PDD-NOS

Never thought I would hear those words... Well I had some idea but it's still shocking to hear. My little guy was officially diagnosed February 8th, but I think it took me this long to accept it. Autism Spectrum Disorder was even harder to accept, but that is exactly what PDD-NOS is.

Here is a short description of what PPD-NOS means that I have taken from Autism Speaks website.
"Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, for short, is a condition on the spectrum that has those with it exhibiting some, but not all, of the symptoms associated with classic autism. That can include difficulty socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli."

We have been adjusting to having an official diagnosis, but we are not going to let this disorder get the best of us. CoCoa Bear is a fighter and so are we, so Autism better watch out!!

Potty Time!

I can't believe we are already to the time where we are buying a potty chair. We went to the store picked one out along with some trusty pull-ups to get ready to potty. So far she loves pull-ups and can get on and off her potty chair with ease! She hasn't quite got the whole pee-pee in the potty thing but she knows to go sit if you tell her. Of course this morning she did the great trick of getting off the potty to pee on the floor!! HA I almost forgot about these days with the boys.

One Year!

Here are all our favorite pics from her first birthday party! She had a blast until she thought she ripped her little dog cake's head off. Note to self... don't by babies animal cakes!!

11 Months!

I have a walker now! Everyday she takes more and more steps and just yesterday she started walking more than she is crawling. I cant believe in less than a month she will be one! Now we are trading bottles and sleepless nights for sippy cups and cheerios. It's so amazing to see them grow and learn. She now imitate's everything we do and uses a few more words. Her favorite word is still Da-Da of course and ba-ba. We are slowly trying to take it away in the next month but she still asks for it at bed in this little sleepy sweet voice. She is also giving us a run for our money in the attitude department. I didn't think it would happen this soon!! GIRLS!

10 Months!

I can't believe how fast time is going by. I know I have said that a lot but as I look down at my little sleeping angel it seems like just yesterday we were bringing home this tiny girl. She is and will be my only daughter, and I am so blessed to have been chosen to be her mommy. She is taking tiny steps now, and she really wants to run! I think if she just slowed down a little she would have it down. I am starting to think about how we are going to celebrate her first birthday and you better believe there will be pink involved! LOL She will be 11 months in 5 short days and I keep thinking back to what I was doing at this time last year. I had weekly physical therapy and NST testing. I would do it all over again if that meant spending even one minute with this precious girl.

9 Months!

I know I have been slacking on Leah's blog but here are her 9 month stats!

Weight 18lbs 29th Percentile
Length 26 1/2in 12th Percentile
Head 17" 21st Percentile

She is a growing girl and I can't beleive her next appointment is her One Year Checkup! This 9 Months is flying by and I just don't want her to grow up too fast. She is pulling herself up, and can stand by herself for about 15-20 seconds. Her pediatritions prediction is that she will be walking soon and definitly by her first birthday! This is such an exciting time but it goes way too fast.

Birth to 5 Months

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

5 Month's Old

I can't beleive our little girl is getting so big. She grabs everything in sight and is curious about everything around her. She has a new big girl high chair and carseat that she absolutly loves. Her favorite toy is Lola the poodle. She is this little pink poodle that Leah loves to fling around. Leah is also eats every kind of babyfood I buy but loves her veggies. We are watching and waiting for every new thing she does and it is so bittersweet.

Leah Monster

She opens her mouth as wide as she can and lets out her little roar. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I call her my "Leah Monster" because she really thinks she is giving you a scare. This little girl is going to have one big personality.

4 Month Stats

Unofficially she in finally up to 22" now which still puts her in only the 3rd percentile for height. I couldn't get a good weight on her last night but she is about 14lbs. Her tort is still looking bad so I am thinking the doctor will probably start her on PT this month. I will update with her official stats after her doctor's appointment.

Her official stats from July 22nd:
She is now 13lb 7oz and 25" long. Her pedi told us her tort and plag is almost fully corrected! So no PT and it should fully correct itself after she starts sitting more. Go Leah!

Leah and Her Earrings

I wanted to tell the story about how Leah got her ears pierced. Daddy was skeptical about the whole thing so me and grandma took her to the mall to have them done. Her Aunt Brianna and Uncle Dean had to tag along to shop why they had the chance. They are 15yrs and 17yrs old respectively. We took her to a place that used the disposable ear piercers to be safe and I picked out her birthstone for her first pair of earrings. They had to do them one at a time so I put her little pacifier in her mouth. She was a little shocked with the first one like when we get her shots done and really ticked off at the second one. She only cried for a minute and then was back to smiling and talking to grandma. Sometimes she can be a drama queen so I was suprised she quit crying so fast. When she had her shots she cried all the way out to the car and I felt so bad for her. This was the only part that worried me about getting her ears pierced. Her ears are healing very nicely but I am definitly anal about cleaning and turning them so we don't get any infection. Doesn't she look cute!!

