Been a Long Time, Such a Long Time... Tell Me How Long Has it Been?

Alright, I know. I am terrible. Let's all take a few minutes and I'll allow you to scold me through your computer screen, iPad, cellphone, netbook, kindle- or whatever you use to keep up with the blogosphere.

Just know that....

Eh? Eh? Did it work?
Awesome. 

No wonder Sianna loves Puss in Boots. 

SOOOOO much has happened. Too much to detail so I'll give some highlights:

Sianna sat up for the first time on October 27th - Oh and I mean like sat straight up and started playing with toys like a little gopher. It was too cute. I cried. I'll admit it. I'm a sucker.

She turned ONE on December 7th!!!

So, for your viewing pleasure - here's some pics:

Sianna & Daddy, both sick as dogs. Although she does a  GREAT job hiding hers, him?. .... not so much. lol

Birthday bathtime!!

Pretty one year old, with a cold. :-(

In her birthday outfit. :-) The tulle on her shirt is a cupcake. So cuteeee.

Birthday montage! She loved the cupcake with pink icing.

Birthday Baby!!!

Her Auntie Sandy got her a walker but her feet are like 3 inches from the ground. lol. She likes to turn the wheel and beep the horn though!

So apparently I have to let her eat the bows in order for her to let me put them in her hair. :-/

This is her fake smile. This is what requesting, "smile Sianna!" while she's not in the mood, gets you.

Let me just say this little girl is something else. Her personality just continues to develop and surprise me. She's such a good baby! I hope she's the same as a teenager *geesh*







XOXO, 

Sianna and Alisha

PS, special thanks to New Birth for inspiring the post title. :) 

A little bit of everything....

Okay, I know it has been quite some time since my last post and a lot has happened.’

I’m typing this blog from Washington Hospital Center. Sianna is at my parents’ house with my sisters and nephew. Damani is back in the hospital after not feeling so well for the past few weeks. When he came in, he found out that he has fluid built up in his lungs due to his previous Congestive Heart Failure. I am trying to stay positive, but this is the third hospitalization in a year. One of which resulted in him having a defibrillator/pace maker placed in his chest. Mind you – he only turns 40 this year. More than anything I pray that he can find a way to release all of the stress, grief, anger, etc. from past and present let downs, heart aches and frustrations. Please keep us in your prayers.

On a lighter note, I have wanted to write for some time now. About 3 weeks ago, Sianna had another appointment at Johns Hopkins hospital and she met with Dr. Ain! He was awesome. She had some x-rays done and he examined her spine which he said looks excellent. He also asked was she already crawling (she was 7 months at the time) when I told him ‘no’ he said to watch out, because she seemed really advanced and would probably crawl a lot earlier than I would expect given her Achon. Well guess what? About a week later, she started to scoot backward when put on her stomach. Fast forward about 8 days later and she is army crawling EVERYWHERE! She does take breaks to rest her head, lol. I think it’s still a tad bit heavy for her to keep up for too long but she is so insistent upon getting around and moving that she crawls in short intervals. It makes her SO happy to be on the floor getting around. It also drives me insane! I’m so worried that something will fall on her, etc. So I put her in her room with a VERY empty floor at the furthest point of the room, I put her toys on the opposite end of the room and she has a BALL trying to reach them.

They grow up so fast. J

Anyway, I’m getting tired. I will post a bunch of pics from the Johns Hopkins visit and since then.

Waiting for her echo-cardiogram...

Still waiting... 

Hooked up to the machine....

Hard to tell, but she is having a FIT... no crying however :)

After she screamed, she proceeded to try eating the equipment....

Happy the echo is over... on the way to see Dr. Ain

Waiting for Dr. Ain... yes, chewing on a [CLEAN] diaper....

On the examination table... waiting for the doc.

Mommy and Baby.... just waiting.

My little munchkin butt <3

After her exam.

A nice bottle. YUM

Bye Johns Hopkins!!

and here are a few from other times.... enjoy:

Sleep... really.

XOXO,

Sianna and Alisha

Cutie Booty

Gratefulness...

I have been having an epiphany. Yes having, not 'had'. This hasn't been an immediate manifestation, like turning on a light bulb with only the flick of a switch. This has been more of a gradual increase of light, as if there is a dimmer knob to turn. 


