Thankfulness Friday - Wheeee!

Baby Bunny loves the swing!  She's on a giggle fest when she gets on it.  The weather has been nice still for us to be outside. It's not going to be like this for long though.  In fact, we're expecting hurricane Sandy in a couple of days.  All the weather folks on TV says that this is going to be really bad.  There will be lots of rain and wind.  Power might go out.  This is one of those rush to the grocery store and stock up an supplies kind of storms.

Going down the slide with Daddy is fun!

The video is Bun Bun putting a bucket on her own head.  She likes to empty out all the small toys from the bucket and play with it.  It apparently builds up her core strength and encourages her to use both hands.

Thankfulness Friday - Short Week

This was fall break week.  We got two days off in the beginning of the week.  It's now mid way through the semester.  I spent my two days off wisely... with Baby Bunny.  On Monday, we had a doctor's appointment in the city.  Baby Bunny is doing really well and making good progress.  Monday was rainy.  We got home and just spent the rest of the day hanging out together.  Tuesday was car shop day.  We spent the morning waiting for my car to get state inspected with some repairs that were needed.  Then, another fun-filled afternoon playing on the living room floor.  These were two terrific days with my Baby Bunny!

Now, after threes days back at work, I get another two days this weekend to play with my favorite little girl and her Daddy.

Cruising!

Baby Bunny is cruising.  No, she's not going on a cruise.  Tonight, for the first time, she held on to the railing of her crib and "walked" from one end to the other.  Just three or four baby steps!  But, this is another major milestone for her!  Hope to catch her on video!

Scary Friday... Anxious Saturday... Thankful Sunday

Friday afternoon, Baby Bunny had a 15mo wellness check-up.  She got weighed, measured, checked, poked, and prodded.  She also got another set of vaccines.  Then, the pediatrician got worried looking over a rash on her back.  She thought they were petechiae.  The little red dots were broken blood vessels, likely due to low platelet counts.  The concern was why the platelet counts might be low.  Some viral infections will deplete platelets.  With an Immunology background, I immediately thought leukemia - cancer of the white blood cells.  Plus, individuals with Down Syndrome develop leukemia with higher frequency.  The doctor wrote an order for us to get some blood work done - CBC, complete blood count, including platelets.  She didn't even want us to wait until Monday when we already have another appointment in the city.

We got home around 5pm, and I was going to get on the computer, look for places that would do blood work for babies, and make phone calls.  With Daddy's help, we were able to get to a local hospital that same night and have the lab technician draw some blood.  Now the waiting game.

Sunday morning at 9am, the doctor's office called; platelet counts were absolutely normal.  I am relieved and gave Baby Bunny a smothering hug.  After a groggy Saturday post-vaccines, she seemed a lot happier, too.

Those little red dots are still there.  But, they seemed to be less scary looking now.  I guess we'll always be a little concerned looking at them.

Thankfulness Friday - Super Why!

"Super Why!" is a kids' TV show on PBS.  It's aimed for kids who are just starting to read.  Bun Bun is obsessed with the show.  Whenever it's on TV, she'd become glued to it.  If you stand in front of the TV blocking her view, she'll shift her weight and look around you.

There are four main characters on the show:  Pig, Little Red Riding Hood, Whyatt Beanstalk, and Princess Pea.  They all have super powers.  Pig becomes Alpha Pig and can build letters of the alphabet.  Little Red Riding Hood becomes Wonder Red who has word power.  Whyatt Beanstalk becomes Super Why and has the power to read.  Princess Pea becomes Princess Presto who has spelling powers.  They live in Storybook Village and must read stories to solve mysteries.

Maybe it's the music, colors, or the characters' big eyes...  This is Baby Bunny's latest obsession.

Thankfulness Friday - Choices

Baby Bunny's OT suggested having her choose between two things.  It started with toys.  We'd hold out two toys and let her play with whichever one she reaches out to touch first.  Soon, it was choosing between two books.  We noticed immediately that she has favorites.  She would almost always pick one book over another.  What we thought she had always liked, she actually would never pick.   I've now started to give her choices for the shirts and pants she would wear.  So far, it has been shirts with faces on them, mostly monkey faces.  She also has been picking a matching pair of pants.  It's been very cute to watch her hesitate sometimes before making a decision.  Maybe she really can't decide?   Maybe she knows what she wants when the decision is quick?  Ultimately, she would reach up and with her dainty fingers, tap her choice.  I would like to know what goes on inside her head.