Leah's Growth

I still am a little worried about Leah's growth rate. She just doesn't seem to be growing like she should be. I hope I am just being a paranoid mother and there isn't anything wrong. She is still wearing size 0-3m clothing, and very few 3-6m. When I measured her a couple weeks ago she hadn't grown since her appt. on May 22nd. Her next appointment in on July 22nd so we will see how she did and talk to the pediatrician then.

First Solid Food

Leah had rice cereal and she did so well. She is having a hard time with the spoon because she wants to stick her little tongue out. I read it is the tongue-thrust reflex that they lose sometime this month. I can't beleive my little girl is growing up so fast. She starts vegtables in a couple of weeks so that should be interesting! I will definitly take some pictures of that first adventure.

Leah's Birthstory

Thursday March 13, 2008 at 6:30pm a precious little girl was born. I had problems with my blood pressure at my appointment that Monday so I had been ordered to do a 24 hr urine test. I had to rush to get it back to the office on time the following day so they could send it to the lab. Wednesday I went back to the doctor's and my protein in my urine was only in the 300's which wasn't too bad so she stripped my membranes and I was ordered to come back on Thursday for my NST testing. She told me I could go in the next 24 hrs but nothing happened besides a few cramps. I was so disappointed that evening when I went to bed. I went into the appointment at 9:00am the next morning very anxious wondering if today was the day. I was hooked up to all the monitors and had to do the 20 minute test before I could talk to my doctor. The nurse took my BP and it was only 132/88 which wasn't too bad. I had thoughts running through my head that I wasn't meeting my little girl today. I really wanted to cry but I just held back the tears and waited to see my doctor. My doctors nurse came in to take my BP again and I just loved her. She was a cute young blood who was always smiling and asking you how you were doing. Well she had my blood pressure at 132/98 which is a huge difference in the world of blood pressures. My doctor came in and sent me over to the hospital to be induced. I called my husband and mother right away to come over and meet me at the hospital. I was so excited and a little scared even though this was my third time doing this. I was sent to my room and hooked up to the IV and monitors and then I waited. It was really scary being all alone in the room knowing that you were getting ready to go through labor and have a baby. Finally I saw my husband walk through the door a half hour later and all my fears subsided. At 12:30pm the pitocin was started and I was told I could have the epidural when ever I wanted. I decided to wait it out for awhile. My two aunts and mom showed up at about 2:00pm and the long wait started. My doctor came in shortly after and decided to break my water. I was already 3cm dilated and fully effaced so I was hoping things would start going faster. Well she said breaking my water got me dilated to a good 4cm so it was just a matter of time. I decided that I should take my epidural because my contractions were starting to get intense. I knew that it would take another good 45 min to get relief after I asked for one. I was getting my epidural and having contractions one on top of the other. I was squeezing my poor nurse to death but refused to let out a sound. I concentrate better that way. I was finally feeling some relief and my nurse kept telling me to watch for any signs of pushing. She had to tell me a story about a lady that called her to say she felt something "wet". It was the baby that had already popped out without her knowing. I think the little story freaked us all out and I was not about to let that happen. My husband decided to pick her time of birth at 6:27pm and I knew he was way off because I was only at 5cm and it was already 5:00pm. An hour later I suddenly felt this weird pressure in my bootie so I called my husband to the side of the bed. Everyone else was really oblivious to what was going on so he quietly got a nurse to come check me. To my surprise I was fully complete and ready to push! Holy cow I couldn't believe it because everything was happening so fast. My doctor came in excited that I was ready to have this baby and she could get to her next patient delivering in the next room. She told me she just had a feeling I would go first. I started pushing and she was coming fast. My doctor told me to slow down on the pushing or she would have came even faster. I heard my doctor say "crap, transverse shoulder" and I started to get a little worried. My doctor's expertise really paid off because with a few turns she got her out unharmed. I had a few "bumps and bruises" from the delivery but nothing I couldn't handle. They laid Leah on my chest and I couldn't believe out tiny she looked. I rubbed her back to get her to breathe and that first wail was such a welcome relief. My husband took her next after the nurses sucked out her nose and mouth and walked her over to be weighed and measured. She was 5lb 13oz and only 18" long. What a tiny little girl she was. Daddy was so proud of her and couldn't wait to show her off to the world.