First Steps

Wow 2 posts in 2 days! I was home today because my mom and Justin's mom are out of town. I was working with her to get her to clap her hands and start walking. She started clapping and is soooo proud of herself that it is adorable. She also started taking her first steps!!!! She has been walking holding on to things for a while now but won't let go. Today I was leaning her up against the couch and getting her to walk to me. Then I stood her on the tile and she starting walking to me. I am soooo over the moon that she will be off on her own in no time. I am so proud of my little goose. Before I know it she will be running circles around me and I will be wishing she wasn't mobile. She is growing up so fast.

Halloween

We had an amazing Halloween with the Cummings family. We took the kids over to a carnival and then went for pizza before going trick or treating. The kids did really well and we just had so much fun. Here are some pictures from our day.

Play date with her man

Goose and Hunter got together for a play date on Friday and I took some pictures. They are so adorable that I had to post them :-)

First Hair Cut

It has been a long time since I last blogged, I am going to try and get better at doing it on a more regular basis. We have been busy running around doing one thing or another. Jordyn's hair was getting really long and starting to resemble a mullet in the back. There were long straggly bits in the back and I have been dying to get it cut. Justin finally agreed to let me do so last Friday off we went. Our friends Katherine and Hunter invitied us to go along with them to this kids place in San Ramon. Jordyn got to sit in the little car and had her hair cut by a lovely lady who did an awesome job. She trimmed her hair all up and now it looks like a little bob cut. We even got a certificate with a picture and a bag of hair on it. Hunter got his hair cut and was a pro. Here are some pictures of our time in the salon.

My baby is 1!!!!

WOW.... Time Flies!!! I can't believe that my baby turned 1 yesterday. This year has gone by so fast and but I have a hard time remembering life without my little goose. We have been through a lot since she arrived but we have also learned a lot. She is growing and thriving more and more everyday. I am so grateful to have a happy and healthy (for the most part) wonderful little girl. Last weekend we had her first birthday party at Grandpa Kits house and it was great. We had a large turnout, about 60 adults and a bunch of kids. She got to meet some of her family that she hadn't met before and see others that she doesn't get to see very often. We had people come from all over to help celebrate with us. I want to thank everyone for all their help in making this day so special. I have to laugh to myself because lets be honest.... no 1 year old is going to remember a party but this was the shin dig of all shin digs and I have the pictures to prove it. I think Justin and I enjoyed ourselves just as much, if not more, than she did. Here are some pictures from the special day.

Her new Minnie chair from her Aunts Lois and Debbie

The largest stack of gifts I have ever seen for a 1 year old

Daddy trying to feed Goose cake.

Goose was a little scared of the cake

Taking a cat nap in Aunty Kay's boobs

Her birthday cake

Granny Goose, Goose, Hunter and Billy hanging out.

Me and Goose chilling with Jenna and Isla

Her birthday banner

Waiting for the party to start.

Fun with the Uchytil's

On Sunday we got a call from Melina to go and meet them downtown to play in the water. We quickly packed up little goose and head to downtown Livermore. The girls had a blast playing in the water and we got just as wet as they did. After we changed them we went and had a nice glass of wine and let the girls hang out. Makayla and Jordyn absolutely love hanging out together and it is so cute to see them interact. Here are some pictures from our afternoon downtown.

Goose sucking on a gummy worm from Aunty Mimi (Melina)
Jordyn and Makayla hanging out on the grass.

Goose and Mommy in the water

Daddy and goose getting wet.

