Four months old!

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe that Aubrey's four months old already! My sister pointed out to me the other day that she's one third of the way to her first birthday! Yikes! Slow down, kid! I can't keep up!

Some things she can do this month that she couldn't last month:

• Grab for her toys
• Hold onto them and get them into her mouth
• Sit up with support
• Hold her head steady
• Tolerate tummy time
• Rotate herself in a circle while lying on her back
• Put her entire fist in her mouth
  
• Get a haircut like a big girl (Yes, we finally did away with the baby mullet. All the hairdresser could say was, "She's only four months old? I can't believe how much hair she has!)

She sat in a special seat and wore a tiny cape while Chelsea trimmed her hair.

All done!

Dance Decital

Nope, that's not a typo. For weeks, Camryn has been asking, "Is today my dance decital?" Yesterday, we finally got to say, "Yes!" and thanks to Daddy, we have a compilation of her best moves to share. Click here to watch. Enjoy!

Fun at the park

What could be better than a sunny day at the park with friends?

Dance Recital

Today was Camryn's first ever dance recital. It was very informal...more of a "show what you know" exhibition, rather than a choreographed routine. We had a blast watching her show off her moves. She wasn't at all shy, and was so proud of herself! Of course I had to dress her like a little ballerina. She looked too cute, and she knew it! What a ham!

I'm cute and I know it!

My mama used to be a Dancing Queen!

Daddy's little girl

Stretching

First position, a.k.a. "Pizza feet." When asked after the recital what her favorite move was, she responded, "Arabesque."

Little sister had to dress for the occasion too!

Of course Aubrey tried to eat her tutu!

(More action shots are to come...Dad was in charge of the video camera, and Grandpa had the professional camera clicking away the entire performance. Much better I'm sure, than my one-handed photo-taking while holding a drooling baby. Will add more pics when we get them sorted out!)

Why didn't I become a neurologist?

Well folks, the dry streak has ended. After about three weeks without one, Aubrey started having her "episodes" again yesterday. We're up to about six or seven as of tonight. We were back at the pediatrician today, because of this as well as the fact that she was projectile vomiting all over me this morning. I do mean projectile, and I also mean all over me. What a way to start the day...

In any case, the doctor is still unsure exactly what's going on. Reflux is still a possibility, though her symptoms aren't exactly classic. She's recommending that we go ahead and see the pediatric neurologist to try and definitively rule out anything neurological. Of course it will likely take another month before we can get an appointment, but in the meantime the good news is that Aubrey appears healthy, is gaining weight well, is right on track developmentally, and doesn't seem particularly bothered by any of this.

I, on the other hand, may go crazy as I attempt to have the video camera ready at a moment's notice, and sufficiently capture one on tape. I don't remember signing up for this...

Hands are not for hitting

So, we've been having a bit of an issue around here lately. Well, a big issue, really. It seems as though Camryn has discovered a new way of taking out her "I'm 3 1/2" frustrations. She does it by hitting. And she knows that it drives me crazy.

By now it's no secret that Camryn's a bit of a spitfire. Perhaps she should have been born a redhead, because she can be sweet as pie one moment, and the next, something will set her off, and WATCH OUT! I guess you could say she has a "passionate" personality. She's not ho-hum about many things. She's got her opinions, she knows them, and she sticks with them. She either likes things or she doesn't.

The poor thing. Much of it is not her fault, after all. I mean, the cards were stacked against her from birth. Her very genetic code is an explosion waiting to happen. She is very much like me in that she is total control freak. However, she's got a bit of her daddy running through her veins too. Although it takes a lot to get him riled up, when he finally does, he blows like a cannon. So it seems as though Camryn's got both my high strung/low tolerance personality and Daddy's explosive reflex. Not always a good combo.

So we've been talking a lot about making good choices, about being kind to others, and we've been choosing our bedtime stories with purpose. Hands Are Not for Hitting by Martine Agassi has been #1 on the list for awhile now.

I have several friends who swear that 3 1/2 is one of the most challenging ages we as parents must survive, and that it's much worse than the "terrible twos." I hope they're right. I hope this is just a phase that we will work through. That four will truly be as blissful as they say it will. And that if I can survive 3 1/2, then I can survive 13, because that's the age that really scares me.

PJ day

Friday was a special day at Camryn's school. To say goodbye to some friends who are graduating to Kindergarten, they held a "pajama party," which meant all the kids wore their PJs to school and brought their favorite stuffed animals with them. They had special activities and snacks, and Camryn was beside herself with excitement.

Well naturally, she had to take this opportunity to wear her "yeyyow" jammies. In fact, she wore yeyyow from head to toe that day (note the socks), and her orange kitty, Jack, was her honored guest. I wish that it only took a single color to make everyone that happy!

We're goin' to Disneyland!

