WOOO HOOOO!!!

This is how I feel right now! The new medicines are working wonders! I woke up this morning with pretty much no pain! Josh actually got to squeeze me without it hurting. We held hands and it didn't hurt! The swelling in my fingers is going down, my legs, ankles, arms, wrist and back all feel great! I am up moving and getting things done! I was actually excited to get out of bed this morning!

And for those of you wondering, this pic was from August 2007. Josh and I were staying at The Cliffs Resort at Possum Kingdom lake and got a little silly out of boredom! Yes, we were jumping from the coffee table onto the bed.

I'm off to play on the floor with Alex just because I can!! :)

Paci Thief and The Escape Artist

Yesterday did not end on a good note. I had not taken any medication all day so I was hurting pretty bad last night and this morning. As soon as I got up I took the new meds and it took awhile, but by lunch time I was feeling great!!!

I haven't posted pics of Alex this week so here are some I've been taking. Monday when Abby got here I noticed she and Alex were both dressed in the same shirts! They looked so cute in their striped shirts and jeans!

Alex has started doing a new smile. It isn't the huge gummy smile, but it's a closed mouth smile. You can see a little dimple on her left cheek when she does this smile! It's too cute!

Alex is now very interested in pacifiers. I noticed on Monday, that anytime she was near Abby, she was obsessed with taking Abby's paci out of her mouth. Abby, of course, did not appreciate this.

After taking it away 5 times, I decided to get the pacis Alex never used so she could play with them. I also gave Abby a new one since Alex kept taking hers away. Alex loves chewing on the paci but will not actually suck on it.

I mentioned before Alex found her feet. She has been trying to pull her socks off. She actually got her feet in her mouth today!

Cooper is now on lock down. He is not allowed in the backyard without one of us watching him. We were sitting on the couch Sunday and our neighbor knocked on our door asking if we knew our dog was roaming the street. We checked the backyard and the gate was closed. Several months ago he got out by crawling under the fence where the concrete drain thing is. He was only able to get out on one side so we put some metal poles in that went all the way to the ground so he couldn't fit. Well, apparently the smartie learned he can actually fit under the other side too. We sat there and watched him try to get out as soon as we let him back in. Yesterday, I let him out in the morning and watched him do his business then I went to the back door to let him in. When I got there, he was at the fence sniffing around. He ducked down like he was about to make a run for it, then he looked at the back door saw me and stood up like he wasn't doing anything wrong. He really is a smart dog!

RA Update!

I had my appointment with the rheumatologist this morning. Josh told me I shouldn't take my Prednisone since I was getting on new meds today. I'm glad I didn't because apparently it doesn't react well with the new stuff, but I don't start the new stuff until tomorrow, and I can tell I am in more pain than normal at this time of the day. But, good news is, I WILL start the new stuff tomorrow. I will be taking a Medrol Dose Pack and Sulfasalazine. I really don't know what either one of them is, but I do know they are supposed to help get the inflamed joints under control. Right now, that is all I want. I want to be able to stand up without my legs hurting, I want to be able to get up in the morning and not hurt. I will be on these medications for 4 weeks. After my appointment, I had to go to my general practitioners office for a PPD skin test (test to make sure I don't have tuberculosis) and Friday I have to have a chest x ray done and more blood work. The medication I will be put on in 4 weeks is called Methotrexate. Before I can be put on it, they want all the blood work and x ray results back so they will have a starting point so when I have follow up appointments they will be able to see if the medication is really helping. Once I start it, I will have to go back every 2-3 months for blood work. I have been reading on Methotrexate and it can be really hard on your body (liver, lungs, kidneys and bone marrow/immune system) so that is one of the reasons they are calling for all of the blood work and x rays before I start, just to make sure everything is healthy! Some of the common side effects are: nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, dizziness, feeling tired, headache, bleeding of the gums and blurred vision. I really would take any of those as long as I don't have to be in constant pain.

Josh asked me yesterday how I was feeling and I said pretty good. The more I started thinking about it, the more I realized I hurt, but I guess I have just learned to deal with it. I don't remember what it is like to stand up without my legs and ankles hurting, pick up Alex without my wrist throbbing, open a jar, squeeze the toothpaste, walk down steps and pretty much anything else you can think of without some type of pain.

Once I get on the Methotrexate, I will have to be on it for 8 weeks before we can determine if it is working or if I will need to move to a different medication. Josh isn't happy about that, but as long as we can keep the joint inflammation under control, I should be ok. Our goal is to have the RA go into remission!

Update on the Sorensens...Kyler Alexander Sorensen was born yesterday at 9:04 am! He was 6 lbs, 13 ounces and 20 inches long. Sheena and Tyler found out several weeks ago that Kyler would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. He was in fact born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. They already have specialist in Houston who are waiting to see Kyler so they can create a plan of action for corrective surgeries. Please keep the Sorensens in your prayers as they get through adjusting to a little one, doctors appointments and upcoming surgeries!

6 Month Checkup

My poor sweet baby is recovering from her 6 month check up and shots. Her shots are always harder on me than they are on her. She cried for about 30 seconds then was all smiles again. The appointment went well. She is right on with her developmental milestones and is in great health.

