun.

Emma and Big Sister helped to bake some Christmas cookies:

Adding sparkly sugar is serious business:

but the results are pretty yummy!:

Emma was especially helpful when it came to decorating the Christmas tree :)

We also continued our annual tradition of decorating a gingerbread house:

Our visit to see Santa Claus did not go so well....

(hopefully Emma hasn't been traumatised for life, but I have to admit that the picture still makes me giggle)

at least we got a good picture of Big Sister with the Big Guy:

and Emma was much happier to pose for pictures once we got back home:

well, at least for a little while:

(Emma has got the "Pouting-Two-year-old-Look" perfected)

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a warm and wonderful Holiday Season, with our best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Happy Birthday Big Sister!

2007-12-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

As hard as it is to believe, our first baby is 5 years old today!

Happy, happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Sorry, no time for a proper update. A party with sixteen five-year old girls = very tired Mommy & Daddy. More to come soon...

Miss Emma, finally sitting still long enough to enjoy some birthday cake :)

The finger painting experience

2007-12-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I haven't had enough time to properly update things around here lately, so how 'bout a few pics for those of you who still check in regularly....

Big Sister wanted to get out her finger paints the other day. Emma was very interested in the process, so we decided she should share the experience too.

She wasn't sure it was a good idea at first (she still has some sensory issues and doesn't really like having her hands messy), but she soon got into the spirit of things

and started expressing her creative side:

of course all great artists get their hands a little dirty...

and the girls enjoyed a long bath with extra bubbles that night :)

Feeling Better

2007-11-21T22:14:00.000-05:00

We're finally seeing Emma's smiling face again this week :)

Apart from the typical two-year-old meltdowns, she is back to her happy, giggly self.

We were back at her pediatrician's office for a follow-up appointment yesterday and it appears as though Emma may have had roseola (she broke out in a rash on Sunday afternoon). She still has to have more blood tests done in a couple of weeks, but she's now feeling *MUCH* better.

so much better, that she joined Daddy and Big Sister in a little impromptu concert this evening:

it's good to see her smiling again....

Homecoming Anniversary

2007-11-17T00:20:00.000-05:00

Two years ago today, Emma finally came home from the hospital (after spending 15 weeks in the NICU).

Unfortunately, we were back at the hospital again today.

On Tuesday Emma started coughing and was a bit congested. We had a follow-up appointment with her Respirologist that day and her lungs, ears, and throat were all clear. The doc felt that she likely had a simple cold. That night, though, Emma developed a fever.

Despite regular use of Motrin, her fever has persisted. She's been miserable and just not her usual happy self. She's lethargic, hasn't been sleeping well, and has barely eaten at all. This morning she seemed even more irritable and was pointing to her ears and saying "Ow!" We were able to get an appointment with her pediatrician this afternoon. Surprisingly, she does not have an ear infection, but the doctor was concerned about her lungs (given her history of BPD) and the possibility of pneumonia, and sent us off to CHEO for further tests and a chest x-ray.

The blood tests came back with slightly abnormal results, suggesting that Emma has a viral infection. While there is no evidence of pneumonia, her lungs are congested... She’ll need to go back for more blood work to rule out any other problems, but for now we’re just watching her closely.

We really hope to see Emma's smiling face again soon...

P.S. no further developments on the flood reconstruction - the restoration crew is scheduled to return next week to begin replacing the flooring....

Soothing sounds...or not...

2007-11-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

I usually find the sound of running water soothing, and I’ve been known to intentionally leave the water level in my aquarium a bit low to create a soothing ambiance in my office. But there is something so totally un-soothing about hearing that sound immediately upon opening the front door, especially when you know nobody else is home.

When I arrived home on Thursday night the first thing to cross my mind was that somebody, somehow, must have left the water running in the kitchen. Or perhaps one of the cats learned a new trick. Of course that would have been way too easy. Instead, as it turns out, the plastic hose to the water filter under the kitchen sink separated from the brass compression thing in an apparent attempt to wash the kitchen floor the hard way. About four years ago we completely renovated our kitchen and most of the flooring on the main floor. I guess four years is enough time for dirt to accumulate on (and under) the relatively new hardwood floor in the dining room, because it apparently needed a good rinse too.

As I ran downstairs to the main water shut-off, I was visually and audibly reminded that the desk in my home office is directly under the kitchen counter. Since the renovations four years ago, I have known it was close, but I can now confirm that the hole the electrical wiring passes on the way to the dishwasher is directly above the leftmost part of my desk. The other hole is quite close to the wall, and the fact that my desk doesn’t touch the wall in the corner is likely the only reason the stuff on that part of my desk got a light shower instead of a bath. I also learned that there are a few holes through the floor directly above the large round table in my office, you know, the one in a convenient place to lay photographic prints and albums-in-progress.

The insurance company had a crew over that night, and they were back on Friday to pack the entire contents of my office (at least the dry contents), tear out some wet drywall and insulation, remove some underpadding, etc. An electronics company came by to pick up the not-so dry electronic gear (which fortunately did not include either of the PCs that were under my desk). About when I thought the worst was over, I noticed a bit of an odour and found that the floor drain into which they had the dehumidifier hose draining was, well, not draining. To be more precise, it was “draining” in reverse, and I don’t mean clear water. So I called in the roto rooter folks, who cleared the clog (which appears to have been baby-wipe related) and since the disaster folks were already here, it didn’t take them long to remove some more drywall. Two of the lads were kind enough to very carefully haul my shopvac outside where I could hose it out. The crew was done by around 4pm, and the smell is almost gone now, although some of it got into the carpet. It’s an odd feeling, watching people don gloves to handle your vacuum and carpet…

I’m told they’ll be back in about three days to pick up the fans, dehumidifiers, and large suction thing they have on the hardwood floor in an attempt to extract the moisture. I thought “wolf pack” was a weird thing for them to call a suction device with hoses and three large clear plastic pads over the hardwood. The crew was mostly francophone, and I just figured that I had misunderstood something. Once they turned it on I understood “wolf pack”. Just think “howl”...

There’s nothing to do now but wait, and it didn’t make sense for Laurie to cancel her long-awaited MGW weekend away with friends, so Emma, Big Sister, and I are spending a lot of time out of the house this weekend. Emma is fortunately used to a white noise generator in her room at night, and the additional noise didn’t seem to bother her or Big Sister at all. In fact, she had a marathon sleep-in, waking up around 8am instead of her usual 6:30. I guess she figured out that I needed a break, and rather than her usual crying upon awakening, this morning she started calling for mom and dad in English.

A normal conversation is considered around 60db. With the equipment in the kitchen running, the sound pressure at the kitchen door is 84db, or roughly 300 times as loud. To put it in perspective, a diesel train moving at 45mph 100 feet away is reported as 83db, and occupational heath and safety limits for an 8-hour workday generally fall within the 85 to 90db range. Shutting off the fan helps, but not enough to make the kitchen even temporarily suitable for dining. The “wolf pack” is hopefully sucking moisture out of the hardwood floor, and I’m hesitant to shut it off and allow the moisture to sink back in. Fortunately a 90-degree corner and the doors to our TV room attenuate it down to below 60db, so as big sister and I watch a movie it’s more of a nagging, whining irritation than a loud noise. I think we’ll be heading out to the Museum of Science and Technology after Emma finishes her nap. A few kids shouting over there should be refreshingly quiet. Maybe then we’ll head over to Home Depot and pick up a new filter for my shopvac so it’s ready for the next emergency.

Emma, of course, is her usual jovial self and she found the large fan in the kitchen amusing...at least for a few minutes.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T23:39:00.000-04:00

(We had internet connectivity problems today, so I wasn't able to get these up earlier...)

Big Sister decided she'd like to be a Princess for Halloween -- no big surprise there :)

while Emma was a beautiful butterfly:

She wasn't sure about it at first (and found some of our neighbour's animated decorations a bit scary), but she soon got the hang of this Trick or Treating business...

She also had her first ever Smartie:

and let's just say that the crash after the sugar rush was not pretty :)

More to come...

2007-10-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

...when they stop moving for a few minutes.

A Day at the Orchard

2007-10-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

We've been enjoying some wonderfully sunny, warm autumn weather here lately, and we took advantage of a particularly lovely recent afternoon to head out to a local orchard.

We missed the pick-your-own-apples by several weeks, but we were able to enjoy the Spooky Wagon ride through the not-so-scary (in the middle of the day) forest:

The girls had a great time running around the farm and playing in the Hallowe'en displays:

and we came home with a basket of apples, an armful of pumpkins, and a camera full of memories in the making:

Thanksgiving Art: A two-year retrospective

2007-10-08T10:51:00.000-04:00

Longtime readers may remember that back in October 2005 while Emma was still in the NICU, she "created" a lovely Thanksgiving Turkey (with the help of some wonderful NICU nurses):

Emma has continued her creative ways.

Without further ado, Emma's Thanksgiving Turkey - 2007 edition:

I particularly enjoy her dramatic use of colour and unique placement of the tail feathers :)

We're still here.....

2007-10-06T23:51:00.000-04:00

I've been remiss in my blogging lately, but we've been busy. After being on extended leave for more than two years, I returned to work last week. While the transition has gone better than I had anticipated -- Emma seems to adore her nanny (we're actually nanny-sharing with friends who have a daughter who is a couple of months younger than Emma) and Big Sister is really loving her school daycare -- it means that already-busy days are now just this side of crazy....

Following the (unsuccessful) swallow study of a couple of weeks ago, Emma has had a few other appointments. She had another hearing test at CHEO's audiology clinic, mostly to make certain that an undetected hearing problem wasn't contributing to her speech delay. Happily, Emma's hearing was fine. She has also started speech therapy (we're still waiting for her SLP evaluation at CHEO, so we're seeing a therapist in private practice) and it seems to be going well. Emma has a repetoire of about 30 words, but doesn't say them all very clearly, and hasn't yet put 2 words together (well, except for "all done" which we hear pretty regularly). Emma's therapist does not feel that there is a major delay, but we're working on a few different things and are trying some new strategies to enhance Emma's speech. (*edited to add: I started this update last week, and in the in the past 7 days or so, Emma has added several new 2-word combinations including: 'cuse me/'cuse you, thank you, and Hey Dude!)

Finally, we spent a few days visiting Eric's family to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday. Eric's grandmother arrived from Germany and Emma was finally able to meet her Oma for the first time.

Let's just say it was love at first sight:

Emma goes Cottaging

2007-09-17T23:50:00.000-04:00

Over the labour day weekend we visited friends at their cottage and went for a swim. Emma wasn't quite sure what to make of the lifejacket, cool lake water, and bright sunlight at first, but she got used to it.

Not a Happy Camper (a.k.a. You Can't Make Me - Part II)

2007-09-11T23:00:00.000-04:00

Emma had another barium swallow study at CHEO today. As I've mentioned before Emma has a paralyzed vocal cord (related to the PDA ligation she had when she was 2 weeks old). One of the potential problems of vocal cord paralysis is that Emma may inhale liquid into her lungs when she swallows. So far, we've been adding a thickener to everything Emma drinks to make it easier for her to swallow and reduce the risk of aspiration. It's possible that as Emma gets older, she will outgrow the problem, so today's study was scheduled to assess her aspiration risk using thin (unthickened) liquids.

As you may recall, Emma's last swallow study did not go so well and I was really hoping for a different outcome at today's test.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Actually, you can go back and read my post from the previous test in March, because we basically had a repeat performance today. Once again, the test was unexpectedly delayed for an hour and Emma (who had not been allowed to eat prior to the test) was HUNGRY! and not a happy camper. Just like the last time, Emma refused to take more than a tiny sip of the barium solution. As before, we all ended up covered in the stuff as we tried to coax her to take in a bit more. Not only did Emma have it from head to toe (everywhere but her mouth!), but she managed to get the radiology technician, occupational therapist, and mom splattered with the barium too. And let's just say that the floor in Radiology Room 3 at CHEO is going to need a heavy duty scrubbing tonight :)

Like last time, because very little of the barium actually got into her mouth (much less her throat), the radiologist wasn't able to see if she was aspirating. We have another appointment with Emma's E.N.T. specialist to discuss the situation in a few weeks, but I expect we'll just continue to thicken her feeds until next spring. I do NOT want to put Emma through another swallow study ordeal again any time soon ... thank goodness she didn't seem at all traumatized afterwards and was her happy, giggling self within minutes of the test.

Emma has another appointment at CHEO next week for a hearing study. Let's hope that test goes more smoothly!

Sisters

2007-09-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

The girls have been inseparable this summer, spending nearly all of their waking hours side by side:

While there have been more than a few squabbles, tears, and high-pitched screaming, Emma and Big Sister can most often be found giggling together and enjoying each other's company:

Michaela can be infinitely patient with Emma and takes her role of Big Sister very seriously. Here she is encouraging Emma to come down the 'big slide'

Sadly, summer is coming to an end and the girls' time together is now going to be much more limited.

Big Sister entered the Big Girl World of Senior Kindergarten this week:

and in preparation of my upcoming return to work, Emma is spending her first couple of half-days with our new nanny.

{sigh} my babies are growing up, and I'm not sure I like it all that much...

Summer Vacation - Part Three: The Toronto Zoo

2007-08-27T08:10:00.000-04:00

While staying at Jellystone Park, we made a few day trips into Toronto to see some of the sights (well at least the ones a toddler and a preschooler might find interesting).