The secret is out. We finally told Camryn yesterday. In just a few weeks, she'll be enjoying her first ever trip to Disneyland, and we absolutely cannot wait.

At this point, I'm positive that Brian and I are much more excited than she is. We cannot wait to see her priceless expression as she takes it all in. And oh, the grin that she'll have when she comes face to face with "her" princess, Cinderella. It will be a moment for the scrapbook, I'm sure!

"Why not wait until she is older?" we've been asked. "Will she be able to remember it?"

I have two answers to that:
#1 Have you MET Camryn? She has a mind like a steel trap. She can recall minute details of locations we've been to once, even two years ago. She can remember her favorite meal at every restaurant she's ever visited down to the types of veggies they serve, and she reminds us all the time of things we said or did months, or even years ago. No exaggeration. I think she'll be able to recall her first encounter with a "real" princess.

#2 Brian and I both felt strongly that we wanted her to experience the magic of Disneyland while it still truly is real to her. It won't be too many years before she figures out that that blue dress and blonde hair is just a really cool costume, and that there's another head inside of Mickey's! We want her to experience that purely blissful feeling of truly believing it all.

So soon enough, we'll head on down to Anaheim, soak up some California sun, and act like kids again as Camryn experiences her first ride in a flying elephant, her first spin in a teacup, and learns proper princess etiquette at our lunch with royalty.

I just hope I pack enough batteries for the camera.

New toys

Aubrey is sitting up more and more with assistance (notice the blanket buffers on all sides, keeping her upright.) She truly studies different colors, shapes, and toys, and enjoys "talking" to us.

Wow, what a big girl. Camryn got her first bike, and is learning to ride. Our goal right now is to get her to pedal without looking down at her feet while she does it. This will keep her out of the grass, bark dust, the sides of our cars, etc. Bonus.

Thank you, Daddy, for putting our new toys together!!!! (Now, if we could just get some sunshine so Camryn could practice riding that bike!)

EEG Results

Well, we got the call this evening from Aubrey's pediatrician. She got the EEG results from the neurologist, who said they were normal. He did note a slight amount of asymmetrical activity, but also stated that this is normal when a baby is positioned more on one side or another during the test (which she was). He showed no sign of concern, and made no mention of seizures. Yahoo!!!

So now comes the big question: What IS going on? Well, the answer is: We don't really know. Dr. D. would like to take a bit of a "wait and see" approach, since Aubrey hasn't had an episode since last week. She recommended waiting to see if she has another cluster of them. If so, she suggested trying to capture one on video, which we can then take to the neurologist, and will help him actually see what I am describing. From there we can explore whether the episodes are neurological, or not.

So for now we are breathing a big sigh of relief. Although it's frustrating not to know why this behavior is occurring, we are so thankful that it's not the most serious of possibilities.

Thank you so much again to all of you who called, emailed, and checked on us while we waited for our results. Aubrey is so lucky to have so many people who love her!!!

Wires and wild hair

Aubrey did AWESOME for her EEG!!!

When we arrived for her appointment, she was definitely tired, a little fussy, and ready for a nap. The technician led us to a dark room with an adult size hospital bed inside. There, we swaddled Aubrey, gave her her pink binky, and lay her on the bed. I sat on the bed with her, and the technician raised it significantly so that she could reach Aubrey more easily.

Our baby girl cooperated well while the technician painstakingly used an exfoliant on each area of her scalp where an electrode would be attached. She then used a glycerin based paste to adhere the electrodes to Aubrey's scalp. I think she said she attached a total of 27!

After a brief bout of fussiness to tell us, "I've had enough! Let me go to sleep already!" Aubrey took a little snooze on her giant bed, while we basically sat and watched her sleep (with 27 wires coming from her head---weird), and made small talk with the tech. Towards the end of the test, she placed a strobe light above the bed that blinked at different frequencies. I guess this was to see if Aubrey's brain would respond with a seizure (which it didn't.) She didn't even open her eyes or flinch at all (though both Brian and I had to look away to keep from getting seasick at the sight of it.)

When the test was done, the lady removed all of the electrodes, and wiped some of the gooey paste from Aubrey's hair. Even though I know Aubrey was not exposed to any electricity or other systemic shocks, we probably could have fooled people as we walked through the lobby, as her hair stood on end, every which way, thanks to the exfoliant and adhesive. I hope we didn't scare anyone!

I was so proud of my baby girl. She did exactly what they needed her to do, and was never bothered by any of it. I think the only damage done was to my nerves as I waited all weekend to get the test over with. We should know by Thursday or Friday what the results are. I will be sure and update here so that everyone has the latest info.

Thank you so much to all of our family members and friends who have called, emailed, and sent good thoughts our way. We are sure our healthy baby girl will be OK. We just want to be sure and explore all possible causes for her episodes. As for the rest of today, I think I'll be spending some time washing Aubrey's hair! :)