Standing Up!

Lily started standing independently today! For just a few seconds at a time, she can stand without holding onto anything. Then all of a sudden she realizes that she's not holding on, and she sits down really fast. I'm having a hard time getting a picture of it, so you'll have to settle for pictures of walking with the Dora car - she's practically running in these photos.

Teething Again

This new tooth is really giving Lily a hard time. Maybe if you click on the photo to make it bigger you can see... She already has seven teeth - 4 on top, and 3 bottom ones. The new one, number 8, is going to be on her bottom left. Her poor little gum looks pretty sore, and she's been whiny and clingy for a couple days. Maybe it will break through by tomorrow!

New Pictures

I thought I might get in trouble if I didn't post new pictures soon, so here are a couple from this afternoon. As you can see, Lily is telling me all about the proper way to prepare and serve a bottle of milk.

All Clear!

Lily saw Dr. Dreyer in Neurology today. What a kind, gentle doctor! It was really a pleasure to visit with him, and not just because of the good news he had for us. He said there is nothing in Lily's sleep study to worry about, and we don't even need to repeat it. In his very down-to-earth manner, he said that very sensitive tests like sleep studies and MRIs must be put together with a clinical evaluation. Considering Lily's cognitive and motor skills, along with her slightly abnormal sleep study, there is absolutely no cause for alarm.

Thank God for keeping a protective hand on Lily all this time... He's moved many obstacles out of her way.

Pulmonology Visit

Lily had two appointments in the Medical Center yesterday. One for her Tiny Tots High Risk Follow-Up, which is really more for the doctors' research than it is for Lily, and her visit with Dr. Jon in pulmonology.
Dr. Jon surprised me yesterday. I had expected her to be very concerned about Lily's continued aspiration, as shown in her Swallow Study on Friday; but she said sometimes it just takes a long time for a preemie to figure out the whole swallowing function with thin liquids. Since Lily is doing fine with nectar, Dr. Jon is comfortable just waiting and watching. I really thought she was going to insist on a g-tube, but I was wrong. This seems to be happening frequently with my pessimism lately; perhaps I should try optimism for a change, instead of being such a worry-wart. Might be better for my blood pressure, too! hahaha
I forgot to bring the x-ray film from last Monday to the appointment, and Dr. Jon said it's ok, we're going to get another x-ray in a few weeks. She wants to wait until there's no way Lily's cold from last week could have an impact on her lungs anymore, before we get the x-ray to see how she's doing now. We'll wait until then to decide whether to adjust the diuretic doses for weight or let Lily outgrow them.
Dr. Jon is happy with Lily's growth and supportive of switching to whole milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast, so long as we continue thickening, of course.
We'll repeat the sleep study and the swallow study, both, in about 3 months. Dr. Jon is very comfortable being conservative in treating and protecting Lily's lungs right now. She expects Lily to outgrow these lingering issues, but she agrees that visiting neurology is a good idea right now, just in case.

Chatterbox

Lily is a little smarty-pants. She was sitting in her highchair eating lunch today, and she was getting full. She picked up a piece of meat and held it over the edge of the tray, just resting her arm there. I said, "Lily, please don't drop that on the floor," and she smiled and ate the piece of meat. Then she dropped a piece on the floor when she thought I wasn't looking, and I told her, "No, don't drop your food on the floor." She just giggled, like she usually does when she's told no. Then she picked up another piece of meat and dropped it over the edge really fast, like I wouldn't notice if she did it quickly. I said, "Lily, NO," emphatically. And she laughed and said, "I drop it." I said, "Yes, I know you dropped it, and now you're done with your lunch." What a cutie! She is figuring out how to test me, and it's really hard to be firm and say no, when she says "I drop it," just as clear as a bell. Sometimes I just have to laugh with her, I can't help it.
Most of the time when Lily talks, she repeats the ends of sentences when we are talking to her. So it's hard to tell if she knows the meaning of the words she is saying. This time it was pretty obvious! Which makes sense, because her bottle will often fall (or sometimes get dropped purposely) on the floor when she sits in her highchair to drink it. So I usually say something like, "Oh, you dropped it, here you go," as I hand it back to her. So it is logical that she understands these words.
It is really funny to hear words come out of Lily's mouth. She's still so tiny, and she's starting to talk! Of course it will be a long time before she's speaking coherently on a regular basis, but real words are coming out more and more often. Even when it's not real words, she's jabbering away, telling us all kinds of stories. She's quite the chatterbox lately.

Nursery Update, and How to Carry a Toy

Dusty and I sanded and painted Lily's tall dresser last weekend, and the next painting on the walls only needs the black outlines. We're making progress! Only 3 or 4 more paintings to go, then carpet and shelves for the closet, and we'll be done. Oh, and we still have to replace one more outlet in the room, but really, we're almost done!

This is how you carry a toy when you need your hands for crawling: