Happy 2nd Birthday Charlotte!

Dear Baby Girl,

Well you are officially a toddler my dear. You have had a huge year! Since your first birthday you have learned to walk, started talking and learning to overcome challenges ever day. As a family we moved from California to GA and said goodbye to Daddy for a year while he serves overseas.

At your 2 year check up you took your shots with lady like grace. You are still a short little thing at 30 inches (less than 5%) and 28 lbs (50-75%). People are always shocked that you are 2.

You are shy but so loving. Very sensitive but aggressive at the same time. You love your brother and Dora and Choo Choo trains. You are finally eating more that baby food textured foods and we are steadily working on that. Potty training is not really on your radar but with time I know you will catch on. You still sleep in your crib and will for some time to come, you are quite the wiggle worm!

You have overcome so much this year. You are so strong and determined. When the doctors were concerned that you may walk, talk, communicate and play a little behind your peers, daddy and I knew you would be just fine. While you have done things in your own time, you have done them. You speak with what seems like your own language but with such heart and patience for those of us that can't always understand you!

In the next year we will spend some quality time together while big brother goes off to kindergarten. We will conquer that potty and excel in therapy. We will learn through play and make new friends. We will welcome Daddy home and most likely move again. We will fight and make up. We will read and color and play and make friends. I'm so excited to see how you grow and change and blossom into a preschooler.

Happy Birthday Charlie Grace.

Charlotte takes life one step at a time

Just a few weeks ago Charlotte started walking and now she is climbing stairs...time to get the baby gates out again. Life is never dull with kids learning new skills everyday!

11 Months old...no way!

This is the last monthly update before Charlotte turns one! This has been one of the best and challenging years of my life. She is the sweetest, loving, challenging, stubborn baby girl and i could not be more happy to be her mommy.

There have not been any doctors appointments since the last monthly update except her physical therapy (whole other post) so I'm guessing on her growth. I would say she is roughly 26 pounds and about 26 inches long. She is wearing anything that fits and that could be from a 6 month to an 18 month and even some 2t shirts?!? Diapers are about to get more expensive because she is moving from a 3 to a 4...you know less diapers in the box equals more per diaper.

She is still eating roughly 24 oz of formula and on her last can...on to milk! As far as table food she is really eating so many new things and new textures I can not keep track! I was told from her therapist and infant specialist that eating may be an issue for her with the SPD but lately it hasn't stopped her. Charlotte is finding independence in the eating department as well and that is fun to watch and not so fun to clean up. While we do not condone food throwing she fells like rubbing it all over herself and the highchair are necessary for a well balanced experience.

Sleeping has been the same except that she is getting up around 6-630 now but it really works out best for us anyway despite how much I want to push the snooze button :)

No new teeth.

Charlotte is now saying: mama, yaya(dada), KK(Clayton), nana(banana), na(no), nanu (thank you) and she can sign tons of things! Some are in her own language but we can usually figure it out.

She can high five and low five and she can also make the Indian chant noise/mouth movement...you know what I'm talking about? (I'll try for a video) 

As far has her gross motor delay she is progressing little by little. The major improvement is bearing weight on her feet and legs. The next big step with be to stand with out assistance. She is also booty scootchin, her version of crawling.

Charlotte's 11 month photo collage

2 months until 1 year!

So my little miss has entered her 11 month of life already. She turned 10 months on the 3rd of March and I can not begin to tell y'all how that makes me feel. But I will also say because she is still so baby like to me I don't see her as this close to one. Since her last monthly report she really hasn't changed that much. The only big different is that she is now being seen by a physical therapist to help her with a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). You can read the beginning stages of that process here.

Growth: I am assuming she is roughly 22 lbs and around 26/27 inches long...still short but starting to equal out...maybe :)
She is wearing anything from 6-12 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

Eating: She has 4 bottles of 5oz a day and 9 cubes (18 tbls) of fruits/veggies and 4-6 tbls of cereal . Part of her SPD is textures in food. So while she will eat almost anything she will only in certain forms. For example she will not anything mixed like a casserole or spaghetti. She is basically eating at a stage 2 food. Cookies (biter biscuits) and soft fruits/veggies are OK sometimes but it usually takes a really long time for her to eat them and involves quite a bit of screaming :(

Sleeping: She is now sleeping from 7:30ish pm to 6:30 am, with 2 1.5 hour naps during the day. I shifted her whole day up by about a n hour to make room for the twice weekly PT. Bless her heart she is cutting 3 teeth and the teething is really effecting her sleep. She is just really restless and hard to get her down initially, but is still sleeping through the night.