Daddy drying goose off

11 Months Old

Today my little (or not so little) goose is 11 months old!!!! In this past month she has grown so much and everyday she is exploring more and doing more things. Her little tooth is coming up more and more and the one next to it is coming through too. She is crawling all over the place now and is getting into everything. At first she wouldn't come off the mat onto the tile but that isn't an issue anymore, she is everywhere. We went to her friend Hunter's first birthday party and she threw her first tizzy fit. I was putting on some sunscreen and she was not happy about it, she started screaming and kicking her feet. I was so in shock that I just looked at her and wondered what she had done with my child. I think that her teeth are hurting her and I know that must be miserable for her. We also went to Granny Goose's house for dinner and she got to play with her cousin Claudia. The had a blast crawling around on the floor and getting into things. She helped open Granny's presents and then she was wiped out. I am really looking forward to her 1st birthday party and can't believe how fast this year has gone by.

She's crawling

So I have been home enjoying my time with Jordyn and working on getting her to crawl. For a month or so she has been getting up onto all fours but thats as far as she will go. Sometimes she would stick her butt up in the air with her legs straight and then she sits back down. This morning something all of a sudden clicked and she was on her way. After our lunch picnic we got home and there was nothing stopping her. She is all over the place, slowely but surely. This is one of the best days ever for me as a mom, I am so proud of her. After all of the things we have gone through with her I wasn't sure how long it was going to take her to progress. This big step made me realize that it may take her a little longer than other kids but eventually she gets it. We had to lower her crib to the bottom in case she decides that she wants to pull herself up on it. While we were doing it she crawled over to her draws and was pulling them open. I looked at Justin and told him how much trouble we are in now. Our next step it to baby proof this house which could take some time...... Wish us luck :-)

Day at the Oakland Zoo

I found out that I have some of my paid family leave left and decided to take some a week off in July and one in August to spend it with little goose. On Thursday Katherine and I took Hunter and Jordyn to the Oakland Zoo. We spent the day wondering around and looking at the animals, we went to the petting zoo, had a picnic on the big field, and took a ride on the train around the zoo. We had an absolute blast spending time with the kids and watching them interact. Since Jordyn is at my mom's she doesn't spend lots of time with other kids apart from when they go to story time. I am so grateful of her being with my mom because she is such a heathly kid and never seems to get sick (knock on wood). Jordyn loves Hunter and they have so much fun playing with each other and it is good for them. We took them into the petting zoo and little goose was just laughing soooo hard that people around her were laughing too, she loved the goats making noises at her. Hunter wasn't as excited at Jordyn and cried when they went near him. I am so excited because Katherine was able to switch her days around and she will now have Friday off so we can get together on a regular basis. It is not just good for the kids but it is good for us too. We can now start planning different activities for us to do with the kids. Here are some pictures from our lovely day out at the zoo.

Her first train ride

with Hunter and Katherine

At the petting zoo

Picnic time

Play time with Hunter

Mommy and me

Waiting to see the animals

Planning the birthday party

I can't believe that little goose is going to be turning 1 soon. I have just started planning her birthday party which is going to be quite the event. We really wanted her theme to be Sid the Science Kid but I couldn't find anything online. Her next favorite thing is Yo Gabba Gabba and I found tons of stuff for it. I made her invitations myself and after spending 3 hours on them they are finally done. I also ordered all the decorations online and they should be here soon. We are going to have it at Grandpa Kit's house where people can go in the pool if they want. I am really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
I found out I have some of my Paid Family Leave left and so I am going to take some time off to spend with her before she turns 1. I have planned a day at the zoo with Katherine and Hunter which is going to be a blast. I'm really looking forward to spending some bonding time with her. My grandad is still her and so we will also get to spend some time with him. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them soon.

I spoke too soon!

