tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47973824375028076742024-02-26T14:39:35.923-05:00BabyAndreaThe continuing story of Andrea's miraculous journey from NICU to home.BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-37169946653175654392024-02-26T14:38:00.001-05:002024-02-26T14:38:36.924-05:00Warning—Adulting in Progress. Happy 15th Birthday Andrea<p style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: times;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 5,478 of life. For the record, I asked ChatGPT to calculate that for me, and it didn’t include the three leap days that we’ve had. So, while artificial intelligence may take over the world someday, today is not that day. The 10.5-inch baby is now measuring 5’ 2”, although she constantly wishes to be taller. Nothing we say can get her to appreciate the almost 600% increase in her height since birth. I’m hoping that someday, she’ll see the perks of being petite.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrvJtD3fnyq6JyhC1hxjmRnXVQPsb8AtU9rd7Cyu_6h8YkbBTtaiOd55ttL9AIc2OzS_gAj6h4ESBF2avvrp0wfz_-XmcphVKLWl2pVKNG-6r_6S4zvQdQYrL77duD9NoKYgGuvycQAH4kdA9yKVAeFM5sBjeZ-UjrOU52x0CUDEkwhvw0MbdfJq7AoQ/s3584/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3584" data-original-width="2882" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrvJtD3fnyq6JyhC1hxjmRnXVQPsb8AtU9rd7Cyu_6h8YkbBTtaiOd55ttL9AIc2OzS_gAj6h4ESBF2avvrp0wfz_-XmcphVKLWl2pVKNG-6r_6S4zvQdQYrL77duD9NoKYgGuvycQAH4kdA9yKVAeFM5sBjeZ-UjrOU52x0CUDEkwhvw0MbdfJq7AoQ/s320/sign.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have a birthday picture to post. This is Andrea's door this morning.<br />Apologies to anyone who speaks Italian and finds all my translation errors.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In some ways, the past year was really eventful, but in others, it was just normal life. Between March and June of 2023, Andrea successfully wrapped up middle school. She had the opportunity to sing with the 8th-grade chorus at the Dorney Park Music Festival in Pennsylvania, which was a wonderful experience. (I got to attend as a chaperone!) The chorus sang for two adjudicators and the teacher was provided with feedback about their performance. (They were awesome, especially considering it was a crazy-early start to the day) After the singing, they got to spend the day at Dorney Park, (an amusement park in Lehigh County, PA, for the non-locals who read this). The year ended with the 8th grade trip to Hershey Park, in Hershey, PA. The event was overshadowed by the Canadian wildfires… for a while, it looked like the whole thing would be canceled, but they were able to pull it off. Andrea was happy to spend a day just hanging out with her friends. The middle school had a moving-up ceremony to celebrate the students' accomplishments. I cried a lot less than I expected to.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKfaIVnfXiQBM1MakIbP9VX2IcSShmmTtcJeN1yg_F2jWG0z3HAJ-ZWncFbn3qtzHOuD1v0LZFsOxeHwIpPJCz-USX599H3v1vQn7IpwTh1je0GzuaD3LLz7c2Pcxc8xX1-0GHocEWajBal6zdQqTAFe1yy7gsDE0JsOoymW2yKk24LYw7zsYdQ-6gQU/s4032/20230621_111721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKfaIVnfXiQBM1MakIbP9VX2IcSShmmTtcJeN1yg_F2jWG0z3HAJ-ZWncFbn3qtzHOuD1v0LZFsOxeHwIpPJCz-USX599H3v1vQn7IpwTh1je0GzuaD3LLz7c2Pcxc8xX1-0GHocEWajBal6zdQqTAFe1yy7gsDE0JsOoymW2yKk24LYw7zsYdQ-6gQU/s320/20230621_111721.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Middle School Moving Up Ceremony</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This past summer, Andrea had her first job. She has attended day camps since the summer after Kindergarten. From June until early August, she was a counselor in training, working with children ranging in age from about 6 up to 11 or 12. She found it to be a challenging experience but was willing to give it another shot this year, and has applied for a job at the same camp as a junior counselor. If she’s accepted, she’ll actually get paid, which is an exciting next step for her.