Adventures in Sleep - Where did I go wrong?

So. Kaylee Monster has decided that sleeping at night when everyone else does is overrated. For the last two weeks or so she has slowly moved her sleep schedule from normal nighttime to sleeping all day, and playing all night. Now, I know that this is something I should expect as she gets older, but at 1 year old? Something has got to be wrong here.

I've done some reading and sometimes it says that they don't want to miss out on anything including mom and dad getting ready for bed. I've also read that they can have separation anxiety just for sleeping. So, yeah. I have no idea. All I know is that Daddy Monster and I are having a rough go of it because we both have work and we both require some sleep. Here are some of the things that I've done that haven't worked.

1. Nighttime routine: play, eat, bath time, read, diaper change, sleep. This routine has worked swimmingly for the last few months with just a hiccup or two when she was teething and during her recoveries from surgery and stuffs.
2.  I've tried keeping her up for longer stretches. This just leads to more naps, and longer ones.
3. I've tried taking her outside in the daylight when it is nice and bright so she can run around and learn to like it, but she just falls asleep as soon as I pick her up, or put her in her stroller.

I am at a loss. I hope this gets resolved soon, because OMG. I need to sleep.

Wewt! Pumpkins!

Kaylee and I went to the pumpkin patch today. We are going again tomorrow with daddy. Here are some pictures from the trip today, more will come tomorrow!

Hi Mom!

I want that one and this one and that one, and that one over there....

It's bright out here!

Mommy and Monster.

I'll take that one.

Ok fine, the smaller one.

Hello!!!!!

So, we are alive and well I promise. Things have been quite a bit hectic around here lately. Luckily things are looking up and hopefully things will continue to do so for us. As far as Monster is concerned everything is progressing nicely.

She's right on track in growth for a one-year old. She's in the 90th percentile for height and weight, so obviously no feeding issues there. She's growing so big and strong and just being the love of our lives right now. She's also our entertainment. She's just learned how to say a few words and one specific phrase that just makes us all smile.

First, she points and says "look." She says hi, mama, dada. She says "Hi, Ronan" when the dog comes in or when we've been away for awhile. Yeah, she's starting to talk. It is the most amazing thing ever. She knows where her ears and eyes and nose are and she is working on finding her mouth. She kisses when asked and say buh-bye when asked. She brings things and finds her ball. I love this kid so much. She's doing so well.

Last week she had her one year vaccinations, as well as her flu shot. They had to take blood to test for lead levels (since we live in a house built in the early 60s) and check hemoglobin, plus something else I can't quite recall. She's in perfect health., and has a total of 8 teeth in her mouth with more coming in. There is one that I have concern about because it is on the edge of her gum where the cleft was and I am concerned as to how that will come out, but we have a dentist appointment with her cleft dentist in a couple of weeks and hopefully she will let us what is going on.

Anyway, just wanted to check in with everyone...I know its been a while. Pics!

My blue zebra! And Daddy hanging with me to make sure I don't falls off!

Hi guys, I'm hanging out. Just relaxin. Enjoyin the day.

Happy First Birthday Kaylee!!!!!!!!!

WEWT! You are 1 whole year old today! At least she will be officially 365 days old at 8:42pm. How time has flown. And how big you have grown (that was not intended to rhyme, I'm just rad like that). Gosh, what a year. So, here is where we do a whole years worth of pictures...ok only 12 (but actually more :P) since there are 12 months in a year...LOL. Picspam!

Rockin' the pain med free birth experience.

StayPuft Marshmallow man - headed into surgery.

Pitocin sucked.

A baby monster was born.

First noms without the feeding tube.

After my first bath!

I smiled a big one at 2 months.

Started pwning n00bs at 4 months.

Lip repair done at 5 months.

My half birthday cuppy cake noms.

Starting to do lots of things on the floor at 7 months.

7 months old. Looking good.

Starting to crawl at 8 months.

My lip has smoothed waay out. Here I am at 9 months.

Starting to stand on my own at 10 months.

Broncos fan at 11 months.

Eating Mama's pudding at 11 months.

Walking here, there and everywhere at 11 months.

Early first year celebration. First Birthday Cuppy Cake. Noms.

 Later I will post her first 12 month picture. I haven't even taken it yet, but I will post it when I do. I can't believe how fast time has gone. How much she has gone through. And how much I have realized how strong of a person I can be. There were times when I had the fleeting thought that this was something I couldn't do, but when this girl smiles at me I know I was meant to do this - to be her mommy.  So very sorry for the picspam of my girl. Enjoy it! Love from us <3. JESS and Kaylee too.