So last night I finished writing my blog and caught up on a little T.V. I finally dropped off to sleep around 10 pm and at 1am I was awoken by little goose screaming. I shot out of bed faster that the speed of sound and found her all seased up in her crib. My stomach sank a little as I picked her up knowing what was ahead of us for the rest of the night. We moved her into our bed and tried to make her as comfortable as we could. She got pretty sick which is normal but is still hard to deal with. She finally came out of it at 6:30 this morning and was pretty crabby which was understandable. I took her to my mom's and she had a relaxing day. My mom called me after lunch and goose had been sick but was going off to sleep. After her nap she woke up in a much better mood. When I bought her home we had a little play time and dinner before her bath. She went off to sleep while having her bottle and I put her in her crib where she woke up and cried. This happened twice and she finally went off to sleep in her daddy's arms. It is so ironic that I blogged last night about how good things were going and then it happens. I have to look at the positive side of things and note that she went from every 3 weeks to going 5 & 1/2 without having one. I love her soooo much and it is the hardest thing to see her having to deal with this. Justin is such a good dad and I can see in his eyes that it is hard for him to see her go through this too. I'm hoping that we have another 5 & 1/2 weeks (or longer) with out another episode. I'll keep you posted on how things go.
I'm off to bed to catch up on the sleep I missed out on last night.

Finally... a tooth

Last night I was doing my normal check of little goose's mouth and I felt something. I checked again to make sure I really felt something and there it was bearly poking through her gums. I was worried that I was going to have a toothless child forever. It's funny because when she was less than 2 months old we saw this little white spot and automatically thought it was a tooth. We were told by her doctor it was some sort of mouth cyst that babies get. Since then she has always drooled a lot and chewed on her hands and everyone tells us she is teething... not a chance. To my surprise yesterday there it was and I was so happy. I know it seems strange that I am happy that my child is teething but its just another exciting thing that is happening. As of right now we are 5 and 1/2 weeks since her last BPT episode and that's also exciting for me. Over the last few weeks I have been able to relax a little more and find myself not so on edge waiting for it to happen. If/when it happens again I will deal with it like we have in the past and that's all I can do. Like the Dr said "if it takes them from every 3 weeks to once every few months then its working". I would be happy with that, I would be even more happier if it never happened again. She still isn't crawling but likes standing up and holding onto my hands. I feel like she is making great progress just at a slower pace than some other kids. I figure that when she is standing with her friends when she is 20 you won't be able to tell who was crawling and walking early and who wasn't. Now I have to start planning her 1st birthday party! I can't believe my little goose is almost turning 1, time really does fly.
Until next time..........

4th of July

Justin and I packed up Jordyn and pretty much the whole house and went to Tahoe to celebrate the 4th of July. We went with Justin's family (his dad Kit, and Aunt Tina and Uncle Jeff and their family) and stayed in a wonderful cabin. We took the boat up so we could take her out on the water for the first time. She didn't like the life jacket very much but did well for her first time out. She was spoiled for attention by everyone. It was great for her to spend some quailty time with Grandpa Kit, he loves her so much. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Jordyn and Tina hanging on the deck

Jordyn enjoying some Mexican food

Hanging with Grandpa on the couch

With mommy on the boat in her life jacket

Sitting patiently waiting to go out on the water.

As far as her BPT episodes we have been very lucky and are now over 4 weeks without having one. I hate to even get excited just in case I jinx something and it happens again. She hasn't had any side effects from the medicine so we are going to keep giving it to her and hope that it keeps working. Please keep your fingers crossed for us and I will let you know what happens.

Stay tuned............

No Helmet!!!!

Justin and I took Jordyn into Children's Hospital Oakland Neurosurgery to be evaluated and see if she needs a helmet. We sat through a presentation with 4 other families and then were met with on a one on one basis. We first met with the Nurse Practitioner and we told her all about Jordyn's medical history. She looked her over and her opinion was that she was a mild case and doesn't need a helmet. She also wanted to see what the Physician's Assistant thought. They both reviewed her MRI and CT scan and both agreed that is isn't necessary. I told her my fears of Jordyn being made fun of when she is older and they said by the time she is at that age you won't be able to tell. It may never be absolutely perfect but that nobody's head is perfect. They said that her head will round out since she is spending less time on her back and they really felt it wouldn't be a problem. They deal with this daily and so I am quite happy with the result. On our way out we got to see the images from the MRI and I snapped a picture on my phone so that I could share it.