Our 45 minute drive to the Toronto Zoo ended up being a much longer 3-hour adventure as we were stuck in traffic after an accident closed the highway. Luckily no one was seriously injured (a dump truck driver lost control, crashed through the centre guard-rail and swerved across the oncoming traffic lanes, losing his load of gravel across the highway) but we had to wait for close to 2 hours as crews cleaned up the roadway.

All I can say is Thank Goodness for air-conditioning and portable DVD players!!!

Once we FINALLY got to the zoo, the temperatue was hovering around 38 degees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), so we decided that our first stop would be the Waterpark:

Big Sister found the park to be a bit too noisy and the water fountains a bit too cold, but Emma had a blast!:

Eric had fun too :)

After running around the fountains like a crazy baby, Emma enjoyed the rest of the zoo at a more leisurely pace:

In fact, we have no other pictures of Emma at the zoo, because she slept through the rest of our visit!

Given the mid-afternoon heat & humidity, most of the zoo animals were enjoying long naps in the shade too:

Big Sister soon got bored with all the sleepy animals, but luckily she found plenty of things on which to climb, swing, and jump:

Never underestimate the restorative powers of an icy popsicle:

Summer Vacation - Part Two: Jellystone Park

2007-08-20T23:06:00.001-04:00

After nearly a week at Bonnie Lake, it was time to hitch up the trailer and head off to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park near Toronto:

We stayed at two other Jellystone Park campgrounds on our vacation to the Maritimes last year and found they are great family-oriented places with plenty of activities geared specifically for children:

Big Sister especially enjoyed the face-painting:

while Emma's favourite activity was the twice-daily hay ride:

On the first hay ride Emma discovered the treasure chest at the front of the wagon was filled with lollipops. On every ride we went on thereafter, Emma immediately started squealing and reaching for the chest. By the time we went on our third ride, the staff was just handing over a lolly to Emma as soon as we sat down :)

After spending so much time outside, most nights Emma was more than a little grimey. Sometimes the easiest solution was a quick sink bath:

Emma didn't seem to mind....

We also enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the shore of beautiful Lake Simcoe where Emma helped cousin Taylor build sandcastles:

and then Emma ate some sandcastles:

and then took a refreshing dip in the lake:

At the end of each fun-filled day, we enjoyed a campfire, complete with 'Smores (not such a big hit with the girls), star-gazing, and a milk/juice nightcap. Emma quickly got the hang of "Prost!" :)

Next up: The Zoo!

Campfire blogging

2007-08-18T20:51:00.000-04:00

Emma and big sister are sleeping, mommy and daddy are enjoying a nightcap beside the campfire, and, um, yeah, there's wifi here.

Summer Vacation - Part I: Bonnie Lake

2007-08-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

The first week of our camping vacation was spent on the shores of Bonnie Lake in the Muskoka district of Ontario. It is the same lake on which Eric spent many of his childhood summers.

(one of the two loons who return to the lake every summer)

These two photos are the perfect synopsis of Emma's time at Bonnie Lake: virtually non-stop running and a near-permanent smile on her face!

We were outside for the better part of each day and we never forgot to put on sunscreen:

Most days, we enjoyed just sittin' around Opa's place:

We spent some time in the water everyday and Emma had her first experience with lake swimming:

(she wasn't sure about it at first)

and a boat ride:

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it, but Big Sister also caught her very first fish that week (which we promptly released back into the lake).

The girls also met a family of chipmunks who are so tame they would crawl up on Emma's lap and steal peanuts from her fingertips.

Big Sister must have fed them 10 pounds of nuts and I'm sure the chipmunks are now wondering what happened to their All-you-can-eat Peanut buffet:

All in all, it was the perfect start to our vacation, spent leisurely enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer:

More Birthday Pics

2007-08-06T22:53:00.000-04:00

The Birthday Girl:

(the Princess Birthday hats are courtesy of her Big Sister, who insisted that Emma "really, REALLY wants a Princess Birthday" :)

Big Girl Emma, playing in the yard with her party guests:

Our friend Josh, trying to escape from the girls :)

A very excited Big Sister, helping Emma open her presents:

Miss Emma "reading" one of her cards:

one of Emma's favourite presents: a new baby to feed

actually eating some cake:

- sorry, not much time for a proper update.... I'll be back soon with our camping vacation report :)

Happy Birthday Emma!

2007-08-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

Our itty bitty 1 pound baby is now a big girl!

Today, Emma is 2 years old!!

More photos coming soon....

Gone Camping!

2007-07-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

We're heading out in the morning for two weeks' vacation. We'll be camping in the Muskoka's for the first week, then closer to Toronto for the second. While I don't think it will be all that relaxing (what with Little Miss Never-Stop-for-even-a-second Emma), I know we're gonna have a LOT of fun!

We've already had a small flood (thanks to the rain of Biblical proportions that has been pouring down all day!), a broken outdoor shower faucet, and a non-functioning hot water heater in the trailer - all now repaired by a very busy Eric - so hopefully nothing else will happen and we'll be off in the morning.

Sadly, I don't have any of this week's pictures to show you because my laptop (with all of my photos - not to mention my yet-to-be uploaded-to-Ipod audiobooks and music downloads) had a seizure swiftly followed by a heart attack this week. It is now recovering, but requires corrective surgery and will be staying in computer hospital while we're away... Thank goodness I've married a loveable computer geek who frequently reminds me to copy my photos to DVD/CD regularly :) I don't think I've lost any photos or data, but it's been inconvienent to say the least (I'm typing this update on another ancient laptop with a dimming screen, keys that stick, and a mouse that refuses to cooperate!)

We'll be back in early August, right before Emma's second birthday (I KNOW! I can't believe it, either!!) and I'll have lots of fun and pics to share with you then!

See you in two weeks!

First of the Season

2007-07-17T21:47:00.000-04:00

Emma discovered corn-on-the-cob for the first time today:

Seeing how much Emma enjoyed it, Big Sister (who has shunned corn on the cob in the past) decided it was worth another try:

Final verdict: She liked it! She really liked it!!

Artist in Action

2007-07-15T22:33:00.000-04:00

There hasn't been much blog-worthy happening around here lately, well, except for this:

Eric had surgery last week to repair a severely deviated septum. He kinda has a Hannibal Lecter look about him, doesn't he? :)

The girls and I went to visit Eric in hospital the evening after his surgery and Emma didn't know what to make of him... She wouldn't go to Eric and kept staring at his face... you could almost hear her thinking: "He sounds like Daddy, but he sure doesn't look like Daddy!"

Thankfully, Eric is now feeling considerably better (he gets the sutures/bandages removed tomorrow) and Emma is no longer frightened by his appearance...

Sorry, this won't be much of an update... we're getting ready for our summer vacation/camping trip and I'm waaayyy behind and trying desperately to get organized... I'll try for a proper post later this week.