I recently started to read about the Law of Attraction and how like attracts like. Positive energy attracts the like by way of positive thinking and gratefulness. So, I have been making a concerted effort to be more positive in my thought process and also grateful for small things. It is nearly impossible to change all of the some 100,000 thoughts I have daily, but I'm making the effort to change some of my old 'cynical' and 'pessimistic' ways of thinking. 


The biggest thing for me lately has been being grateful. So, I've tasked myself with writing down 5 things (big or small) that I am grateful for every day. I really write ANYTHING as long as I am truly grateful for it. Some of my past gratitude has gone to my umbrella, Sianna's pacifier, my fiance, a lock on the front door, etc. :-)


I can admit that I spent the first few months of Sianna's life, angry. Angry at the doctors who gave me prenatal care and didn't diagnose her in utero, angry at the doctors who did diagnose her post delivery, angry at God for letting me win the genetic lottery but never the Mega Millions, etc. I HAD to change my thinking about these issues. The anger would eat me alive! It tried! 


SO WHAT the doctors didn't tell me in utero about her Achon. Maybe I would have had a sad, loathing pregnancy. Thinking that something was 'wrong' with my baby when it ISN'T!!!


SO WHAT she was diagnosed with Achon by a not-so-friendly doctor shortly after her birth. Thank GOD she didn't come in to tell me that her chances of survival were slim or something truly hard to deal with.


and speaking of God, 


SO WHAT he thought it best that I won the genetic lottery and not the Mega Millions. If I had, I'd probably just have a cold closet full of Chanel and Louboutins......


wait.... that didn't help....


I'm still mad I haven't won the Mega Millions. 


But getting back to the point - I AM grateful to God that my baby is special and one of a special group of beautiful people. I always knew I'd have a kid who'd be a show off. ;-)




Be grateful for ANY thing and EVERY thing you can. The energy is intoxicating. 


With gratefulness....


XOXO


Sianna and Alisha

Summer Fun & Johns Hopkins

Hi Everyone 


It's been quite a few days since my last post. Damani and I took an adventurous vacay to Miami and Jamaica - so fun! But I missed Sianna a lot. She was with my awesome baby sister Alexus aka "Auntie Ho-Ho" (she's going to kill me for that) nothing behind the name, I just teased her one day and it stuck lol. 


So we came back from our trip and took all the girls to Ocean City. In tow was myself, Damani, Sianna, my step-daughter Damani, my sister Alexus, my girlfriend Ronda, her 8 year old Jaela and 18 year old Chaela, Chaela's boyfriend and Jaela's little friend Jada. WHEW! YES 10 of us. But we had a blast. 

HELP!! Pinky's got me!!!!

She IS a big girl. lol. She stole mommy's water.

It has been TERRIBLY hot the past week. So much of the weekend was spent at home lounging by the pool. I will let those pics of Sianna and Jaela speak for themselves. 

So bright and EARLY Monday morning - and boy do I mean early - Sianna and I made the trek out to Baltimore to meet with Dr. Julie Hoover-Fong in Genetics at the David Rubenstein Pediatric Specialty Clinic.  Let me just say that this was SUCH a change from the Children's National Medical Hospital Genetics Clinic. First off, I didn't feel like I was THE first Parent of a Little Person to come into the clinic. At CNH, I felt like a pioneer; and in the case of my child's health, this is not an achievement worth aspiring to. 


The doctors and nurses LOVED Sianna. She met Dr. Hoover-Fong as well as Nurse Elizabeth "Libby" Sparks. Nurse Sparks loved Sianna so much she offered to babysit anytime, lol. She took her around to all the other employees on the floor to gush at; and then the hi light of the ENTIRE visit came....


Sianna came back into the room being held by another little person!!!! The program director Mrs. Colleen Gioffreda. It was awesome! I was SO pleased to see people like my baby right in front me. Colleen was awesome, she gave me the contact info for a woman in the area who does play dates and parties for children  with dwarfism. I swear I thought I was alone in this area as far as having an LP baby. 


Anyway, Sianna Banana and I are both exhausted so I can't type much but I know that this is going to be an awesome relationship with the John's Hopkins team.


Sweet Dreams and Healthy babies :)


XOXO


Sianna and Alisha