My All Time Favorite Childrens Book

Giraffes Can't Dance

This book is amazingly illustrated, well-written, and also manages to have a good "theme". We were given this book when Darsie was in the NICU and we probably read it at least once a day.

What??? I have a BLOG???

Sorry dear and faithful readers for my prolonged absence. Everything is fine and dandy here in Darsie-land, we are just caught up in getting our house built and the fine and HOT weather that we have been experiencing in the Pacific Northwest.

A quick synopsis of our week:

Monday - no Diane, she was sick
Tuesday - Yeah! Little Tykes at Hollyridge. There was only one other little girl, but it was fun still.
Wednesday - took my mom to the eye doctor because she was seeing spots.

Throw in a gazillion phone calls, a hyperactive puppy/dog, and a teething daughter and you've been in my shoes, too.

Hopefully some photos will make you all happy again.

18-month Appointment (3 months late!)

Today D had her 18-month appointment...a little late, but correct if we go by adjusted age!

Darsie is still a munchkin weighing in at a whopping 20 pounds! She is 31 inches tall and her head is 47.5 centimeters.

She is actually doing a really great job of keeping up with my growth at around the same time (at 12 months I was 17.5 lbs and 28 inches long and at 2 years I was 22 3/4 lbs. and 32 inches long).


We passed our inspections yesterday, too :)

Keep your fingers crossed!!!

We have two inspections at the house today.... temporary electricity AND foundation footings. If all goes well with the foundation then they will start pouring the concrete today. Hopefully the rain will stay away, too!

Happy Papa's Day!!

Just a quick photo montage of the man of my life and the most wonderful, loving, caring, giving, and supportive husband and papa in the world.

Thank you Jeff for being exactly who you are.

Happy Father's Day!!!! We Love You!

Another slow week...

Diane is out this week, so just Larry for PT. It is actually kind of nice to have a slower week as all of those trips to different therapies can be kind of draining. I know that it is the best thing for Darsie to make them all, so I feel guilty for even feeling that way. So, needless to say (although I am saying it), I am enjoying this therapist-given semi-vacation.

Mr. Larry is sooo happy with how D is progressing and with how she is using her feet. He observed a new behavior from her today...that is of the flamingo! She likes to practice standing on one foot at a time. She spent most of her therapy session today cruising around and putting stuff on pegs. She had a grand time.

I love seeing my daughter happy.

I Won't Stop Blogging!!

I won't let some random person stop me from telling our story. I think what upset me the most is that he was/is trying to earn money by using my posts to attract visitors. I emailed the company whose services he was using and they forwarded my email on to him. He informed me that it was my RSS feed that he was simply pulling and utilizing and that it was MY fault for publishing an RSS feed in the first place. So, I pulled my RSS feed. I'm sorry to anybody who was reading this site through feeds before.

If anybody wants me to e-mail them when I publish a new post, I would be more than happy to do so.

You can email me at lilliputianmamaATgmail.com

We've been super busy with the house construction (foundation is being done currently) and I took a real estate salesperson license exam today and PASSED!!! I had to go to Seattle to take it (which meant getting up at 5 AM) but Jeff and I were able to have lunch together and Darsie was able to spend time with her grandparents.

I'm so completely shocked...

Today I went to Technorati and did a search for this blog and I was completely shocked at what came up. There are "spiders" that are stealing my posts and putting them up on revenue earning sites without proper citation or links back to this site. I'm not even going to link to them because I don't want them to gain any notoriety. While I know that it isn't an actual person coming to the site and stealing the materials, I still am feeling a bit violated by it at the moment. I can't believe that someone is trying to earn money by MY posts...by MY daughter...by OUR life.

I've added a Creative Commons license to my blog. I don't mind if people link to the site, share our stories, etc..but it apalls me that someone can use my blood, sweat, and tears for financial gain. That was NEVER my intent with this site. My objective since day one is simply to share our story and reach out to other preemie/cp parents.

First Hair Cut

We "attempted" to get Darsie's hair cut on Saturday, but much to our chagrin, she simply screamed. The stylist was able to get a quick snip off of D's bangs, just enough to get it out of her eyes. I had my hair cut afterwards and every time I looked at Darsie, she would start screaming again. She will probably be just like me and only get her hair trimmed once a year.

Difference in a Year...

It is amazing how much these wee ones change in a year. I wanted to share some year ago photos with you all.

Continued Good News from Larry

So, we went back to see Larry on Thursday (we had missed the week prior because D wasn't feeling too hot) and he still is liking how Darsie's foot is doing and doesn't think she will be returning to the orthotic route, at least for now. He is very impressed with how well she is cruising and moving and now is working mainly on strengthening her tummy muscles so she can walk independently.

Next week all we have is Mr. Larry since Diane is out of town and Hollyridge is on break for the month of June.

