This and That

We've had a big week around our house....
*Dave has worked the last two weekends to replace the faucet in the upstairs bathroom. This is the first step in giving the bathroom a mini face lift so that it goes along with the work we've done around the house.
*Monday I went to the dentist and had the first of three appointments to replace one of my crowns. The dentist doing the work is the best I've had work on my teeth. He was observant about whether or not I was experiencing pain and added more anesthetic as needed to make the whole process more comfortable.
*On Tuesday night, I accidentally made Emma cry. She and I try to go say "hi" to Dave when he comes home from work. Emma gets so excited!! Monday night I thought I heard the garage door going up, so Emma and I headed upstairs. She was waving and saying "DA DA, DA DA." When I opened the front door and she saw the garage door was still down, you could see her little heart break. The lower lip came out and she started screaming "DA DA." The only way to calm her down was to call Dave and leave him a message.
*Today was my MRI. I go to the neurologist next Wednesday to go over the films and reports.

One other fun thing.... Emma has started blowing kisses. It's so cute, she even makes the lip smacking sound...

Well Baby

Emma had her well baby check up this morning and the doctor said she's doing great. She even waved to the doctor to say "hi." Emma is still growing like a weed... She is now 29 1/2 inches tall (almost 95th percentile) and 21 lb 8 oz (85th percentile).
There were a few pokes today...... 2 shots, a TB test, and a hemoglobin test (which she passed with flying colors), but Emma doesn't seem to be too bothered by them tonight.
One exciting thing.... Emma gets to start trying yogurt with her baby fruit to start the transition to whole milk around her first birthday.

Emma's 10 months old!

Our little pumpkin was 10 months old yesterday. She waves on a regular basis now... even to the phone! If we tell her to say "hi" to someone on the phone, she waves. Emma is also starting to get much better at holding her own bottles! She can easily pick them up and bring them to her mouth, but she struggles with tilting the bottle up. So, we lean her high chair back and she drinks most of the bottle before we help her with the rest.
Everything in Emma's world is "da da" right now. She will point right me or Susie and say "da da." I'm still waiting for a "mama" to come out.... But, the good news is that she at least recognizes people she should know even if she doesn't have the words to name them.
Emma and Susie are starting to play together more and they seem to get along pretty well, but they still have to be supervised while they play. Emma has learned to be gentle when she pets Susie, but she doesn't remember all of the time. Susie is enjoying the extra attention and treats she gets during and after play sessions with Emma!

Bell's Palsy Update

Emma will be 10 months old on Monday, so we are entering into month 10 of my Bell's Palsy recovery. My face continues to look normal when it's at rest, so that's good news. The bad news is that the nerve seems to have "cross wired" itself as it has healed. This has led to my left eye closing when I pucker and the corner of my mouth lifting when I raise my eyebrows. There are a few other "quirks" that aren't exactly right, but those are the two of the biggies. The other "issue" is the fact that the muscles in my cheek will clinch and stay that way for a long time creating a very sore face.
After finally having enough of that, I decided to look into more and/or differnent therapies. I went to a chiropractor/alternative medicine doctor last Tuesday for an evaluation. He claimed to have experience treating Bell's Palsy. I went on Friday to hear the treatment plan and have the first treatment. I was a little concerned when I wasn't getting a whole lot of straight answers to questions, but I thought maybe I was just being a little dense in understanding the holistic and homeopathic methods. Then we reached the end of our session and I was asking about anticipated results. The doctor then admitted that his best results came from treating people in the early stages of Bell's recovery (meaning his treatments aren't proven because many Bell's cases resolve by themselves in 3 to 6 months). When I repeated to him that my main concern wasn't appearance, but the cross wiring he asked me to show him the pucker. When I did, he laughed and told me it was cute. He then told me that the lift of my mouth when I raise my eyebrows wasn't noticeable.
I decided to not continue seeing this guy. If he is going to dismiss the things I am most concerned about, then he isn't the person I need helping me.
I found a list of exercises for long time recoveries on a Bell's Palsy website, so I am going to try that for now. If that doesn't help, then I may look into finding an occupational therapist or doctor who can help me learn the exercises needed to teach my facial muscles to do the things they should and not the incorrect movements.

6 below

The HIGH temperature today is supposed to be 6 below zero with a wind chill that makes it feel like 25 below zero! It makes me really glad that Emma and I don't have to go anywhere today.

Sled Ride

One of Emma's Christmas presents this year was a sled. This is not a sled for going down hill, it's a sled made for babies. You buckle them in a pull them along in the snow.
Well, since we got a TON of snow yesterday, we look Emma for her first sled ride. Unfortunately, we had SO much snow that it was hard to pull Emma along. I'm not sure if she had fun or not, but she sure looked cute all bundled up and chugging along.

Something New

Emma started doing something new on New Year's Day.... She has started trying to wave. It's so cute! She also continues to point when you show her pictures of people she knows.