She is currently:
16 pounds (41st percentile), up from 13.1 (24th percentile) at her 4 month appointment
26.75 inches (75th percentile), up from 24 (26th percentile) at her 4 month appointment

She is able to:
sit unassisted for about 30 seconds at a time
roll from back to belly and belly to back
pick up objects she has dropped
pass objects from and to hand
recognize our faces
show displeasure when we put her down or leave the room
push up while laying on her belly
reach for objects she wants

We have just moved her into size 3 diapers. We started at night only (thank you Wendy Q) and as of Friday, she is in size 3's all day long. We were having too many blowouts in the size 2's. They are still a little big on her, but I'm sure she'll start filling them out pretty soon. She is still in her 3-6 month clothes. I can tell the tops are getting a little short in the arms, but the fit everywhere else. She has been on formula (Similac Advanced) since she was a little over 5 months and we have not had any problems with the adjustment. She takes 4 sippy cups a day for a total of 32 ounces. She doesn't always finish the entire 8 ounces, but we don't stress about it. We know she is getting what she needs. She has tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, bananas, apples and carrots and LOVES them all. Dr. H said we should start doing 3 meals a day at this point. We can feel some of her teeth starting to come in, but for the most part, the whole teething process doesn't seem to bother her too much. She has created her own schedule. She wakes up for the day between 7:45 and 8:30, will wait about 30 minutes then take a bottle. By about 10:30 she is down for a nap which usually last until 12 or 12:30. When she wakes up, it's lunch time. She will have oatmeal and a veggie or fruit, then take another bottle. She is trying to hold her own bottles so we got some Nubys with handles so she can practice. We play until about 2:30 or 3 then she naps again until 5 or 5:30 then takes her 3rd bottle. She starts winding down around 8, takes her last bottle of the day and is usually in bed by 9. The girl is a sleeper!! She loves to talk and babble. She will wake up from a nap and just talk to herself for about 15 minutes. She found her feet and can not stop playing with them, especially during diaper changes. She giggles when we kiss her neck. She hates it when I pick at her, but I can't help it. I hate seeing boogies in her nose, stuff in her ears, sock fuzz in her toes and pretty much anything else you can think of to pick at. She adores Cooper. If he walks into her sight, she is mesmerized and will forget anything else. She is a very happy baby. She only gets fussy if she has a dirty diaper, is hungry, bored or very very tired. She is very independent and is happy playing on the floor with her toys most of the time. She likes to be snuggled but only if she is sleepy. She is very much a Mama's girl. She loves her Daddy, but at bed time, she wants her Mommy.

More prayers for the Sorensens. The induction failed so she was scheduled for a c-section at 10 this morning. I am still waiting for an update!!

Relaxing Weekend

We spent Saturday cleaning so we could do whatever we wanted to today. Let me clarify, Josh did most of the cleaning while I relaxed. He really is the best! My little munchkin knew yesterday was different because Josh was home all day long. She did not want to go down for naps. When she slept she was very restless. The last 2 nights she woke up at 11pm screaming like she was scared or something. We picked her up to calm her down and just rocked her a bit, then she'd go back to sleep. This morning, she started talking around 8:30 so I got her and brought her back to bed with us. She just hung out playing with her feet. She is really into Josh lately. She can not stop looking at him. If he looks at her she just gives him the biggest smile! It may be a guy thing because last night we had a few friends over to play games and anytime one of the guys would talk to her she would smile so big! She is such a little flirt!

Today is a very big day for our friends The Sorensens. Sheena and Tyler are at hospital where they have started her on meds to get ready for her induction tonight! She is 37 weeks today so we are praying for a healthy labor and delivery for baby Kyler!

We have a big week ahead of us. Monday Alex has her 6 month appointment, Tuesday I have my appointment with the rheumatologist where I'll be put on a new medication for the RA, we'll spend the rest of the week getting ready for Nomi and Popi to visit and Saturday Josh and I will spend our first night away from Alex. We are going to San Antonio! It was part of Josh's Christmas present. We are heading out early on Saturday, having lunch at Cooper's BBQ (yes, Coopie was named after this place), we may do a little shopping in San Marcos, dinner at La Fonda and we are staying at The Riverwalk Vista. It's an adorable boutique hotel located on the Riverwalk. We stayed there 2 nights on our honeymoon road trip. I am really looking forward to going and I know we need to have a little "us time" but it's still hard thinking about not being there when she wakes up so happy and smiley!

6 Months Old!!!

Alexandra Rae is 6 months old today! We are half way to her first birthday! Can you believe it? I can't! In month 5, she changed so much! She can not sit still, she is such a wiggle worm. Wednesday night we were having dinner and she was on her blanket. She turned completely around, wiggled to the edge of the blanket so she could see around the couch and just watched us. She is starting to reach for things she wants. She was sitting on my lap the other day and Cooper walked by, she reached both arms out and threw her weight forward towards him. She loves sitting in her Bumbo. She is very good at leaning over the side to pick up toys she has dropped. We can not keep her off her tummy. She plays on her tummy and sleeps on her tummy. The girl is also a sleeper! She will wake up in the morning and within an hour or 2, she'll be down for a nap. I can tell when she gets sleepy because she sucks on her bottom lip. (You can see her doing it in the second picture.) She also does that when she gets hungry. Oh is she a talker. She loves talking while she gets her diaper changed. She will just lay there and babble and giggle non stop. She has also discovered her toes! I haven't put socks on her in several days because she loves playing with her toes!

We go for her 6 month check up (and shots) Monday morning so I'll have more growth and developmental updates then. I am off to get ready. Alex and I are meeting Erika and Dane for lunch and coffee then A and I are off to run some errands!

so worth it!

I know I sounded really down in my last post, but Alex woke up and had lunch and she was soo happy and kept giving me the biggest gummiest smiles! Just seeing that smile made me forget about any pain and helped me to remember she is the reason I am able to get through each and every day! I would do anything in the world for my little girl!