We visited the pediatrician today for Aeris's 12-mo. check-up. Though she eats anything I offer, she still hasn't made it onto the weight percentile chart.
Her stats are as follows:
weight: 15 lbs. 4 oz.
height: 28 1/2 in., 27th percentile
She has highly developed problem solving and fine mtor skills. An occupational therapist is coming out twice a month to help develop her gross motor skills since she doesn't get up on her legs at all yet.
Whenever one of our kids has a birthday it's as much a celebration for me as it is for them. I love to reminisce about their birth. Today is Aeris's first birthday, so bear with me as I remember the day she was born...
This was my third pregnancy. My due date was July 27, three days after the last special occasion in July and just over a month before the school deadline, putting her three years behind Logan in school. I spent the month riding a 4-wheeler, working in my garden, and bouncing on the Dinosaur Bop ride at Lagoon. If none of those activities caused early labor, nothing would, right?
When I woke up at 5:30 the morning of July 25 feeling a little funny I denied the possibility that it was labor and tried to go back to sleep. After a half hour of tossing and turning I took a shower. It would be nice to have a good start to the day since it was Jade's first day of first grade at a new school. I looked forward to walking her into class and settling her in.
Once I'd gotten dressed I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on. Nate rolled over, half asleep, and asked me why I wasn't sleeping. When I told him we'd be going to the hospital his first question was, "Are you sure?" Yeah... I'd just spent the last 45 minutes trying to decide that very thing. He asked how far apart my contractions were. Nice... I hadn't even thought to time the contractions. I looked at digital clock in our room as the next one came on. It said 6:14. The next one started at 6:16. That was all the information he needed.
While he showered, my water broke. So in between trying to pack the last minute items (make-up, toiletries) I kept making trips into the bathroom. By the time we walked out the door Nate was about crazy. The drive to the hospital was pretty comical. Nate was freaking out at any car in our way. We hadn't really hit the morning commute traffic, so I thought it was quite pleasant driving, but Nate was on edge the whole time.
We checked into the hospital and were settled into a room by 7:15 am. By 7:30 I started feeling the contractions. Immediately I began having flashbacks of Logan's delivery and decided that I didn't want to deliver a baby after all. I had promised Nate that if he agreed to stay in the room I'd order an epidural if I thought the contractions would be miserable enough to scream. The anesthesiologist was available right then, so he had it all put in by about 7:50. In the mean time, my doctor hadn't arrived yet, so he'd told the nurses to grab another doctor, because the baby might not be willing to wait. I was already a 10 and 100%. Once the epidural took effect, I wasn't feeling the need to push anymore, so they waited for my doctor to arrive. Aeris entered the world howling at 8:26am.
That moment, that tiny voice... amazing. There were so many people in the room and yet I heard only her. The bond between mother and child solidified for me right then. I felt such an overwhelming love for that baby. I wanted nothing but to snuggle her close so I could kiss her cheeks, count her perfect little fingers, whisper in her ear and soothe her. Because of the meconium in the amniotic fluid the respiratory specialists spent time checking her lungs and letting her cry to clear them. It was an eternity before they handed her to me. Looking at her was like seeing a familiar face.
I absolutely love to take her picture. I probably have a dozen "favorites" of this same pose, all with different facial expressions. I love this one because it's her crinkle-nose smile.
We celebrated with a little gathering on Sunday evening. I alternated between still and video shots all evening. Unfortunately, I kept the video camera rolling while she smashed up her cupcake, but missed taking even one still shot. She dug right into it with her fingers, but had to be forced to taste it. She's great at playing with her food, but needs some more practice feeding herself. We invited some neighbors who have babies/toddlers close to her age. I missed getting them all in the group picture, but Emersyn and Julia are in the pictures below, helping Aeris open her presents.
The Beatles wrote many songs that became classics. One of my favorites is the one titled, "When I'm 64." I've always envisioned a cuddly old couple who has grown old together and are now enjoying their golden years comfortably sitting in rocking chairs.
Where do you picture yourself at 64?
Are you riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes in the mountains? Maybe you'll be braving the rapids on a raft in Cataract Canyon or up in the Pacific Ocean on an Alaskan Cruise? It would be nice to relax on some white Hawaiian beaches.
Since retiring a couple of years ago my parents have been doing all of the above... and more... minus the growing old part! Last weekend they went on a ten-mile bike ride... not the motorized kind this time! I love that they're in good enough health to truly enjoy their retirement years. In between their adventures on bikes, rivers, cruise ships, and beaches, they travel to visit their kids and grandkids all over the country and occasionally tend our kids so we can have a night out. Good for you Mom and Dad! We love you!
I took the kids to Classic to ride the waterslides today. I want to be sure to get my money's worth out of our summer fun passes. (For those of you who aren't aware... you pay $10 per person for the pass and then only $1 for each activity for the rest of the summer. Since the waterslides are $7, you already have a better deal with the pass if you only go twice.) It was our first time at the waterslides. Last time we skated. I didn't have to pay for myself since I wouldn't be participating in the activity. I had Aeris with me, but didn't even ask about her. Duh... she's a baby. She wouldn't be skating, right? Well today I let a couple of people go in front of me in line while I dug the passes out of the bag of gear and then had plenty of time to read the many signs concerning the rates, rules, etc. With their passes, Jade and Logan did indeed get to slide for only $1. If I wanted to accompany Logan down the 4 bigger slides (he's definitely NOT big enough to slide alone... though I did not see any age requirements for sliding alone) I had to pay $7 for myself. Since I plan to bring them again I purchased a pass for myself too. Then I asked the cashier about the "spectator" policy. The sign clearly stated that "all non-swimsuit wearing spectators, regardless of age pay $2." So that means my baby, who isn't walking, crawling, wasn't wearing a swimsuit and so would not be swimming AT ALL, could only come through the doors if I paid $2 for her. If she had been a week old I would have had to pay $2 for her. If I'd wanted to dip her feet into the pool water I'd have to pay $7 for her. Is it just me or does this seem ridiculous? The kids had a ball today, so we'll be back regardless, but I really don't want to pay $2 for Aeris to sit in a stroller on the side and I'm certainly not going to pay $7 for her to splash in the kiddie pool. I plan to write a letter addressed to the GM or maybe even the owner. Babies who are less than 1 year should be free if they're not using the water. They should have a reduced rate for them to swim since they will only be using the kiddie area. If they get several letters, maybe they'll change the policy.
Last September for her birthday, Jade wanted to have a waterslide party. I told her the weather was too unpredictable in the fall, but perhaps at the end of the school year we could invite her class over for a summer kick-off party with the wterslide. Her class this year was small (18 kids) so I didn't have many reservations about inviting the whole lot, especially if they were going to be in the backyard the whole time. The highlight of the party was when Nate came out with the GIANT water gun! The lowlight was the sunburn afterwards. We were having so much fun I forgot to re-apply the sunscreen... oops!
