I am finding it more and more difficult to secure time to write. It seems that every time I'm inspired to write something down, I'm preoccupied with eating, feeding, cleaning, changing diapers or running errands. I've sort of been keeping a list of thoughts on my phone's memo pad, but I forget to date them and then they're not as useful. And of course when I do have time to write, I develop a massive writer's block. Sigh.
This will be my fourth attempt at a post in as many weeks. There are so many drafts on my computer that I could probably just combine them all and do a quick edit, but I feel like that's cheating somehow. So here is my hurried update before bed:
As of May 1st, Evelyn is off all seizure medication. Can I get a WOOHOO!? We've been keeping an eye on her and have observed no seizure-like activity so far. It took four months, but we did it! She still sees some specialists at the Duke Clinics, but we've dropped the neurologist for now. Over the next year or so, we will be dropping the geneticist, physical therapist and the others as well.
And now to the fun bits!
- As of the last post, Evelyn had begun to hold toys. Well, she's graduated to reaching for toys, picking up toys, and passing them from hand to hand. This is both a blessing and a curse. It's amazing to watch her interact with her surroundings. She loves suck on the ears of her plush Peeps bunny, but she also has started pulling Daddy's beard, stealing his glasses and grabbing at his neck during storytime before bed. He takes it in stride, though.
- Evelyn has completely weaned herself from a pacifier. She will hold it in her hand, but put it in her mouth and she acts like you're playing a trick on her. "This isn't a boob!" :O
- She is still anti-blankets, but we've discovered that her Aden + Anais blankets are acceptable to haphazardly wrap up in. They make great shades for the carseat, too. We got ours hand-me-down from a friend and they were already broken in so nicely.
- Evie had been babbling the last time I posted, but she is more into raspberries and squeals these days. She likes to throw a loud chuckle out at some pretty inopportune moments (*ahem* the saddest part of the movie The Fault In Our Stars *ahem*). With all her raspberries comes a lot of drool, so we've invested in a ton of bibs. An unfortunate incident with an old bib led to a scratch from the velcro on the back of her neck, so we looked for softer ones and found the Tommee Tippee ones to be acceptable. The padded ring for the neck is awesome too, because that is usually where her now-only-occasional spitup ends up collecting with some dog/cat fur and my ever-thinning hair. All that drool has not led to any teeth though.
- She's figured out how to roll over onto her tummy from her back both ways. I love watching her do this. I'm not sure if other babies do it this way, but Evie grabs her feet and then rocks over onto her side, lets go of her feet and then flattens out. Its adorable, but I'm sure every mom thinks their kid is adorable (duh).
- Evie is still sleeping amazingly through the night, but now when she stirs to breastfeed at whatever time (we no longer wake up enough to have to check the clock), if I don't wake up fast enough for her, she smacks my breast in her sleep while grunting. Kind of cute, kind of annoying.
- Though she hasn't quite mastered the art of sitting up on her own, she is a big fan of assisted standing. Per the PT's orders, this isn't something I can let her do often yet, so I try not to do it, but she sometimes just straightens her legs crazily and I can't get her to sit until she gets to stand and beam for a moment. I have to admit, that smile does light up my whole world. She looks like a superhero who just saved the city.
- Daddy's contribution to the list is his favorite development: when Evelyn is in her swing or sitting on the couch against some pillows and he goes to pick her up, she kicks her legs and flails her arms and leans forward. She knows he's there for her.
For the record: at 4 months, Evie weighed in at 17.5 lbs, 26 inches long, putting her roughly in the 97th percentiles for weight and height. The doctors are amazed that she is fully breastfed because apparently breastfed babies tend to be on the lower end of the charts. I must make whole milk. ;)
It's bedtime, but hopefully I will find some time in the near future to add more. Goodnight readers!
