Where do I begin...July. In July, Gracyn made her grand entrance to our little world and I was left both star struck and scared shitless. I had all of the normal fears of any new mother. Normal, yes.
In August, I went back to work. It was nice to be around adults again because I been by myself with a fresh, newborn for a month because Dave had to go back to work. I missed her like crazy though.
September came and went. I started to spend a ridiculous amount of my income on clothes for the baby. That is a personal obsession of mine. Still is. We went to the local Labor Day Festival and she rode happily in her stroller.
Fall came in with October. We had our first set of official family pictures. First trip for Gracyn to the Pumpkin Show. She was a mermaid for her first Halloween. There is nothing cuter than a baby in jeans. As for me, things got easier. She grew more independent and with her new found independence, I saw her do things that I always hoped she would...like using her left hand for things like holding, pulling, etc.
Thanks was given at Thanksgiving in November. That was an emotional month. A year prior, was when I went to the doctor hysterical because I wasn't pregnant...then I was...then I was spotting...ug. This year though, I celebrated my blessings with the biggest blessing of all...my daughter.
Snow, Hanukkah and X-Mas was a blast. She laid under the tree and I spend countless hours picking out the perfect presents for my child to play with the wrapping paper. Like in November, I was never more grateful. We spent almost all of winter break together, just the two of us. That's when I started calling us Thelma and Louise (I am Louise, Gracyn is Thelma). We really bonded and going back to school was so hard.
Last month was January. Half of a year has passed and it seems like only yesterday we were at Zoombezi Bay (four days prior to delivering) and I was beached in the wave pool praying to give birth so that I'd be able to see my ankles again. Like it was only yesterday that I was holding her for the first time, bringing her home and watching her sleep in the pack and play. Things are SO much easier now. I am pretty confident that I am a good mom. I, at points, contemplated whether or not we could afford for me to be a SAHM. Me, a SAHM...never thought I'd say it. Again, I find myself so grateful for her in my life. At that time last year, I was praying to carry to term and here she is...so beautiful.
Month seven, February. This month is half over. She turned seven months on Valentine's Day. We celebrated a Valentine's Day party last weekend and she made some friends. We have located another little girl, Leah, in Ohio who has a hand just like Gracyn's. She is a little bit older than Gracyn by a couple of months. Seeing her do things makes me so happy. She uses her hand non-stop and there are times when I just sit and smile as she is doing things and then it dawns on me that I am smiling.
Update from the hand doctor: Dr. Popp is holding strong to the symbrachydactyly diagnosis. He wants to see us in a year. No action plan. That is actually a good thing. No surgery. He wants us to wait on prosthetics until she is cognisant of what it means. He'll x-ray her in a year so that her bones are more defined. We met with an OT at that appointment as well. She said to leave her be for now and let her develop her own way of doing things. We'll consult with her again at 2.5 - 3 years old. That is also when the special ed elementary coordinator in the district suggested we start her in mixed preschool as to get her a 504/IEP.
In all, things have never been better. I am so grateful for her and am so happy to have her in my life. All of that time I spent worrying and praying was worth it because every time I look at those huge hazel eyes all I see is possibility.
In August, I went back to work. It was nice to be around adults again because I been by myself with a fresh, newborn for a month because Dave had to go back to work. I missed her like crazy though.
September came and went. I started to spend a ridiculous amount of my income on clothes for the baby. That is a personal obsession of mine. Still is. We went to the local Labor Day Festival and she rode happily in her stroller.
Fall came in with October. We had our first set of official family pictures. First trip for Gracyn to the Pumpkin Show. She was a mermaid for her first Halloween. There is nothing cuter than a baby in jeans. As for me, things got easier. She grew more independent and with her new found independence, I saw her do things that I always hoped she would...like using her left hand for things like holding, pulling, etc.
Thanks was given at Thanksgiving in November. That was an emotional month. A year prior, was when I went to the doctor hysterical because I wasn't pregnant...then I was...then I was spotting...ug. This year though, I celebrated my blessings with the biggest blessing of all...my daughter.
Snow, Hanukkah and X-Mas was a blast. She laid under the tree and I spend countless hours picking out the perfect presents for my child to play with the wrapping paper. Like in November, I was never more grateful. We spent almost all of winter break together, just the two of us. That's when I started calling us Thelma and Louise (I am Louise, Gracyn is Thelma). We really bonded and going back to school was so hard.
Last month was January. Half of a year has passed and it seems like only yesterday we were at Zoombezi Bay (four days prior to delivering) and I was beached in the wave pool praying to give birth so that I'd be able to see my ankles again. Like it was only yesterday that I was holding her for the first time, bringing her home and watching her sleep in the pack and play. Things are SO much easier now. I am pretty confident that I am a good mom. I, at points, contemplated whether or not we could afford for me to be a SAHM. Me, a SAHM...never thought I'd say it. Again, I find myself so grateful for her in my life. At that time last year, I was praying to carry to term and here she is...so beautiful.
Month seven, February. This month is half over. She turned seven months on Valentine's Day. We celebrated a Valentine's Day party last weekend and she made some friends. We have located another little girl, Leah, in Ohio who has a hand just like Gracyn's. She is a little bit older than Gracyn by a couple of months. Seeing her do things makes me so happy. She uses her hand non-stop and there are times when I just sit and smile as she is doing things and then it dawns on me that I am smiling.
Update from the hand doctor: Dr. Popp is holding strong to the symbrachydactyly diagnosis. He wants to see us in a year. No action plan. That is actually a good thing. No surgery. He wants us to wait on prosthetics until she is cognisant of what it means. He'll x-ray her in a year so that her bones are more defined. We met with an OT at that appointment as well. She said to leave her be for now and let her develop her own way of doing things. We'll consult with her again at 2.5 - 3 years old. That is also when the special ed elementary coordinator in the district suggested we start her in mixed preschool as to get her a 504/IEP.
In all, things have never been better. I am so grateful for her and am so happy to have her in my life. All of that time I spent worrying and praying was worth it because every time I look at those huge hazel eyes all I see is possibility.
