Beware of AFOs!

Well, we finally got Anna's AFOs and corrective shoes last Friday. We were pleasantly surprised that they were adorable little blue braces with butterflies and pink Velcro. The shoes are not quite as great, but at least they're just like white saddle shoes (sort of). (photos to follow when I get a chance)

Anna's having quite a time getting used to them, and Mommy and Daddy are extremely slow at the whole process. The frustration is compounded by the fact that the AFOs are made of hard, smooth plastic and fall off frequently. In fact, they weren't even on for 15 minutes after we got them, and they came off. I'd been warned by other SB moms that the AFOs were a joke for babies, but I had no idea it was quite so bad. So Nate and I are on a mission to invent a better system; we'll let you know when we make our fortune off this new invention. Ha!

Anyway, Anna only wears the Dennis Brown shoes at night, but that presents its own challenges, as it involves a whole new bedtime routine and a whole new experience with a grumpy, tired baby. It will get easier with practice, but it's quite an interesting ordeal for now.

Gramma Tonee left on Saturday, but thankfully, Nate got home yesterday and was a great help last night. The sailing trip did not quite go as planned (again, photos to follow soon), and the guys got stuck in Yakutat for a few days--which, if you know anything about Yakutat, means there was not much to do except make friends with the locals. Finally, after trying a couple of times to set sail, they weren't making any progress, so Nate caught a flight home. I was disappointed that he didn't get to make the whole trip but definitely glad to have him home (even though he hadn't showered or shaved in 10 days).

Hopefully, he will post his own entry and photos later.

Sail Away

Well, Nate is off sailing the Gulf of Alaska with Chris Hyer (Nate's best man in our wedding) this week. Chris's wife Jen just graduated from med school in Portland, where they've been living on High Endeavors (their trusty sailing vessel) for the past few years. Jen is starting her residency in Anchorage next week, so they've been sailing their way up here. Since time was a little tight, Nate took Jen's place (along with Chris's dad Terry and family friend Steve Nelson) sailing from Juneau to Seward.

So far, it sounds like they've had good weather and have seen tons of whales and other wildlife. It was a great opportunity for Nate; however, I told him if he missed his first Father's Day with Anna, we'd find a new daddy for her to celebrate with. :) Looks like they'll be to Seward by Friday, so we shouldn't have to worry.

Gramma Tonee came up to spend the week with us, and she and Anna are having a great time together. Last night, we had a girls' sleepover, as Jen came out to visit Anna and put on puppet shows for us.

We will be getting Anna's AFOs (leg braces) and Dennis Brown shoes (ugly shoes with a bar between them) today although it's taken so long to get them, she's probably already grown out of them. We have been doing stretching exercises with her but will probably start physical therapy with her soon as well. So far, she's got great movement in her plump little upper legs, and she's getting pretty strong.

More updates soon and sailing photos soon...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

First, an apology: To everyone (and there are MANY of you) who sent so many wonderful gifts for Anna, we are VERY sorry you have not received thank-you cards yet. And we are very sorry to those of you who have actually had to call us to see if we've received your gifts because we haven't acknowledged you yet. I could give the same tired old excuse--we've just been really busy--but everyone's busy, so that doesn't really cut it. Anyway, I promise we haven't forgotten any of you, and please know that all of your gifts, cards, messages, flowers, prayers, etc. truly are appreciated.

Second, many thanks: Again, to everyone who sent so many wonderful gifts, prayers, thoughts, messages, etc. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives, and we appreciate all your support and generosity.

Third, more thanks: Thank you to everyone who sent Anna clothes! Mommy and Daddy have probably only had to purchase 4 outfits in the last 4 1/2 months. Anna is one of the best dressed babies I know. Can't say the same for her parents, so maybe people should start sending US clothes! :)

Thank you to everyone who sent Anna books! She loves story time already, probably because her Grandma Tonee read Dr. Seuss to her into the wee hours of the morning while she was in the hospital, and her Daddy started reading to her the first day home from California. Books are always special gifts, and we enjoy story time immensely as well.

Thank you to everyone who sent Anna toys. She's just starting to show a little interest in playing with toys now, and once again, Mommy and Daddy have probably only had to purchase 4 toys! Now we know that will change quickly, but we're enjoying it while we can. Not to mention, some of those toys are pretty fun for us too!

Thank you to everyone who sent Anna blankets, linens, etc. You can never have too many linens with a baby in the house. Rather, it seems you can never have ENOUGH linens when you have a baby in the house.

Along those same lines, thank you to everyone who made Anna gifts. Having no textile-creating or artistic ability ourselves (or time to develop such wonderful talents), you have no idea how much these handmade items mean to us. The blankets, clothes, linens, artwork, personalized gifts, keepsakes, etc. that you have made for us will always be treasured and will remind us just how thoughtful and caring our friends and family are.

Thank you also to everyone who is lending us their old baby "gear"--Cari and Joe especially. Really helps the budget and the novice parents.

Anyway, before I get too carried away, thank you to everyone for everything! We really do appreciate your kindness, and someday, you will receive proper written thanks.

My little piggy

16 pounds and 25 inches!!! Anna had her monthly pediatrician appointment today, and that's how big she is now. What a little piggy!

Anyway, Doc says she looks great. She's very healthy, and her head size is in proportion to her weight gain. No symptoms of hydrocephalus, so we don't need to shunt her at this point. He said her head is still on the high end of the charts, but then he glanced up at Nate and said something about her getting the big noggen from her daddy. :)

Bowel/bladder function and all else looks good as well. She had a few more shots today, but we don't need to go back in until August when she's 6 months old.

So, a great bill of health today and only a short period of screaming when she got her shots (which to us is a good sign because it means she has feeling in her legs). Other than that, she's been smiling a ton now and has discovered that Daddy is her new best pal (especially when he sings Aaron Neville songs to her). He seems to be the only one who can make her laugh so far.

She'll hopefully get her braces and Dennis Brown shoes (ugh!) this week, and we'll probably begin physical therapy soon.

Until I figure out how to link to photos on here, you can visit http://picasaweb.google.com/nateboltz to see new photos of her.