Saturday, April 9, 2011

Talking

I forgot to write in my other post:  Gili started saying "bababa" last week.  Until then she has been talking without any consonants, as if she had been raised by whales.  We still enjoy her happy screeches and other amusing noises, but this step toward normal baby communication development is quite exciting.

I also wanted to mention that Gili will be a big sister when she is about two weeks shy of her second birthday.  In the beginning I didn't care at all about gender and just wanted a healthy baby, but after seeing that healthy looking ultrasound, I started thinking that I'd like a boy.  Big Sis and Big Bro have made their preference clear that it should be a boy.  I would like to have two boys and two girls, but I would also like there to be less comparison between Gili and her little sibling.  My older kids are 19 months apart and people would ask if they were twins.  (If you knew anything about baby development or opened your eyes, they obviously weren't.)  Now I suspect I will get comments about how close in age Gili and the baby are.  People won't believe they are two years apart.  If I have a boy it will seem less strange if Gili's little brother is bigger than her in a few years.  But if we have a girl, I think Gili will look very frail in comparison.  Well, it's not up to me and I obviously have too much time to think.  G-d willing, a healthy baby!

Spring is Here

I think I owe you an update.  I went to Gili's school in February to see her physical and water therapy, but I didn't have the energy to post about it.  Below are the pictures from her physical therapy.  You can see her leaning on one arm, sitting, and playing stand-up sit-down.  (I will post video from the water therapy VERY soon.)

 




And why haven't I posted in so long? Why didn't I have the energy to post everything I was planning to write about her therapy when it was fresh in my mind? There's a baby in Mommy's tummy! From every logical perspective I thought it would be nice to give Gili a sibling to play with, and maybe take care of her. Big Bro and Big Sis are very close to each other and have limited attention for Gili, but she needs a buddy, too. I just never thought I would be so sick!  I hit rock bottom when I went to the hospital last Saturday night, and even Sunday and Monday I was no better.  Finally Tuesday my usual anti-nausea started working again (prescription Zofran) and today I was out of bed!  I actually took a walk!  My mom is coming on Tuesday and I hope to keep up with this level of energy so we can get out of the house and have some fun. 

I'd like to say, "enough about me, let me tell you about all the new things Gili is doing!"  Unfortunately, there's just not much happening.  I guess I could say no news is good news.  She's been sick a lot, but nothing serious.  She hasn't been back in the hospital.  Things are going smoothly.  Once in a while her teacher will write in her journal that she ate a spoonful of something.  I think they try to feed her a little every day.  That may be the area where she is most delayed, at least compared to her delayed peers in her class.

Lil Bro (or Sis)
So back to me.  I wasn't so sick when I was pregnant with Gili.  I took a few Zofran, was tired, and had other yicky physical pregnant stuff, but I got out of bed every day.  Besides having a bad sinus thing and H1N1 swine flu, life went on.  I graduated college and passed three of my four CPA exams all while pregnant with her.  Big Sis was another story.  I was in and out of the hospital most of my pregnancy with "hyperemesis gravidarum."  I had a little break in the middle, but I was pretty much in bed for at least seven months of my pregnancy.  I was a little better with Big Bro.  And when I was okay with Gili, I thought those awful pregnancies were behind me.  I was more worried about having another CMV baby than I was about being in bed for eight months.  Man plans, G-d laughs.

Before I got pregnant I was planning to write a post about all the considerations of having another baby.  Everything from Gili being so delayed, to the chance that the virus could still be active, or G-d forbid, reactivate.  In Israel they do two blood tests for CMV in the beginning of pregnancy.  One shows if you've been exposed (positive for me, of course) and the other (from what I understand) shows if it is active.  Thank G-d, that was negative.  So I just have to trust.  I will say, however, that my friend, Ruth, had similar results and has a son around Gili's age with congenital CMV.  We met through the CMV registry and when I am writing more, I would like to share some of the things we have talked about. 

Ruth and I met in person several months ago when she was getting a second (or third or fourth) opinion on cochlear implants for her son, and I hope she will write a guest post about everything she learned.  Her son was only slightly hypo-tonic, but basically not delayed, just legally deaf.  Gili has another BERA in a month, but unlike most CMV kids, her hearing is not much of a worry.  So, together Ruth and I have the full CMV experience!

Were you wondering what happened the the ugly logo sketch I shared in my last post?  It has been "professionalized!"  As soon as I am able to think about food without... well you know... I can't wait to get back to blogging and give away some of the awesome aprons I made.