In the meantime, how 'bout a few pics of Emma doing her best Jackson Pollock impression with her Aquadoodle.

First (Official) Haircut

2007-07-05T21:03:00.000-04:00

While I've trimmed Emma's hair from time to time over the past year or so, she's never had a proper haircut. She was in need of one.

Let's just say she was looking decidedly sheepdogish:

Emma thought the whole process was quite interesting... for about 2 minutes

then, she was ready to leave

so we had to distract her:

and amuse her: (thwacking Mommy on the head with a brush was great fun!)

and finally, a little bribery was used (she held the lollipop, but didn't get to taste it):

Now we can actually see Emma's baby blues:

Not to be forgotten, Big Sister also came along for a trim and was given the royal treatment by everyone at our favourite salon:

Daddy then took both girls off for a treat while Mommy enjoyed having her hair cut, too...nothing like a bit of pampering to make everyone feel special :)

Happy Canada Day!

2007-07-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

It was unseasonably cool in our city today and we decided to forego the big annual celebration downtown and have our own little backyard Happy Birthday Canada! Party (as Big Sister called it).

After a couple of light rain showers this afternoon, the sun finally came out:

and we spent a few hours outside. If the amount of dirt I chiselled off Emma was any indication, she had a wonderful day!

After a chilly outdoor BBQ supper with friends and family, we had some fun with sparklers:

and then Daddy brought out the 'heavy duty' fireworks:

We hope you are all having a great long weekend!

School's Out for the Summer

2007-06-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

Today was Big Sister's last day of school.

Summer has officially begun!

Now we can look forward to ten glorious weeks of fun

No morning rush to get to the school bus on time.....

just lazy, hazy, summer days....

doing what we want, when we want

playing in the sand

or hanging out around the house

In the fall, Big Sister is off the the almost-grown up world of Senior Kindergarten and Mommy is returning to work, so we're going to enjoy every single minute of our summer

Table Manners

2007-06-19T20:48:00.000-04:00

So, Emma was eating itty, bitty apple slices the other day....

and, um, it looks like we have a bit of work to do in the table manners/etiquette department, hmm?

'course, Emma thought it was hilarious:

well, truth be told, I thought it was kinda funny, too, so I brought out the camera...

(Sigh) Now, I've created a monster ;>

An Update on Emma's eyes

2007-06-17T13:21:00.000-04:00

Emma was back at CHEO this week for a regular follow-up visit with her ophthalmologist. While Emma had Stage 1-2 Retinopathy of Prematurity while she was in the NICU, the ophthalmologist declared that Emma's eyes were "beautiful" with no obvious damage as a result of the ROP. Although she is slightly far-sighted, a normal occurrence for a toddler her age, her vision is fine! The doctors continue to feel that that Emma will likely need corrective lenses at some point, but for now she is seeing well and doesn't yet need glasses.

As she is at increased risk of developing other vision problems as a result of her prematurity (such as eye misalignment, amblyopia/ lazy eye, and retinal tears/detachment), Emma will have to be followed closely, but we don't have to go back for another year or so.

In other, somewhat less exciting, news Big Sister and I made playdough this week. Emma was very interested in what we were doing, so we decided that she should join in the fun too:

She especially liked the playdough while it was still slightly warm:

For some reason, known only to her, Emma really enjoys squooshing things in her hair.... Strawberries, peas, yogurt, cheese... you name it, Emma will squish it....

The play dough was no exception:

Big excitement coming this week: we're going to see Hi-5 at the N.A.C.....
Sshhh, it's a secret though - Big Sister is going to be soooo excited when she finds out :)

Destructo Baby

2007-06-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

The scene: Big Sister is in playroom, proudly displaying her masterpiece - The Great Tower.

Enter, stage right: Destructo Baby

Her mission: to single-handedly destroy the Great Tower

With one mighty swing of her powerful arm, Destructo Baby lays waste to Great Tower:

(sorry for picture quality, camera's flash could not compete with Destructo Baby's speed of destruction)

Destructo Baby surveys her wreakage:

Destructo Baby says: "Uh-Oh"

and watches as Big Sister stomps off, muttering grumpily about Baby Sister...

luckily, Daddy helps with the reconstruction project and peace returns to the land...

Passport Photos

2007-06-09T21:24:00.000-04:00

Today I took Emma out to get a passport photo. You'd think it would be easy, but with rigid Canadian photo guidelines (correct size, both ears must be showing, neutral expression, and mouth closed), it wasn't. Laurie had tried at Costco, but they couldn't get a good shot after about 10 attempts, and Emma's patience ran out. So Emma and I headed up Bank Street, where I found that Ginn Photo is no more (according to the sign Vistek is opening there soon), and the folks at Henrys said they couldn't do it because it wouldn't be the right size.

So northward we went to Sooter's (just north of Queen), where we found a friendly young lady who had both the equipment and the patience. A few shots later we had our pic. So, if you need a passport photo for a young child, Sooter's at 83 Bank Street is the place!

Lady in Red

2007-06-08T09:17:00.000-04:00

It's been a quiet week around here. Eric was out of town, so it's been just us girls...

We were stuck inside early in the week due to the dreary, rainy weather, so we played dress-up for a bit.

Emma has a thing for hats.

She loves wearing them, but especially loves pulling them down over her eyes and playing peek-a-boo.

She also likes trying to walk around while wearing the brims pulled down...

so there have been a lot of crashes this week... Nothing that some hugs and kisses and cuddles can't cure, though :)

A Busy Morning...

2007-06-03T20:51:00.001-04:00

of non-stop playing

equals a very sleepy girl at lunch time :)

18 Month update (again)

2007-05-30T13:49:00.000-04:00

You may remember reading about Emma's 18 month check-up back in February. Well, that was 18 month actual/chronological age. Last week, we were back at CHEO for Emma's 18 month adjusted age appointment in the Neonatal follow-up clinic (well, technically, it was 17 months and 17 days, but who - apart from us and her doctors - is counting, right?). I know, it gets a little confusing for us, too.

As I mentioned before, Emma attends this clinic regularly to gauge how she is progressing in terms of her communication, socialization, and motor development. After a physical examination, the physician and occupational therapist observe Emma while she plays and carries out some "tasks" and we answer a detailed questionnaire to help quantify her abilities. In the past, the results showed that Emma was achieving important developmental milestones at an age-adjusted appropriate rate, and that her scores in the five developmental areas assessed (Communication, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Personal-Social and Problem Solving) were "typical" of a baby in that age range.

The results of last week's assessment were largely the same, and the team was very pleased with Emma's development. However, her scores in the expressive communication area indicated that her language abilities may be somewhat delayed, and it is something we'll need to keep an eye on. Actually, this wasn't a surprise to us. Emma is babbling quite a bit, but the number of words she does say is limited and her speech isn't very clear (i.e., we know what she is saying, but I'm not sure anyone else would understand her). Her comprehension is fine, she is just not saying as many words as a 'typical 18-month old.' The team members weren't entirely sure this was cause for concern (given the natural variability in children's language development), but I felt (and gently insisted) that it warranted further investigation. They agreed to refer her for a speech-language assessment but cautioned that it could take many, many months to get an appointment.