Birthday Party Fun.

We got rained on. Twice. LOL.

It was a great first birthday party. She played with cousins, got held by everyone. She had a cuppy cake and she loved it too. Here are pics of the cuppy cake eating. I'm tired and don't have the energy to write out a giant thing. We all had fun, and we all got food and cake/cuppy cakes and it was a good time. <3 JESS

Mine. All mine.

Cuppy Cakes!

Noms. Sooooooo gooooood.

Mommy want cuppy cake too?

Gramma Molina give you cuppy cake too.

September is Craniofacial Awareness Month!

Firstly,  I will  admit. I am a slacker. I've not had time to update this blog in forever. Okay, not necessarily forever, but it has been a while. I don't have a whole lot of goodness to report except a few things. Secondly, September is Craniofacial Awareness Month. So I will link to a few awesome blogs and websites that will give anyone and everyone more information about craniofacial defects and how they are being studied and stuff. Yep: Children's Craniofacial Association, Craniofacial Awareness Month

We are in the process of finding out where we will be living soon. Things are hard right now, but I am sure we will get through.

Kaylee had her post-operative checkup and is doing really well. Dr. A is very pleased with her progress and he is confident that there will be no fistulas opening up in her palate. She had her hearing screen and did wonderfully. Normal hearing as far as the audiologist can tell. So, for now things are good. Normal.

Kaylee is walking on her own for the most part. She loves to go from one end of the room to the other. She is still wobbly of course because it is a new skill, but it is a skill she is practicing all the time. Since she started walking I can definitely say that her appetite has increased by a lot. She eats all the time now. I've started crawling around on my knees to be more at her level to play with her...it is exhausting, but amazingly fun.

Anyway, that is just a quick update. I am busy getting things ready for her birthday party tomorrow. I know her true b-day is a week away still - but this was the most convenient time for everyone, friends and family who have to work, and people going out of town, tomorrow worked the best for all. It's going to be a simple bbq, complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips, dip, soda, ended with cake and ice cream. Since it is still going to be nice tomorrow it should be really fun.

Anyway, I don't have much in the way of new pictures...my camera has been acting funny. But if you are my friend on facebook you can see the video of her walking. I just posted it today. I have yet to figure out how to add video to this blog. I will figure that out soon. Happy September!

I Can't Belive It Got Cold.

Seriously. 90+ degree days, and 60- degree nights. It got cold enough a couple of nights ago to warrant a baby in her first 12 month sleeper. So I just had to post some pictures of it because it is the cutest one evar. <3 JESS

The see me rollin, they hatin'. LOL.

Sucker fish face...she is practicing her suction at every opportunity.

Solid Foods are Good and 11 Months Old!

Well. Sorry it's been a few days. So, where to begin? Well, Kaylee is back on solid foods, and no-no's are officially gone. Tomorrow she turns the big 11 months, and all she wants to do is walk, and walk, and walk, and then walk some more (even though she can't walk on her own yet, she is very, very close). Hopefully, I'll lose a few pounds from her dragging me around the house everyday for a few hours at a time.

My gosh. Soon she will be a year old. I don't know where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home, and putting in her NAM everyday and going through lip repair surgery. It is amazingly wonderful and I am so glad that she is developing normally. Anyway, just a quick update today, I have quite a few things that I need to do. <3 JESS

Oh...and pictures! Enjoy!

om nom nom. Chocolate!

What? Mom eats it, and yes I sneezed it!

If I go under the table she won't see that I stole her spoon.

Yum!

ZOMG! Gimme more!

Why is there no more chocolate on this spoon?

Oh! Hi Mom! Your spoon? No, I haven't seen it.

Recovery and Other Stories.

Well, The Kaylee Monster is doing much, much better. She is taking in food, she is playing like nothing ever happened, she adores the kitchen floor and she has decided that she is no longer going to crawl. And I think her favorite song is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Three nights in a row she fell asleep to that song. :)

As far as her mouth goes: she doesn't bother with it. I think she realizes that something changed, but she doesn't quite know what it was, so she does not care. We don't even use the No-no's anymore. She is making the best sounds now! She actually has a giggle! Before it was a throaty kind of gurgle, like someone clearing their throat. Now she has this adorable giggle that she never had before. I love it. Making her laugh is our number one goal, just to hear that giggle. :)

 As far as feeding goes: good golly Miss Molly! I had no idea a child could drink so much fluid in one go. Last night around three in the morning she woke up because she was really hungry right, so I woke up and made an eight oz bottle which she drank down no problem. Then she started crying and begging for more. I made six more ounces and she drank all of that too. It is almost like she has decided to make up for the week that she didn't eat hardly anything. Yeah, she is eating well.

She even has gained her sucking reflex already. She tries to suck on her Habermann. It is not made to allow for suction so she gets nothing when she tries, but the reflex is there meaning that her palate muscles are working and that is amazing. I am so happy and proud of her. She has gone through the hardest part so far and handled it like a pro. <3 my daughter so much. :)

Her activity has increased since we got home from the hospital and stopped giving her the baby narcotics they gave us. She loves to pull herself up on anything she can: my jeans, my pajamas, the dog, the chairs, the dog. She loves to pull herself up on all of those things, mostly my legs, but it is awesome. Earlier today I watched her as she went straight into the kitchen and lay down on the kitchen floor. She just lay there, looking around, but didn't try to touch anything or go toward any cabinets. She just lay there. It was cute, she almost fell asleep until Ronan the Destroyer barked and scared her; then she started to cry and needed Mommy cuddles.

She refuses to crawl anywhere anymore. She absolutely has to scoot along the walls and cabinets and shelves and everything else to get places. She even holds onto my pant legs and walks with me slowly across the living room floor to get to the other side. It is amazing. Soon she will just let go of my pant leg and start walking around like a master. Then I have got to get her ready for shoes.

Anyway, that was just a quick update. I have some pictures here for you all. Enjoy the cute that is Kaylee Monster. <3 JESS

Playing with her learning table!

What happens when I do this?

Oooooh! Shiny!

Ah. Home at Last.

Firstly, we almost had a major emergency before we came home. We had packed up all of our belongings, and got them into one of the carts to wheel out to the car which I had perfectly parked in the best position in front of the doors to the elevator shaft of the parking garage in front of the hospital. We three made our happy way out of the hospital, and to the car. I put Kaylee into her carseat (which I just now remembered: I must adjust straps to accomodate her No-no's), and then looked for Koala.

I looked in the overnight bags, the bathroom bag, the food cooler, husband's bag, my bag. No Koala. I ran all the way back up to the ninth floor of the hospital to get in to see if her Koala was in the lost and found. Not there. I ran back to the room and see the cleaning cart parked outside of it. I asked the nice cleaning lady if she saw it; no was her reply. Panic starts to set in slowly, this is Kaylee's most favorite snuggle. I ask the nurse at the nurses station, and she says "Well, let's go take a look-see."

We go back to the room, and look under everything. It isn't there. Then the nurse turns to the nice cleaning lady and asks "have you seen a stuffed Koala bear? It was the little girl who just stayed in this room's favorite." Magically, the Koala appears out of nowhere, I glare at the "nice cleaning lady" take my kids favorite stuffy back, and head down to the car to go home. I will file a complaint when my survey gets here in the mail. In any case...

We got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. The house was clean (thanks to Grandma T. and my best friend Kendra for helping me with the last few things we needed!), cool (thanks to the little swamp cooler that could) and comfy (because it is home). Kaylee immediately was happy because she saw her toy box, and then was sad when I had to pull out the few things that I knew she couldn't possibly get into her mouth (things that she plays with on the floor exclusively), and put the lid on her other smaller toys.

Last night went as smoothly as it could. I think Husband did a good job of keeping Monster all occupied and what not while mommy slept. Daddy is asleep now and I am doing a great job of keeping Monster occupied (for that I must thank Disney and the movie "Tangled" for being my best inanimate friend right now). Now if I could only get her to eat just a little bit more I think things would go a little better. She absolutely hates the syringes. She hates the special feeder with tubes. And she will only tolerate her Habermann for so long before she gets pissed off and stops eating. :(

I will of course keep trying. I mean, I was able to make 5 months on the NAM work out. I think it was cake for me. This should be no different, except it is. This whole feeding thing is important because if she doesn't eat she could get sick and if she gets sick she could...let's not finish that sentence. She is getting some nutrients, but if she doesn't drink more than 24 oz today it will be back to the hospital for IV and probably tube feeding if necessary. I guess we will see.

Anyway, here is me: attempting to feed Monster at the hospital before we left. Notice me = tired. Kaylee = angry-ish. Anyway, much love. <3 JESS

Boy do I look tired. Kaylee is over it.

So, are we jumping this ship or what?