More on Kinesio

Diane, D's OT, is going out of town next week, so she taught me how to do Darsie's kinesio tapings today! She even left her book of different tapings for me to peruse and see if I think any of the techniques would be better suited for D. I'm also planning on taking the book with me to Darsie's PT and seeing if he thinks we are doing the correct ones. So, my plan for the blog is to do a detailed photographic "journey" on how to do D's tapings (to the best of my abilities) and then also to scan the book so it is in my possession and I can share/use it as necessary.

I'm sitting here typing this with D's tapings on me. It is so cool to feel what Darsie would be feeling. You can definitely feel a light and continuous pull from the tape.

Diane left different colored tape, too. So, it may be time to get creative!!

Proof that you can have a "good" pregnancy after preclampsia

36 weeks and a whopping 6 lbs. 4 oz.

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/5046261

Congrats to Cecily & Charlie!

Last Comic Standing

I won't normally post about TV, promise. But, we were watching Last Comic Standing last night and it is hilarious (at least in my opinion).

However, one thing in this season (I didn't watch other seasons) that has struck me is that two of the comedians that made it further into the competition have "disabilities" of some nature. Nikki Payne has/had a cleft lip and Josh Blue has cerebral palsy. I've seen a lot of people on the internet wondering how people could make fun of their own disabilities and others just plain disgusted with disabilities. I can understand how it can be controversial. But in my opinion, at least these two people are trying to make a go of their lives. Other comedians can depend upon real life experiences to generate material, why can't they as well?

I was extremely happy when Josh Blue got the Audience Choice award last night. His show was hilarious and he did an awesome job.

All I can hope for Darsie is that whatever is thrown at her in life, that she always has the strength and know-how to continue on and to make something of her life. I simply want her to be successful at whatever she wants to do - be that comedy or driving a garbage truck. I want her to be happy and to feel fulfilled in her life.

Food Post!

Last night I made a special dinner to commemorate our first wedding anniversary. I served Braciole and garlic bread. Braciole is soooo delicious, but one of those meals I only make once in a blue moon. It takes a long time to cook (1 hr. 45 minutes) and warms the house up considerably. Also, flank steak is ridiculously expensive. However, it is really quite delicious and easy and I highly recommend it to anyone needing a special Italian dinner soon. I didn't have any leftover wine floating around so I substituted chicken broth and it was still just as good. My secret to awesome garlic bread is to buy a sourdough loaf from Safeway. I then melt butter and Johnny's Garlic Seasoning. I then wrap the loaf in foil and back it at about 350 for 10-15 minutes. Or, if I am after a crispier texture, I just put it on a baking sheet.

For the rest of the week I am making: Tacos and guacamole (one avocado, finely minced garlic, finely minced onion, finely minced jalepeno, salt, pepper, and a spoon of sour cream), Mini Hamburgers, Grilled Chicken Cacciatore, and our friday night fave, PIZZA!!

Some days are meant for cartoons.

Sorry folks, I had a migraine this morning which has left me feeling generally lame and nauseous, so not much of a post.

D didn't have Hollyridge group therapy today. In fact, she doesn't have it for the entire month of June because they are on Summer break.

I'm going to join D in nap land. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive blog day.

Photos from our Weekend

It was a beautiful weekend here in Washington without too much rain. In fact, it only rained on Sunday morning as we were checking out of the Alderbrook. We had a very wonderful and relaxing night out for our anniversary while my mom watched both Darsie and the dog. Darsie had a teething incident and the dog peed on the bed, but other than that, I think a good time was had by all.

Hydrotherapy was cancelled today as Hollyridge is switching their pool from saltwater to chlorine. I'm kind of bummed about it as saltwater is more buoyant and I also think detoxyifying. Oh well, I am grateful that D is getting the therapy regardless.

No Larry Today...

D had another low fever today, so I didn't take her Mr. Larry's for PT. Instead I let her sleep.

She is wanting to be up and about as much as possible these days and is fighting sleep like a baby monster. Last night she was up until 10:30 when we decided that maybe her teeth hurt her and gave her some tylenol. She was asleep within poor minutes. These babies need a little window on their foreheads that tell their parents what they need. I'm normally pretty good about figuring it out (and she is good about pointing and saying yes and no) but for some reason we were not clicking on the whole "I'm in pain, mama" thing last night. I felt horrible but she fell asleep quickly lying on my chest. She even slept all night long in her own crib. She is a beautiful angel.


On a brighter note. This weekend my husband and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary by spending one fabulous night at the place where we took our mini-moon before the honeymoon last year. We went to Belize to dive for our real honeymoon but we could't leave Darsie in June so we went in November. This is where we went on our mini-moon and will be returning to on Saturday - www.alderbrookresort.com

They have a french press for coffee or tea in every room.

Bliss.

If you are ever in Western Washington on the Hood Canal and have some extra money to blow, I highly recommend a couple nights at the Alderbrook. It is serene, beautiful, relaxing, and deluxe.