Luckily, after some searching and several phone calls, I found a drop-in screening clinic held last weekend. Emma was briefly seen by a speech-language pathologist who agreed that further assessment/therapy was needed. So, we're now on a (very long) waitlist at the Speech-Language Pathology Service at CHEO but we're facing a 6-10 month wait before she is seen! In the meantime, we're checking into having Emma seen by an SLP in private practice... She'll also be seen again in the Audiology Clinic at CHEO to rule out any problem with her hearing, as this could certainly have an impact upon her speech.

In other news from last week, Emma's measurements showed that she weighed 10.19 kg (22.5 lbs) and was 80.5 cm (31.7 inches) long, both of which put her in the 25-50th percentile range for her adjusted age. I checked Big Sister's 18-month stats. and they show that Emma is only 1 inch shorter than Michaela was but almost 6 pounds lighter.... I guess Emma will be the string bean in the family! :)

This week we have no appointments scheduled (Yay!), so we're just enjoying the summer-like weather and having fun in the pool/park/back yard again:

Pics

2007-05-29T22:11:00.000-04:00

Come on in, the water's fine

2007-05-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

With temperatures hitting the low 30's (degrees Celsius, that is, or high 80's-degrees Fahrenheit for those non-metric-speaking readers) here this week, it was time to "open the pool."

You may recall Emma's reaction to the bath. Well, she loved the pool just about as much:

She giggled and laughed and splashed and played for almost 2 hours.

I finally had to haul her out, kicking and screaming, waterlogged with pruney fingers and toes, to have dinner...

It may not be the fanciest pool, but we like it just fine :)

Ducks!

2007-05-19T20:15:00.000-04:00

On this first day of the first long weekend of the season, we decided to have a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful day.

Emma spent most of her time chasing the gulls:

Then we wandered down by the river to feed the ducks:

Although she's only seen pictures of ducks in some of her books, Emma spontaneously called: "quack, quack!" when she saw them... Brilliant girl! ;>

Happy long weekend, everyone!

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T20:55:00.000-04:00

Today is a somewhat bittersweet day for us...

Both Eric and I are missing our own moms, who never had the chance to meet their beautiful granddaughters.

We're feeling the loss of Emma's twin sister today, too.

Despite a bit of sadness, though, today was a wonderful day.

I received the bestest presents and had to share them...

Big Sister made a lovely bouquet for me:

and Eric created the most amazing print of our two girls:

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Special Moms....

More Hangin' Out

2007-05-11T22:49:00.000-04:00

There haven't been many noteworthy happenings around here lately. We're still just hangin' out, having fun, and enjoying the summer-like weather:

We've been spending a lot of time outside. Emma is now enjoying the sandbox, though she was NOT impressed at first. She initially didn't like the feel of the sand on her hands, but she's grown accustomed to it and now loves nothing better than grabbing a handful and flinging it all over :)

Isn't the pink sand cool?:

We've also been playing alot of peek-a-boo:

and Emma is fascinated with the 'pretty yellow flowers' covering our backyard:

Emma also learned a new word today. "Bubble":

and she helped Big Sister take care of her geranium:

We hope y'all are enjoying the sunshine too!

The Endless Wait

2007-05-02T14:11:00.000-04:00

Emma, Big Sister and I just spent the better part of 2 hours at CHEO waiting for what amounted to a 5 minute appointment with Emma's ENT doc.

Emma did great for the first half hour. She coloured, she looked at books, she played with Big Sister, and she made some new friends with the other kids in the waiting room.

Then, she got tired of waiting.

We tried to amuse her.

We gave her books. She threw them away.

We gave her crayons. She stuck them in her ears.

We gave her snacks. She smushed them into the carpet.

We showed her the drawings that other kids had hung on the walls. She tore them down.

She climbed onto the table. I put her down on the floor. She climbed up again. I put her down again. Repeat eleventy million times.

We walked miles and miles in the hallway. She threw herself down on the floor in full toddler tantrum mode each time we tried to turn her around to head back towards the waiting room.

"My," said several other parents, "she's busy isn't she."

Yes. She is.

It's a good thing she's cute, 'cause I nearly sold her to the circus this morning.

She's napping now.

Mommy needs a drink.

P.S. She needs to have another swallow study in September. Oh joy.

Spring and the Great (urban) Outdoors!

2007-05-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

Faster dad, faster!

...or Mom...

...or big sister...pushing is good...just keep pushing.

Ok, dad, it's bright and I'm NOT moving...

Meanwhile, big sister becomes a speed demon...zoom...

...zoom!

More pics soon...

2007-05-01T13:21:00.000-04:00

Honest, we're working on them! It's just taking a bit longer than expected...

Just Hangin' Out

2007-04-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

There's not much to report around here lately... we're just hanging out, having fun, spending LOTS of time outside (pictures of that coming soon!)

Emma has recently taken to emptying out her plastic toy bins and crawling inside to play...

I caught her in the act this morning:

after she'd finished playing in the bin, she decided it made a fine hat:

silly baby!:

Little Ballerinas

2007-04-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

The girls are finally (Finally!) feeling a bit better and Big Sister wanted to play dress-up yesterday, so she got out her Princess costume from last Halloween and became The Princess Ballerina:

Ballet lessons start again next week, so all things Ballerina-related have been very popular around here lately :)

Not to be outdone, Emma decided she wanted in on the game too:

Of course, walking while wearing Big Sister's tutu took a little finesse and resulted in a small tumble or two:

But Emma soon got the hang of this Ballerina thing:

mid-pirouette:

very proud of herself:

Ring-around-the-Rosey, Ballerina-style:

Hmm, I foresee a few ballet recitals in our future :)

Still Sick

2007-04-12T20:10:00.000-04:00

So, we're entering week 3 of the Cold That Never Ends.

We're sick and tired of being sick and tired.*

We're tired of the congestion, the sneezing, the sniffling and the coughing.

We've had it with this winter. Being taunted with warmer, sunny weather yesterday only to wake up to snow today is just unfair.

We.want.Spring.Now.

* in spite of what these pics suggest, the girls have actually been in pretty good spirits even with the cold that never ends ...

Ice caps and Spaghetti

2007-04-08T15:04:00.000-04:00

Emma's first mp3!

2007-04-04T22:23:00.000-04:00

Are you tired of your boring ringtone?

Need something different for your mp3 player?

Emma is happy to announce the availability of her first mp3 ringtone...and as a loyal Emma fan, you can download it from here for free!

Sleeping is for Sissies.....