We are now looking forward to spending the weekend in Tahoe with Justin's family. We will take lots of pictures and share them when we return.

I just want to thank everyone for all of your love and support over the past months. It really means a lot to us.

Lots of Love

The Houser's

Neuro Update

I took Jordyn into a follow-up appointment with Dr. Birnbaum at Children's Hopsital and it went well. Since her episodes are about 3 weeks apart and pretty regular we have decided to try a headache medicine and see if it works. We now have a reference point to gauge if the medicine is working or not. It may not work but I am going to be positive and hope that it does. Like the Dr said, it would even be great if we could make the episodes further apart. At this point I would try anything (within reason) to stop this from happening from her. This medicine doesn't have any major side effects aside from possible weight gain and drowsyness. He looked her over and said that her social and fine motor skills are right on track for her age. Her motor skills are a little behind so her gave us the number for the Regional Center of the East Bay. They provide early intervention to children under the age of 3 and get them any therapy that can help them get on track developmentally. I have placed a call to them and they are going to call me back for more information and to set up an appointment. It is so wonderful that there are places like this to help parents out. I have been in contact with other parents that have children with BPT and that has been very helpful. On one hand it is nice to know that there are other people out there that are dealing with this but unfortunalty on the other hand it is sad to know that there are other kids having to go through this. This disorder is pretty rare so there isn't a whole lot of information or study done on it. Anyway.... We are going to try this medicine and hopefully it will work so keep your fingers crossed for us. I'll let you know how it goes. We will go back to the Dr is 3 months so that he can follow her.
Thanks for all of your support, we really appreciate it.

First Time Swimming

We took Jordyn swimming for the first time and she loved it. I wasn't sure if she was going to like it because the water wasn't too warm but from the moment she got in she had a blast. We put her in the cutest swim-suite and sun hat and lathered her up with sunblock and took her in. She really liked her little floaty and was all over the pool with us. Here are some shots from her time in the pool.

Loving her floaty with Grandma and Aunty Kay

Getting used to the water with Aunty Kay

Splashing around with mommy

Relaxing by the pool catching some rays

Another BPT Episode

We had a packed weekend planned with a graduation party, family friend's BBQ and then a Baptism on Sunday. After a great time at Katherinne's graduation party we headed home to grab some things before going to the BBQ. As we pulled into our complex Jordyn started crying in her car seat, right away we knew that cry. I rushed her into the house and her episode had already started. She was really sick with this one and it lasted about 6.5 hours. It tears me apart to see my baby crying in pain and knowing there is nothing I can do to help her but comfort her. We gave her a bath to relax her and clean her up and after she came out she snapped out of it. I get this overwhelming feeling of relief that comes over me when she comes back to normal. Today she has been a bit cranky but that is to be expected after everything she goes through. We woke up today and she went to the grocery store with her dad and then came home for a nap and some relaxation. We went to her good friend Hunter's Baptism this afternoon and had a great time. She threw her little ball down in the church and I had to run around trying to find it. After that we enjoyed the party at Billy and Katherines house. Now she is resting in her bed and Justin is at softball so I am relaxing and updating this blog. She wore the cutest dress and so her are some pictures that I took.

9 months old

Jordyn just turned 9 months old and it seems like time is passing by so fast. We took her in for her 9 month check up with the Dr and she did great. She now weighs 17lbs and 1oz and is 27 and 1/4 inches long. The Dr said if he was to guess how tall he was going to be he would say that she is going to be 5 feet 4 inches tall when she is grown up. She isn't crawling yet but I have talked to other people who have kids with BPT (Benign Paroxsmal Torticollis) and they are a little behind in doing some of the developmental things. I am cherishing the time that I can put her down and come back to her in the same spot, I know it won't be long before she is all over the place. Every day she seems to be doing something new and I love it. On Memorial Day we took her to Capitola with some friends and took her out onto the beach. Here are some shots from our fun day out.