New developments:
         6 teeth, that's 3 more than last month
         She loves to clap and do hand motions to songs IE. Wheels on the Bus and Patty Cake.
         Still only saying "mama" but is not signing "daddy" "eat" "more" "bottle" "milk"
         Screaming: when she is excited, mad, happy...I can not figure how to make it stop!!

She is still really struggling with gross motor. After evaluation from the PT she was placed at a 3 month development level but only in gross motor she is average if not above in every other aspect.

Charleigh Grace is really coming into her own. She knows what she likes and doesn't, she will laugh when its funny but doesn't waste that energy if it isn't.

Spring is in the air...and clogging up my ears?!?

I woke up this morning with the worst clogged ear feeling, no pain just annoying! Allergies...sinuses...screaming infant...who know? What I do know is although I had to ask Clayton to repeat himself 80 times today we had a great day and spent some much needed time soaking in some vitamin D.

 My sweet chubby girl

 Accessorize, its a must for any little girl 

 

 Love this shot

 SPD in action!

 Sweet laughs for her "bubu"

I hope this weather is as nice where you are today!

The Journey to mobility...Sensory Processing Disorder

I will start this post by saying 1. I wrote this in several sittings so it may seem choppy and 2. I am only speaking about the military or Tricare way of maneuvering through referrals and insurance claims. I am very unfamiliar with how other insurance companies work. So yes it seems one sided at times but I only know one side!

At Charlotte's 9 month check up her pediatrician referred her to the California Early Intervention program because she believed that she may have a gross motor delay. Disclaimer: she does have a gross motor delay but the reason was unknown to the ped. so she wanted a specialist to look at her. Once the referral was sent through I was told it could be several days even weeks before I heard anything. Several people in our community have tried to get referrals for one reason or another and had a very difficult time so I prepared myself that she may be over a year before the specialist saw her and therefore she would be even farther behind. I cried and prayed and started researching. Well, it all worked. I got a call from a physical therapist in the next town saying that she had been given our case but that their office no longer had a pediatric PT and that she though after looking at Lil C's record that a Peds PT was needed. She gave me the number to school about an hour away that could see Lil C but that I needed to call both the school and Tricare to make sure they were "compatible".
Again I dreaded the task ahead but it went so smoothly. What helped was that I by passed calling the recommended school and instead went on the Tricare website to see if a PT that a friend recommended was on their list. They were, so I called the PT, got an appointment and THEN called Tricare back to have the referral switched to this new office. Seriously it took maybe an hour and everyone was so helpful and nice. At this point I had no idea the road ahead and I am very glad that I was able to start on nice foot.

Her first appointment was March 5th and that was just an evaluation and to make sure we were going to work well with the PT. The appointment was great. ( I wish I had taken some pictures but I was so nervous it slipped my mind). Going into the office I had several outcomes playing in my mind...she's just too big for her height to move, there is something neurologically wrong, there is something in her hips, something in her legs/spine...etc. What the PT said had never occurred to me!

After some quick exercises she instantly mentioned sensory issues..WHAT? I never went that direction at all. Jennifer (the PT) said she wanted to see Charleigh twice a week. OK, not the most convenient for me with Clayton in pre-k and the drive is 40 miles each way and gas is $4.25 but we really need to act on this so putting all that aside and working out Clayton's pick up from school we agreed to twice weekly therapy.

She placed Charlotte on a gross motor level of a 3 month old and she was 2 days shy of 10 months old so that is quite a bit to catch up on but I am confident she is going to do it.

The Thursday after her appointment the PT called and said she had emailed me a symptom list that would help her put together a program. I checked what applied and emailed it back. The list was very similar to this. Jennifer called me back with a preliminary diagnosis...Sensory Processing Disorder.