2007-04-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

We're surrounded by mountains of tissues and swimming in rivers of mucus around here this week. Everyone has an icky, coughy, sniffly, whiny cold.* Ugh.

And Little Miss Emma has now decided that a Big Toddler Girl doesn't need to take a nap.

Naps are for sissies.

Naps must be prevented at all costs.

You-can't-make-me-take-a-nap, don't-even-try-or-I-will-fall-down-in-a-heap-of-rigid-righteous-toddler-temper-tantrum!

Emma has resisted all naps for the past two days.

And so, by about 4:00 p.m., Emma looks like this:

Mommy is sporting a similar look. Not my best.

* The only positive news is that despite the deluge of mucus raining out of her nose, Emma's lungs remain clear. Yay!

A very happy respirologist

2007-03-29T22:03:00.000-04:00

Emma was at CHEO again yesterday for a routine follow-up visit with her respirologist.

While she's had a few colds this winter, Emma has weathered them very well and in contrast to last year, we haven't had to rush her to the E.R. in respiratory distress.

She hasn't had a chest x-ray since she was hospitalized with pneumonia last spring, so the doc ordered another one. Although the film wasn't a clear as it could be ('cause Miss Emma was not very pleased about being placed in the contraption needed to hold her still for the x-ray and was hollering her displeasure and squirming to get out), the x-ray revealed some pretty amazing news: Emma's lungs look great! There wasn't any indication that she's been aspirating and the doc saw very little evidence of chronic lung disease or Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)! The results were so impressive, the doc declared: "I am a very happy respirologist!"

I am a very happy Mommy.

Emma is doing so well, the doc has decreased her medications (inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators) and we don't have to go back for another respirology follow-up appointment until November.

Whoo Hoo!!

And now, à propos of nothing, some recent pics of Emma enjoying breakfast, otherwise known as an applesauce-oatmeal facial:

She likes to move it -- Part II

2007-03-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

Diehard Emma fans can find a longer video here (5 minutes, 28 seconds).

... you can't make me!

2007-03-22T22:31:00.000-04:00

Emma was back at CHEO today for another swallow study to evaluate her aspiration risk (to see if food or liquid is entering her airway, a potential risk related to her paralyzed vocal cord).

In a Modified Barium Swallow Study, moving x-rays are used to take pictures of a child’s swallow. The child sits in a special support chair and is given foods or liquids that are mixed with barium, a substance which outlines the structures inside the mouth and throat so they can be viewed by x-rays. Barium is a dry, white, chalky, metallic powder that is mixed with water to make a thick, milkshake-like drink.

Emma has had a couple of these tests before, but both times she was an infant and tolerated the procedures very well. Now that she's a "big girl", things did not go so smoothly.

Firstly, Emma was not supposed to eat anything after midnight. Now, for a baby, that is a really long time to go without food. Then, the test was unexpectedly delayed and we were left to wander the halls of CHEO - with Emma in her stroller - for more than half an hour after our appointment time (mostly because it's still RSV season and Mommy is paranoid about exposing Emma to germs/viruses from the other kids in the waiting room). By the time we got into the x-ray suite and everything was set up, Emma had not eaten in over 15 hours and was, as you might imagine, not her usual happy self. Actually, I thought she did really well as she still managed to smile and play with the Occupational Therapist who was helping with the test. I surely would have been a whole lot crankier if I hadn't eaten in that long!

Emma eagerly took two spoonfuls of her apple sauce-mixed-with-barium, promptly spit them out, and made a face similar to this:

Then, we offered her bottle filled with the vile barium solution. Emma gently moved it away from her mouth, shaking her head as if to politely say "no thank you." We offered it again. She, a little less politely, swatted the offending bottle away, more vehemently shaking her head. The third time it was offered, Emma threw the bottle, shook her head, and added a "no no no no no no no" in case we hadn't figured out that she'd rather not have any, thankyouverymuch.

No matter how we tried, Emma refused to take another bite/sip. And we all ended up covered in barium which, by the way, has the appearance, consistency, and staying power of Liquid Paper correction fluid. Emma had it all over her face and hands and in her hair. Tonight, I even found some in her ears. Unfortunately very little actually got into her mouth, much less her throat, so the radiologist wasn't able to see if she was aspirating when she swallows.

We'll probably have to repeat the test again, but I think we'll wait for a while. It's hard to see Emma's face looking like this:

when we're more used to seeing a happy, smiling baby:

Vocal Cord Update

2007-03-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find the time to update Emma's blog on a more regular basis, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day....

Emma had a couple of appointments at CHEO last week. On Tuesday we had a follow-up visit with the E.N.T. clinic. We see the specialist regularly to check on her vocal cords (one was paralyzed after the PDA surgery she had at 2 weeks old). Emma had another laryngoscopy in which a thin, flexible fibre-optic tube is passed through her nose to her larynx to see if her vocal cords are moving. Unfortunately, the exam showed that Emma's left vocal cord is still paralyzed (open), and the specialist feels the paralysis will be permanent. It appears that Emma's right vocal cord is compensating well and is moving over to make up for the paralyzed left cord, but her voice does seem hoarse/raspy most of the time. Actually she often sounds a bit like Donald Duck, but we find it quite endearing! :)

The specialist said that Emma might need to have speech therapy to help with her voice quality, and noted that there are also some treatment/surgical options we could consider if her voice quality is very impaired. For now, we're just going to wait and see how her voice sounds once she is verbalizing more.

The other problem posed by a paralyzed vocal cord is that the open cord allows food or liquid to slip into the trachea and lungs. So far, we've been adding a special powder to Emma's milk to make it thicker/easier for her to swallow and reduce the risk of aspiration. It's possible that as Emma gets older, she will outgrow the problem, so we're going to have another feeding study to assess her aspiration risk in a couple of weeks.

We were back at CHEO on Friday for Emma's 4th Synagis injection (vaccine to help prevent RSV). She'll likely have one or two more needles this spring. While we're very thankful she qualified for the injections again this year, we're really looking forward to Spring when the risk of RSV decreases and we can get out of hibernation mode!

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few more pictures from this weekend:

Caught in the Act!

2007-03-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

Emma, HVAC technician.

Airflow check!

Which way do you want this one to blow?

Ok...

I want this ON!

Shhhhhhhh...

Yeah, I mean you...

Watching...always watching...

Winterlude Fun

2007-02-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

Though it is officially over now, the city hosted the 29th edition of our great Winter Celebration, Winterlude, this month.

Over the last three weekends, we visited four times and enjoyed all of the venues, including the Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques Cartier Park:

the ice sculptures at the Crystal Gardens in Confederation Park:

and, of course, the Rideau Canal Skateway:

We met the Icehogs:

[Big Sister thought they were a bit scary]

and had a yummy Beavertail:

The highlight for the girls, I think, was a play area where kids were able to build their own tiny, colourful inukshuks:

Emma got in on the action too:

and decided the ice blocks were better for building:

than tasting:

18 month update

2007-02-14T10:33:00.000-05:00

Emma turned 18 months old last week. How on earth did that happen so quickly!? Wasn't she my teeny tiny baby only yesterday?

While she's not quite toddling yet (she's walking along/between furniture, but prefers her lightning-fast crawl when she wants to get somewhere quickly) she is constantly on the go. As I mentioned last week, she hardly ever stops and keeps us busy running after her...Heaven help us once she does start walking -- there will be no keeping up with her!

Emma went for her 18 month (14 month adjusted) medical check-up last week. She weighed 21 pounds 3 ounces (25-50th percentile for her adjusted age) and measured 30 inches (50th percentile). She also had 2 immunizations, but these didn't faze her a bit. She even smiled at the nurse while she gave her the needles!... We're going to CHEO next week for 2 more appointments (including an ENT follow-up), so I'll update more then.

There's not much more to report, so here are a few pics of Emma enjoying spaghetti and meatballs (well, with parmesan cheese and no sauce, thankyouverymuch). She loves the noodles and can slurp them up unbelievably fast! And, when she flings them, they stick so artistically to the wall :)

Finally, Eric is out of town this week, but he sent his girls some Valentine treats:

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

The Energizer Baby

2007-02-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

In the short span of 20 minutes this afternoon, Emma dug the dirt out of a large potted plant in the playroom, crawled into the cat's litter box (thank goodness I had just cleaned it!), then dumped the contents of the cat's water bowl all over herself.

She *never* stops.

Mommy is tired.

And happy :)

She likes it, she really likes it!

2007-02-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

Remember back when Emma wasn't very fond of Minigo:

Well, things have changed:

I apologize for this sorry excuse of an update.... we've been busy, but I promise I'll be back with a proper report soon :)

Snow Baby

2007-01-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Given that we are in "hibernation mode" (because we're in the middle of RSV season and can't expose Emma to viruses/potential sickness), we've been pretty much stuck in the house and are going a bit stir crazy from cabin fever around here lately.

Even though it was cold today (-10 degrees Celcius/14 degrees Farenheit this afternoon), it was beautifully bright and sunny with very little wind, so I decided to let Emma have a bit of fun after we picked up Big Sister from school. I usually leave Emma in her stroller or Chariot carrier while we're outside, but today I let her crawl around in the snow for a bit...

She had so much fun!

At first she just sat there, moving her arms and legs like a starfish, but she soon decided she'd like a taste of snow... I wish I had been quick enough with the camera to capture the look on Emma's face when she smooshed a mittful of snow into her mouth.... it was priceless! :)

After that, Emma was off exploring:

Big Sister tried to introduce her little sister to the fine art of making Snow Angels, but Emma wasn't all that interested. There was just too much snow to taste, and so little time...

A Long Overdue Update

2007-01-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

It has been ages since we chatted and we have a lot to catch up on:

Big News around here: Emma's first tooth finally (finally!) broke through this week (at 13.5 months adjusted age).... yes, just when I thought she might end up toothless in kindergarten, she now has a sparkling pearly white one poking through her lower gum :)

and it looks like her second tooth won't be far behind:

Emma has been making progress in leaps and bounds over the past couple of months.

She:

- loves to walk while holding on to our hand(s) and has recently starting taking a few unassisted steps between the sofa/chair and table

- discovered that she can climb/crawl up stairs (Oh My!)

- knows how to open the dishwasher and pot drawers in the kitchen and loves nothing more than removing the contents and banging items on the floor

- can also open the dresser/chest drawers in her bedroom and enjoys grabbing and flinging clothes all.over.her.room!

- can pull the metal grates off the floor registers and drop things down into the heating ducts. Just 'cause it makes such a cool clanging noise, you know.

- can turn on/off the VCR and press the eject button to remove the VHS tapes (thank goodness she can't yet reach the DVD player!)

- loves to turn the television off, particularly when Big Sister is watching a show :)

- can open the door leading to/from the family room... a hundred times a day!

- has learned how to flush toilets. over and over and over again. (At least she hasn't pitched anything into the bowl before flushing, yet)

- knows which button to press to shut down Mommy's laptop -- especially fun to do while Mommy is doing some online banking!

- enjoys scribbling with crayons, although after a Picasso-esque encounter with the kitchen wall, we've been confining our Little Artist the the highchair:

Hmm, so I guess this is why I haven't had a chance to update the blog in over two weeks! :)

We've been using a few infant signs with Emma and she now fairly consistently uses signs for "more", "milk", and "finished."

Her vocabulary has also grown over the past month or so. She now says Mama, Dada, Hi, Bye, Hello, All Done, and No! (the latter most often accompanied by a 'waggly finger' waving back and forth at whomever she is speaking to)... I wonder where that comes from :)

Emma was also back at CHEO last week for her regular neonatal clinic follow-up appointment. When she was last seen in September, the tests indicated that Emma was "typically developing" in the 5 developmental areas assessed(Communication, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Personal-Social and Problem Solving). Happily, this time the test scores were very similar. Once again, the results were entirely within normal limits and showed that Emma is achieving important developmental milestones at an age-adjusted appropriate rate. In fact, though she was only 13.25 months at the time of the assessment, she is doing all the things typically expected of a 14 month old baby.

Way to go, Emma!

A Year in Review: The Photos of 2006

2007-01-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

January 2006 was not the best month for us as Emma was admitted to CHEO three times for respiratory problems...

February: A Valentine's Day cuddle with Big Sister

March: Even though Emma spent another week in CHEO this month (with pneumonia), she remained a very happy baby.... Her giggle is the *best* sound in the world

April: A cuter Easter Bunny there never was!

May: Emma's first experience with "real" food... rice cereal was a big hit

June: Emma's baptism

July: our camping trip to the East Coast (including this visit to Peggy's Cove, NS)

August: Emma's 1st birthday celebration

September: Emma gets closer to toddling (with a little help from Dad)

October: Happy Halloween!

November: we say a sad farewell to Bill the Cat

December: Santa!

Wow, the collection of photos really shows how much Emma has grown and how far she has come in the past 12 months....

Emma, Eric, Big Sister and I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Welcome to 2007!

The making of...

2006-12-19T23:24:00.000-05:00

Want your daughter to look in your general direction for 200+ shots? Just start your Baby Einstein video and sit between her and the tv...

Happy 4th Birthday Big Sister!

2006-12-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today, Big Sister was born:

Time is flying by.......

I was hugging her yesterday, telling her she was growing up far too quickly and she leaned into me and whispered, "don't worry, Mama, I'll always be your baby."

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2006-12-18T00:06:00.000-05:00

We're a bit late sending a Chrismas card to Emma's great grandmother in Germany, so today I decided to get a good headshot to add to the package. The fact that Emma has a runny nose, combined with the fact that lately she will either look at the camera OR smile (but not both), made for a challenge. Check back in a day or so and I'll post "the making of" video :)

The Girls Meet Santa

2006-12-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

We ventured out to the mall on Friday and had a date with Santa.

This was the first time Big Sister consented to sit on the Big Guy's knee... In past years she would wrap herself around my legs and refuse to even look in Santa's direction... This year, she couldn't wait to tell him exactly what was on her "wish list". :)

It was also the first time Emma has seen Santa. She wasn't sure what to make of him... while she wasn't afraid, it was actually hard to get a picture 'cause Emma kept turning around to stare at him and would *not* look at the camera. After several long minutes, we finally got her to face the photographer, but she doesn't look very happy in the picture:

now Big Sister wants to know why there is a different Santa at every mall....

Bill (the Cat) 1989-2006

2006-12-04T14:42:00.000-05:00

As I was explaining to Big Sister several months ago when a distant relative died, everything has a beginning and an end, and sadly Bill, the orange tabby pictured in Laurie's previous post, arrived at his end on Sunday.

I adopted Bill as a 7 week old kitten from the Ottawa Humane Society in October 1989. He screamed all the way home, and that first night when I finally got him to stop howling, he fell asleep and purred so loudly that he kept me awake most of the night. Eventually we came to the understanding that he could sleep on the bed if he was quiet about it.

Bill had an interesting life. He hung out at Mike's Place (Carleton's graduate pub), long enough to pick up an honourary master's degree, and joined me for numerous road trips.

At age 4, Bill became very sick. The vet suspected a blocked bile duct or liver infection, and didn't expect him to survive. A course of antibiotics and 2.5 months of subcutaneous fluids got him through it, and earned him the nickname "pincushion." By January 1994 he had completely recovered.

For a while we had a roommate with a cat, and when they moved out Bill became very lonely. I'd arrive home and he'd start screaming as soon as he heard me at the door, then cling to me like velcro. I eventually got a kitten named Ted to keep him company, and Bill readily accepted him into the family.

As you've probably guessed, I moved in with Laurie :) who also had two cats, and we became the Brady bunch. Bill adjusted fairly well. After all, he was king, and he knew it. Unlike some cats, who are content to stay on the floor and couch, nothing would persuade Bill to stay off the tables and counters. It was *his* place after all.

Eventually, Big Sister and Emma joined our family. Bill was extremely tolerant of the girls, and while there was an occasional altercation (which usually occurred when the ever-patient Bill finally became annoyed by pestering little fingers), the resultant small scratch was generally well deserved. I don't think he ever really enjoyed the slide, but he still played along.

At age 17, Bill was deaf, had hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and was slowing down a bit, but he still knew the best place to be at dinner time was under Emma's highchair. Two days ago he was still jumping on the kitchen table and looked like he'd last another few years.

Yesterday Bill suddenly lost the use of both hind legs and couldn't stand. He wasn't in pain, but it was obvious that something was seriously wrong. Laurie and Michaela both hugged him goodbye, and I took him to see the vet. Given his age, medical problems, and poor prognosis, while it was heart-wrenching, the best course of action was painfully obvious.

I'll miss you Bill, you were one cool cat!

Cat Fancy

2006-11-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-11-17T08:14:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-03T14:44:00.000-05:00

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 :)

Happy Hallowe'en!

2006-10-31T23:50:00.000-05:00

Emma had a fun evening and curiously watched the strange creatures arriving at our door.

But mom, I want to be the princess!

2006-10-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

Attempting to photograph both girls proved, as usual, difficult at best :)

When Mommy is away.....

2006-10-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

.... the girls will play!

While I was having a fantabulous time with some of my favourite Mommy Friends (Nancy, Twin Mom, Northern Mom, and Silver Creek Mom among others) on our annual Moms Only Weekend, Emma and Big Sister were having an equally fun time with Opa and Grandma.

Eric and the girls dropped me off in downtown Toronto on Friday afternoon then headed off to visit with family.

They spent time exploring:

eating:

(or not):

and modelling their new hats (Thank You Grandma!):

Everyone had a great time and the weekend was over waaaayyyy too quickly.

Mommy is recovering from all of the shopping, walking, laughing, chocolate, junk food, wine, hot-tubbing, and too-little sleep (we don't call it the Moms Gone Wild Weekend for nothin'), so we'll get back to more regular posting soon :)

Hello kitty!

2006-10-19T22:11:00.000-04:00

Done

2006-10-16T21:32:00.000-04:00

After more than 14 months of pumping for Emma, I pumped for the last time this morning.

I'm done.

It's the right time to stop.

Still, I'm a bit sad.

At first, when Emma was so sick and small and fragile and we couldn't even hold her, supplying the breastmilk that she was given a cc at a time seemed the least, the only thing, I could do for her. So I pumped.

Eventually, as Emma slowly got bigger, she was able to breastfeed a bit, but it was hard work for her and she tired quickly and, as typical for micropreemies, she needed to be bottlefed, at least part of the time. So I pumped more.

Later, we discovered that Emma was aspirating, so we had to start thickening her milk which made breastfeeding impossible. So I pumped even more.

Pumping became part of our family routine. Big Sister still asks if I have to pump before we go anywhere :) I pumped while camping. I pumped on vacation. I pumped while we were driving down the Transcanada Highway [sorry, fellow travellers, you might have got more than an eyeful on your summer holiday on the east coast :)] Thank goodness for the Medela Pump In Style electric pump. For a long time, I was attached to that thing 6 to 8 times a day. And the freezer was full of bottles and bags of expressed milk.

Once we got the O.K. from her pediatrician, we started Emma on cow's milk (she's currently drinking 1/2 cow's milk mixed with 1/2 breast milk) and I cut back on my pumping schedule. Since then my supply has been steadily decreasing. Emma is also eating more and more solid food and she's just not as interested in bottlefeeding anymore. And, I'm meeting up with some of my favourite Mommy Friends in a few days for a Mom's Only Weekend in Toronto and I'd really like to go without my pump.

So tomorrow, for the first time in 430-some days, I won't be pumping.

Pumping is hard work.

But look at this face:

It was so worth it.

Emma's Banned Video

2006-10-10T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here's the video that YouTube didn't want you to see...

[click to play video]
Thank you to the fine folks at Adobe for the 30 day trial download of Flash Professional 8.

Emma video banned on YouTube

2006-10-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

[click for larger image]Apparently Emma's first video has already been banned on YouTube. Why anyone would have a problem with a video of a happy baby splashing in the bath is beyond me...I'll try to get the video up somewhere else.

Thanksgiving

2006-10-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Everyone is healthy and Emma is doing so well...

The two reasons we are most thankful were having their nightly bath this evening and we thought you might enjoy the fun,too:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)