15 Month Accomplishments

Having fun eating and drinking!


I'm beginning to show interest in holding my cup. I just drop it and don't mean to.
Alayna loves this singing duck from Hallmark. She got it for Easter and she cracks up at it!
That silly, singing duck! It even moves its mouth and flaps its wings.

This is one of Alayna's favorite books. It has Disney princess buttons on it and plays music. It makes her smile too.
More practice with the cup. It's a Nuby cup from Walmart and she seems to be taking to it because of its soft spout similar to a bottle nipple.

Grandma Billie brought us some bean bags and this is one of Alayna's favorite places to relax!
Chillin' in the bean bag chair. She is beginning to pay more attention to the TV. I want to get some Signing Time videos soon for her to begin watching. We continue to try and get Alayna to bear weight on her legs. She can do it, but it only lasts seconds. I just don't think it has clicked that legs are supposed to be used to stand on.
Asleep in the bean bag. She is such a sweet little girl.

Alayna continues to make me smile everyday. She turned 15 months old this past Monday and I'd like to share some of the things she is doing. Alayna has been giggling much more. It is definitely becoming an easier task to get her to laugh. She has been taking phenobarbital since November when she had 2 seizures while in the hospital for RSV. Okay, I admit that I'm not a doctor, but I've weaned her off of it for over a week now and I've seen only positive side effects! I probably shouldn't have done that without consulting a physician, but I did anyway and her pediatrician was fine with that. So as of right now, the only medication we are using is Myralax in her bottles.

Alayna's current weight is 19 lbs 5 oz (with a diaper on). The nurse told me it weighs 5 oz, so I guess she's right at 19 lbs. She is 29 1/2 inches long. I didn't even bother asking where she fell on the "typical" growth charts because it is obvious she is on the lower end. However, Dr. Neptune was very happy with her growth and that she is eating and drinking. Her daily eating schedule right now is four 5-6 oz bottles of formula with 2 tablespoons of rice added to make it thicker and about 1/3 of a jar of veggies and fruit in the evening. So on average she is taking in about 20-24 oz of fluid each day along with some baby food.

I'm working hard at introducing the sippy cup. Upon recommendation by other 1p36 parents, I've bought the Nuby cup from Walmart because its spout is so similar to a bottle nipple. Alayna is drinking a juice/water combination out of it. She is doing well, however, she has figured out how to spit it back out again and not swallow all of it. The bib is usually drenched and juice is floating in the catch pocket! That is the frustrating part of it. I just wish she'd suck it and swallow all of it. But we'll get there. I've also seen a much better interest in the mesh self-feeder that I've tried to use before. The other night she ate about a 1/4 of a banana out of the mesh feeder. She seemed to enjoy it too and actually held onto the handle. She would drop it of course, just like the sippy cup, but we continue to work on that as well. Dr. Neptune suggested to introduce different fruits in it like pears, mangos, oranges, and anything else soft. I will let you know how that goes. And I might get brave here soon and use a food processor to try some table food like pasta or veggies.

Alayna is physically getting stronger. It is a slow process, but I've seen big improvements. Alayna sits the best when you assist her from the back side. I love to watch her sit and I try and face her to me. But, I have the best luck with her posture and sitting for longer amounts of time if I sit her in front of me, facing out, and use my leg as a support right in the lower area of her back. She loves toys that have sounds and lights and ones that move. Again, she sits best if she has something to look at that occupies her attention for awhile. The yellow duck in the above pictures and the sounds and lights toy gym are still the number one favorites to use. She isn't able to sit completely on her own just yet. She has no defensive reflexes and she tends to fall forward onto her face (thank goodness the helmet catches her fall) or backwards onto her head. We are trying to hard to put her hands down in front of her for support. One of the great things she is now doing is if she falls forward all the way, she will use her arms and all of her strength to push herself up again. YEAH Alayna!

Alayna continues to roll more each day. She is not staying in one place on the blanket anymore! She is finding out that she can roll in other directions and kick her legs to move around the living room floor and her crib. So, we've begun to spread the toys out a little bit further and try to get her to get them. Alayna has always kicked her legs since very early on as a self-stimulation behavior. She continues to do that. I'll hear her kicking and slamming her legs on her crib mattress in the middle of the night and when I go check on her, she still has her eyes closed. It's a way to soothe herself. Alayna still enjoys the baby swing. I dread the day she grows out of it. I think another few inches her toes will touch the ground! She loves the movement. It and the bean bag are the two favorite places right now to relax and sit.

I've been a little concerned about some bumps that Alayna had developed on the bottom of her legs and a few on her cheeks ever since she had the RSV. I've asked her pediatrician about them multiple times and he has made a few recommendations of what I could try. I most recently bought Eucerin Plus and it says it is clinically proven to relieve skin bumps often found on the upper arms and legs. These bumps are called "keratosis pilaris". After looking it up online, many people have them. Actually, some of my family members and friends have told me that they had them. They don't bother Alayna, but I'm willing to try something that will clear them up. The Eucerin just didn't seem like it was doing anything, so her pediatrician gave me some samples of Differin which is a topical gel used to treat acne. Sometimes it can cause more irritation, so I will watch her legs and discontinue the use if that happens. We'll see how it goes!

Alayna received two immunizations at her appointment. This is going to sound weird, or maybe even cruel to some of you parents, but I was so excited to hear her cry! Yes, she definitely felt the first poke and immediately stopped sucking her pacifier and started to scream. And then after poke number two, the pacifier came out and she was mad. If she was capable of producing tears, they would've been flowing like a river. I was so excited to see her so upset and realize that she felt that pain. It is known that 1p36 kids have a high tolerance to pain and sometimes don't have that ability to tell you what they are feeling. Our little friend, Whitney, even had a broken arm and didn't express any discomfort. During Alayna's previous vaccinations, she would fuss a little bit and maybe do a little squirming, but nothing compared to yesterday! She was crying so hard that she created an abundant amount of saliva in her mouth and throat and I thought she was going to choke on it. As I left the office smiling and pleased, Alayna cried the entire way to the van. It was a neat moment!

There is one more thing I want to share with you. Alayna loves movement and loves louder sounds and often enjoys being startled. Well, to get her to laugh or giggle all Dana or I has to do is yell "Douglas, NO!" Douglas is little 4 year old brother and he gets reprimanded often by us or hollered at by his older brother or sister. Douglas is a frequently spoken name in our house and I think Alayna recognizes it already. She's so funny. She loves to hear "NO." Okay, she is the little angel and she has already learned to take advantage of the moments she isn't the one in trouble!

I've added a few new links to some of our 1p36 friends blogs. They do a wonderful job of capturing these moments with their special little ones. Check them out! It is all about support and when we know we aren't alone in this endeavor, it provides us more strength to keep going. I love the title of Lily's blog, "Godgaveusyou.blogspot.com". Keep the faith.