Of course I started researching and I felt OK with the diagnosis it seemed like something we could handle and work with her at home as well as in therapy. Basically she has an adversity to different textures and sensations on her hands, feet and with food. I have always noticed her pulling her hands from people but assumed it was her eczema. I never thought she might not bear weight because the feeling on her feet overwhelmed her sensory receptors. There are so many things that Charlotte has always done that are linked back to this disorder. Examples: sleeping in one position, HATES being on her tummy, doesn't reach for anyone other than me (she will go to other's but not reach for them), doesn't seem to "bond" well, doesn't do well in large crowded situations.This will be a weird possibly long and difficult road but knowing that there is something we can do to help her is nice.

She starts therapy on March 12 (which is actually the day this will publish). I'm excited to get started.

Laser chasing

Jason got a laser pointer from work and tested it on the kids to see if it works like it does on cats...it does

Charlotte 10 month collage

Charlottes ninth month of life

Charlotte is a little over 9 months now! So what's been going on in her life lately? SO MUCH!!! This little girl is for sure going to be my frequent flyer in the medical department! I'll get into all of that in a minute but first up some stats:

As of her doctor appointment on Feb 21 (meaning she was actually 9.5 months old)
Growth: She is now 21 lbs (80%) and 25.5  inches long (10%)
              She wears size 3 diaper and 6-12 month clothes. 

Eating: Based on her measurements and some mobility issues her pediatrician recommended a new menu to maximise her calorie intake to ensure that every calorie counts. She eats 4 bottles of  5oz. 3 meals and 2 very small snacks.We are working on the transition to sippy cups so she has one sippy a day instead of a bottle.

Sleeping: 8 pm-730 am and 2  1.5-2 hour naps. She is such a great sleeper! She lays down in her crib without much fuss, turns her head and off to sleep she goes...unlike her brother!

New developments:She has 3 new teeth! They came in without much issue thank goodness.
                  No new words this month. But she has started signing "more", "eat", "sad". She will respond to "dad", "mom", "bottle", "eat" and "play".

                   She is starting to show some signs of separation anxiety but I am doing everything to nip that in the bud!!

 With her bubba

Cellulitis: Charlotte had what looked like a zit on her little hiney. I noticed that it has popped but didn't think much of it. This is going to get pretty detailed and gross so be warned!! On a Monday she started running a fever and was a little fussy but I assumed it was teeth. Jason said he noticed  a little blood in her diaper and wondered if it was related but Charlotte has always been a little on the constipated side and again I just assumed it was from straining. But when I checked her diaper I saw that the zit spot was bruised and hard and looked like it had been bleeding. Once I wiped it the blood started pouring out. I FREAKED and immediately started texting with my Dr neighbor. He suggested I squeeze out the discharge. It was for sure some sort of infection. The color was turning from blood to a dark purple almost black grossness! I put a band aid on the spot (since it was in the area of poo!) and gave her some Tylenol. The next day she was much worse. I have never seen either of my kiddos that sick. Straight to the Dr we went. Dr Bitnis immediately said it was cellulitis and swabbed the discharge to check for MRSA. We were sent home with a strong antibiotic. The test came back negative for MRSA but was inconclusive for another bacteria strain that remains in the system. She may have this situation again or not. Time will tell. 

 Always eating

At each well baby visit there is a questionnaire called the Ages and Stages. Charlotte is on target in every category except Gross Motor..they score on 5-60 scale and test gross and fine motor, social, communication, and cognition.  The first one that we noticed she was not making a great score was four months but she was still in the "OK but we are going to watch this" stage. By her 9 month visit she is literally failing. She scored a 10. So the doctor went back and tested her at a 6 month and 4 month questionnaire and Charleigh Grace failed them both as well. This is super confusing seeing as that she is scoring 55-60 in EVERY other category including fine motor! But she is still trying to roll over so crawling, standing or walking re out of the question. I have been having a lot of emotions and thoughts on all of this but I am not sure how to get the floating thoughts into words just yet. At this point she has been referred to California's early intervention program and they matched us with a physical therapist that then referred us to a pediatric physical therapist. She goes on Monday (March 5) for her initial appointment. Once a PT looks at her and can give us a direction I will feel better if for no other reason than having a jumping off point.So if you have it in you, a prayer would be greatly appreciated. I went through a lot to get this PT and to get her approved so I know that God has this.

Celebrating her birthday early with my dad"s family

This is me at 9 months or around there: