Wow. So it's been almost a year since I blogged... I've been busy with lots of changes actually but luckily not the one I was preparing for. We sold our condo and I moved to a cute apartment with a magnificent ocean view! I also changed jobs, and I even changed my car!  I bought a little Suzuki to zip back and forth to work. It's a stick shift, that was fun when I moved on a hill because I NEEDED a view. Anyway, I learned real fast how to drive manually.  

The most important news is that Rosalie is thriving and doing well. She is getting stronger, has her two bottom teeth growing in and is a very active and demanding little girl. She now weighs 12 pounds, holds toys and babbles orders. She likes to be paced and loves lights.  She gets physical therapy once a week and occupational therapy twice a month. My mom watches her while I work, which helps me out tremendously. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone else watching her.  Below are the most recent pictures of us, we had a little Christmas photo shoot. Now that we are starting a new year I hope to blog more and share with you her progress.

Pediatric Visit

We just got back from seeing the pediatrician, I was so worried that I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see him. He is referring her to a cardiologist ASAP.... She now weighs 4lbs 15oz and is 18 inches long! I'm happy about how well she is doing but I'm  tired of everything being an unknown.  Nobody knows anything.  I don't know what can happen or what to expect....it's exhausting really.  I can't wait to see the cardiologist... I will keep everyone posted. Good night..

Good things, not so good things, and other things

The nurse came today and Rosalie's oxygen was the lowest it has ever been, a 75. Usually it is in the 90s or high 80s, so I don't know why it would be so low today?!  She said not to worry.... but I'm worried...  She said she looked a little pale.  I can't wait to see the doctor on Wednesday. It's the pediatrician on base but he can refer us to a specialist who can tell us what we can do for her.

Otherwise she is doing pretty good, she almost rolled over on her own today!  We put her down on her back and she rolled onto her side!  And today she hasn't been fussy like she usually is  We took a little morning snooze together, it was nice...

Nap time...

From gaining weight to lifting weights...kind of

Rosalie is getting stronger everyday day... She had physical therapy yesterday and we have been doing some exercises the PT taught us.  She is able to pick up her head on her own a little bit, it is so exciting to see.  In fact, here she is flexing her muscles lol. It just makes my heart melt, ahhhh, I just love her...

"Grrrrr"

I'm trying to get stronger too, I recently started to run and do some exercises every other day for 30 to 45 minutes.  I jog/walk about 2 miles and do some exercises along the route.  Here are some pics I took while I worked out today:

I'm excited because I went from not being able to run at all to running half a mile without stopping. I'm amazed how quickly my body improved, it motivates me to see improvements so fast.  I hope I keep at it, my biggest enemy when working out is consistency. Hope everyone has a nice weekend...

Weightingggg

Rosalie gained a pound!!!! (I, on the other hand, have not lost a single pound yet.... ) The good news is that Rosalie has gained weight!  We are planning on seeing a specialist now, I need answers and I need to find out what options we have...  She is thriving and doing so well I feel hospice might not be what she needs!  I will keep you posted on what we find out and how it goes.  She also lost the fuzzy hair she was born with.  Here is what she looks like now.

Look at that smile!!!  I love her so much. 

Rosalie's progression since she came home

When we first brought Rosalie home, no one slept for the first couple of days, we were so scared something would happen.  After a couple days we started taking turns at night... Rosalie peacefully sleeping in our arms, all nice and comfortable, while the person holding her wouldn't dare blink.
Fast forward to a month later and she is, of course, still calling the shots but, man oh man, she is not this delicate little baby we thought we brought home, she is a feisty little thing.
Here she is when she first wakes up and "squeaks" for food. Of course I gently pick her up and just want to snuggle and kiss her...

Well that's not what she wants, so she "squeaks" a little louder in order to make herself a bit clearer...

Since the person getting the bottle ready is not fast enough (not even a minute has gone by since she first opened her little eyes mind you) she goes ahead and grabs a good hold of my face as if to say listen mommy....I'm very serious about this food thing.

She has learned how to cry now, so no more squeaks, which I miss so much.  Thank you again Laura for capturing these moments!!

Our little miracle