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span>After camp ended, we took our annual vacation, this time to my favorite place in the world, Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It was definitely one of the best trips we’ve ever taken as a family and we got to enjoy everything the area has to offer. Andrea actually braved the Atlantic Ocean to swim - the water temperature was 62° F the day she went in. She also went kayaking with Ken and the brothers and we all enjoyed two boat trips - one a wildlife cruise, the other on a windjammer. And for us, no trip to Maine is complete without climbing the rocks at Pemaquid Point.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7esj-HXprtidAB8uVziO7SA9saFTKnZAVxTMXLsuMvnchAAOYUPPagQfY5Z9I_jh2OZWbQASNWGpZw35Zrvd9LX3CHjRoJvJixccauq6y8hrwAABjTV_zQ4rOuwD8XfCWAJz4r3ztTVkOK30Gs5TMfraYcHireGVhSBS8aW9oJ4gkWbjVfCXV3au_IVE/s3648/49721.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7esj-HXprtidAB8uVziO7SA9saFTKnZAVxTMXLsuMvnchAAOYUPPagQfY5Z9I_jh2OZWbQASNWGpZw35Zrvd9LX3CHjRoJvJixccauq6y8hrwAABjTV_zQ4rOuwD8XfCWAJz4r3ztTVkOK30Gs5TMfraYcHireGVhSBS8aW9oJ4gkWbjVfCXV3au_IVE/s320/49721.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was either right before, or right after, the kayaking</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDiWRK-LjLN9mrx_Vb-oiUP3W717pGSCTUCwaHHQ9vNJWrWcPWnuFsksBGpG-m6q6Xr4o1o7HEn2o-upBBOESxQOBsWOO8rI1Ma_9LQOEM4mpmERvi-2XVcRxBxJ8a1yLf-E-KG22OskQkfU5pO1GuC2FGXr-HwapZ_nJwyQ3PnKGbvccReOg1tZERBQ/s3405/Kayak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1765" data-original-width="3405" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDiWRK-LjLN9mrx_Vb-oiUP3W717pGSCTUCwaHHQ9vNJWrWcPWnuFsksBGpG-m6q6Xr4o1o7HEn2o-upBBOESxQOBsWOO8rI1Ma_9LQOEM4mpmERvi-2XVcRxBxJ8a1yLf-E-KG22OskQkfU5pO1GuC2FGXr-HwapZ_nJwyQ3PnKGbvccReOg1tZERBQ/s320/Kayak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's the kayaking. Andrea and Dad together</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvZCXo8gyKw83VN6opKd1wMwEDkEA3K3S4d_7qNhL7vvmyJRSbg9HbOXMyGuEyZwwWz-qKL5cPz5IDY4tNpoj2-3f_maOcCxCdkhGHGpxnsHzYoCQvpZvFHEhrYMqqc3fXYgfoibLDFz3FYEcwRbHXbmK-ZM-yfheyaRuDQdLURqyXESosOh2qGlBY-8/s4624/20230816_150712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvZCXo8gyKw83VN6opKd1wMwEDkEA3K3S4d_7qNhL7vvmyJRSbg9HbOXMyGuEyZwwWz-qKL5cPz5IDY4tNpoj2-3f_maOcCxCdkhGHGpxnsHzYoCQvpZvFHEhrYMqqc3fXYgfoibLDFz3FYEcwRbHXbmK-ZM-yfheyaRuDQdLURqyXESosOh2qGlBY-8/s320/20230816_150712.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the rocks at Pemaquid Point<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDmQrHb5oONuzBJ1Qlj3a15aHfnlGcUxHe8gPBBtKrxO20fmhqVGFOeW3XWUAL3IlHu25_2_HXV5zyL9cJjlQ4vdL1aRBfSZ8W5DQhpTMgpX1IhGmR2jEhyv4BUFUlSk0RHYJa9P13V7PiXX0dVEpXymwDLuWPPdBB_X3BWEgMbWnRhyphenhyphenVZp05dSCd3mc/s2602/Ocean%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2602" data-original-width="2292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDmQrHb5oONuzBJ1Qlj3a15aHfnlGcUxHe8gPBBtKrxO20fmhqVGFOeW3XWUAL3IlHu25_2_HXV5zyL9cJjlQ4vdL1aRBfSZ8W5DQhpTMgpX1IhGmR2jEhyv4BUFUlSk0RHYJa9P13V7PiXX0dVEpXymwDLuWPPdBB_X3BWEgMbWnRhyphenhyphenVZp05dSCd3mc/s320/Ocean%202.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Braving the ocean at Pemaquid Beach</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lp8u5LKrmY0VXR60xS22tasJt9DkxGPEj5A2T_aGWToAQoSNpo-sfewjVNJck74EFJcEtFHZjsVJNtv9UmPC-d5NwwxgaGbbvsX1654p8cXIyfPvvGoTU-hN5GdWupJ3Vyl99B024BI8Huk0NNR_875mij6ueCtqebiIVthmW_IVGN8n-6xRBnFzu64/s2888/Ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2683" data-original-width="2888" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lp8u5LKrmY0VXR60xS22tasJt9DkxGPEj5A2T_aGWToAQoSNpo-sfewjVNJck74EFJcEtFHZjsVJNtv9UmPC-d5NwwxgaGbbvsX1654p8cXIyfPvvGoTU-hN5GdWupJ3Vyl99B024BI8Huk0NNR_875mij6ueCtqebiIVthmW_IVGN8n-6xRBnFzu64/s320/Ocean.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're all crazy!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsYg9THRZEAhX9yzm9QH-Fa73Gtqt43ACJgvviKI6QKzmmQsUEdl1u3Fm3sVUM3WFLURlKKp1-9ubhgtIVeLb33hC954yfBzCvL8GS5Cpsoi_gtYD5X8nO1jUojLt2WZOlfJmglEoogRzyqw5aJZoMnzJ2D3d7cnnGY8zxTRg4aDM3Fg8ohV1eEsc7-8/s4624/20230817_162559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsYg9THRZEAhX9yzm9QH-Fa73Gtqt43ACJgvviKI6QKzmmQsUEdl1u3Fm3sVUM3WFLURlKKp1-9ubhgtIVeLb33hC954yfBzCvL8GS5Cpsoi_gtYD5X8nO1jUojLt2WZOlfJmglEoogRzyqw5aJZoMnzJ2D3d7cnnGY8zxTRg4aDM3Fg8ohV1eEsc7-8/s320/20230817_162559.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Windjammer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02AR9iSBGO8bs4shSZhKboxU3L9xXdpDZ1wbCgbojwpwQlexhZvU6wgJZFILyxdMsbTG_E2UZSqYhZibr-o3LJDcKhUoobuvaztDG5sSSe-zvKYXEl0nJ8nlAMdPCq9HBvMa6fw5rqmD1zydF0kyzr_b4CgZ7nolah0DxzU-uREs84BCbQ32AMWvMRsE/s4624/20230818_182639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02AR9iSBGO8bs4shSZhKboxU3L9xXdpDZ1wbCgbojwpwQlexhZvU6wgJZFILyxdMsbTG_E2UZSqYhZibr-o3LJDcKhUoobuvaztDG5sSSe-zvKYXEl0nJ8nlAMdPCq9HBvMa6fw5rqmD1zydF0kyzr_b4CgZ7nolah0DxzU-uREs84BCbQ32AMWvMRsE/s320/20230818_182639.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family dinner on our last night in Maine</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span>September brought the first day of 9th grade as Andrea started her last new school. Right before we went away, she decided to get a dramatic haircut. She’s had very long hair basically forever, and she made the decision to get it all cut off, into what she tells me is a “wolf cut”. It suits her so well and the shorter hair has made the mornings MUCH less stressful. Plus, she looks adorable.<span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBPdiFgCkNLfpz6jkZgIPy6EQwlPdyQYlEWqjgy0UbiyTrG0XwtXzZyLmnqEVZMpMH0b9mVOqghz99NkTsebkH1v6TlBAiyho7ybejQwN6dC9UjJAM9xI4iNOP_z4Gh6mtiNE0Pp_gzHZL-_rKuUX5_2H5-3xygGa0z0nGFJfluTpX1EdRTC_zUeWGLQ/s4624/20230803_173416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBPdiFgCkNLfpz6jkZgIPy6EQwlPdyQYlEWqjgy0UbiyTrG0XwtXzZyLmnqEVZMpMH0b9mVOqghz99NkTsebkH1v6TlBAiyho7ybejQwN6dC9UjJAM9xI4iNOP_z4Gh6mtiNE0Pp_gzHZL-_rKuUX5_2H5-3xygGa0z0nGFJfluTpX1EdRTC_zUeWGLQ/s320/20230803_173416.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new haircut</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5Zzoi4-0e9iofg6yHUMEMe0CBUN6CJOcLCTb2MRCr3rNEsGDYeKLIhfx2esShS9ReDE4V0Trnn-ZWwxJLMfLXIG_BzdZ9J4Wzh3qhAkcTutnXkKIVr8C19MQuqC1Nqj68s7DdWd_lmuOHspETGLnKA-3B3Vi4Bs4-qThdvz5mzCtxibFojtufV7SFDE/s3024/1st%20day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2611" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5Zzoi4-0e9iofg6yHUMEMe0CBUN6CJOcLCTb2MRCr3rNEsGDYeKLIhfx2esShS9ReDE4V0Trnn-ZWwxJLMfLXIG_BzdZ9J4Wzh3qhAkcTutnXkKIVr8C19MQuqC1Nqj68s7DdWd_lmuOHspETGLnKA-3B3Vi4Bs4-qThdvz5mzCtxibFojtufV7SFDE/s320/1st%20day.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Day of School</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span><span style="font-family: times; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span>She is taking Italian now, and loving it, forcing me to remember what I learned in the mid-to-late 80s so we can carry on a conversation. She’s also taking metal work, creating some beautiful jewelry pieces, and singing in the chorus. She’s joined a few clubs, including the stage crew for the school drama productions and a singing group called the Shirley Tempos. She has also continued with her ceramics work outside of school. Her art skills are amazing, but she’s her own worst critic. She has asked that I don’t show pictures of things she’s created. She’s very talented, but didn’t want me to post anything. Since she is a good sport about the rest of my blogging, I didn’t think it was worth nudging her on this point.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span>The fall passed in a blur with Halloween and Thanksgiving sort of getting squeezed in around the rest of our lives, and Christmas was its usual crazy family time. We cut our tree at St. Paul’s Abbey and Andrea took a turn with the saw. She still let the boys carry it back to the car </span><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">though. I think this was the first year that there were NO toys under the tree. Andrea wanted clothes, jewelry, cell phone accessories, and concert tickets. Next year’s birthday post will report on the experience she has at the Melanie Martinez concert this spring. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-i87IBUGZHoM8FYOOjAdr0AzPYmfdaaqzC7AzZ5vRokO5tcjOU3NVnoa1a414F2klKGwnyUoi1_tP0Qi3D0QoajBZ7QY_eQw1ep8kiDb9UWcumah1OyQn62OOTv22XL7_58EgamMuon9Wwo4cohEAbASDF4sG38WMlC5TIJlAMs6Gje2cwIR3txfRc/s607/tree.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="572" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-i87IBUGZHoM8FYOOjAdr0AzPYmfdaaqzC7AzZ5vRokO5tcjOU3NVnoa1a414F2klKGwnyUoi1_tP0Qi3D0QoajBZ7QY_eQw1ep8kiDb9UWcumah1OyQn62OOTv22XL7_58EgamMuon9Wwo4cohEAbASDF4sG38WMlC5TIJlAMs6Gje2cwIR3txfRc/w244-h259/tree.jpeg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting our Christmas tree</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span>Every year I’m thankful for every minute we’ve had together as a family. I’m grateful that there are still people who look forward to this annual post and follow Andrea’s story. When we were still in the NICU, one of her nurses told us that “someday, you won’t even think about this whole experience”. Ken & I thought she was crazy - we’re both scarred in some ways by having lived through the ordeal. But honestly, the nurse was right. Most of the time, Andrea is like every other person her age. She’s got a great group of friends, and a variety of interests, gets good grades in school, and loves her family. Once in a while, I have the opportunity to tell her story, and it feels like it was another life, or that it happened to someone else. We got so lucky with our outcome, and we’re luckier still in the person that Andrea is growing up to be. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-33fe3caf-7fff-d029-a802-ba2a7e757f75"><span style="font-family: times;"><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Buon </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">compleanno</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> bella </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Andrea.</span></span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tell me who wants to look back on their years</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">and wonder where those years have gone.</span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">~Garth Brooks, The Dance</span></p></span></span>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-2612328702909884802023-02-26T04:46:00.001-05:002023-02-26T04:46:47.343-05:00OMG! Fourteen Seems So Much Older Than Thirteen!<p style="text-align: justify;"> When I started this blog, Andrea was only a few days old. The first post was Sunday, March 1, 2009. I posted every day when she was in the hospital, then on and off for the first year or so. I made the decision to stop the intermittent postings and only put up one "year in review" on her birthday each year. I've pretty much followed the same format - "As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating X days of life." Well, it's 3:28 AM on Sunday, February 26th and I can't sleep. I finally gave up trying and decided I'd write out my annual celebration of Andrea a little earlier than usual. As I tried to gather my thoughts for today, I started thinking back to this date and time 14 years ago. We knew Andrea was going to be early. She was born on a Thursday - Wednesday night a few people from the NICU came to talk to me - a neonatologist and respiratory therapist for sure - maybe one or two others as well. The doctor gave me a lot of overwhelming data about what we could expect and how precarious the situation was. ("Every day inside translates to about a 3% survival rate!"). When I was originally admitted to the hospital, I naively thought I'd be there until 34 weeks and wondered how I'd manage away from home for so long. (I was at 25 weeks and 5 days when I got there). After talking to the NICU team, I was hoping to hold on to 28 weeks, which would drastically improve our odds of a positive outcome. I don't remember much about my time between that conversation and Andrea's delivery, but I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep soundly that night. It seems fitting, then, to be awake at this ungodly hour and write about our miracle. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSd2tmoSgQlSqfYqRXQlTDwIdACWTZAyagtclprpYfjSQmKOsLdAIyjzDrRUefGKqXnvQzNAiypAMv-oh5l6wfrVtHb-E8rvk33GLog1BXpblq-roWX4s0YhahJNwTaOBHPBxIG64K_NRCrx27AyA3jr0IfaQ_3w0-QxeBi6mVYvVFN5gq6aNkF7q/s4624/Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cake" border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSd2tmoSgQlSqfYqRXQlTDwIdACWTZAyagtclprpYfjSQmKOsLdAIyjzDrRUefGKqXnvQzNAiypAMv-oh5l6wfrVtHb-E8rvk33GLog1BXpblq-roWX4s0YhahJNwTaOBHPBxIG64K_NRCrx27AyA3jr0IfaQ_3w0-QxeBi6mVYvVFN5gq6aNkF7q/w240-h320/Cake.jpg" title="The tradition continues. Cake from @LastLicks in East Hanover" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tradition continues. <br />Cake from #LastLicks in East Hanover.<br />@LastLicks</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlfqnAMU5vq_hiMuoQ8_O-huzcNUcBU8cG9bI4llZtkVhHRYvxQFZByFxPDCxb5kTfm4pD7gET9r6gYYbdHKilgXIqs8q6Gqv3fDR0GINZENZQlPkHSS6Afx1gwgFtrL6j9N8kqG-bIk6WtnHOHDWXuz7JTz7gpO9xTyQM4zanc2wSd3zX_vJBiSf/s2388/CakeCandles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2388" data-original-width="1327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlfqnAMU5vq_hiMuoQ8_O-huzcNUcBU8cG9bI4llZtkVhHRYvxQFZByFxPDCxb5kTfm4pD7gET9r6gYYbdHKilgXIqs8q6Gqv3fDR0GINZENZQlPkHSS6Afx1gwgFtrL6j9N8kqG-bIk6WtnHOHDWXuz7JTz7gpO9xTyQM4zanc2wSd3zX_vJBiSf/s320/CakeCandles.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official birthday picture -<br />just taken one day early</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 5,113 of life. She is 5 feet, two inches tall (157.5 cm), or 15 times her length at birth. She is in 8th grade, and preparing for high school! She's continuing her study of French, Art, and Chorus (her true interests) along with the required academics of math, English, science, and world history. In choosing her classes for high school, she opted to continue French and chorus and has requested metal arts, which is a jewelry-making class. If possible, she'd skip the core classes and take nothing but art. Her talent continues to grow, both in her project art class and her ceramics class, but she has asked that I don't post pictures of her work. She is her own worst critic where her creativity is concerned, but I have to respect her request.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYISbnMvI9agdYS8uN83-q_SC38_TuDaPMPOt4Alejgg7KvK7hT8V55OUHMGXxnnN_iIDBMjRqGHncNCBWLnVWJpQLL7wLRDs1E1bO07pLGZSAOekazdk7bqdOWAqI-PZnO6THHR05JbvINnZdgnk-_XsGINbS29whbOCxEHBcG5jnsM9U5cTV2_Hk/s4032/1st%20Day%208th%20Grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYISbnMvI9agdYS8uN83-q_SC38_TuDaPMPOt4Alejgg7KvK7hT8V55OUHMGXxnnN_iIDBMjRqGHncNCBWLnVWJpQLL7wLRDs1E1bO07pLGZSAOekazdk7bqdOWAqI-PZnO6THHR05JbvINnZdgnk-_XsGINbS29whbOCxEHBcG5jnsM9U5cTV2_Hk/s320/1st%20Day%208th%20Grade.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Day of 8th Grade<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>For Andrea's 13th birthday party, she celebrated with her friends @MudClayStudios in Madison. </span><span style="text-align: left;">This is the place she attends her weekly pottery classes and I think she enjoyed sharing one of her passions with everyone. When she attends classes, Andrea does both hand work and pottery wheel, but for her party, all the guests made something by hand. The instructor threw a pot on the wheel that was then decorated with pieces made by her friends. It turned out to be a wonderful keepsake of the day, and I think everyone enjoyed getting a little dirty.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><span> We had a busier than usual spring since both brothers graduated from college: Kenny G from the University of Maine </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtBjsiDAold8T75VHVwqzw_HwXdmTKurdfB2NSKGk-cwNX7hwsn9wCDySeLTqyaugGt1vLRQgIcLN3x8Nz9ajN1z0VMrQUY5yvApZhqfnssGXAqr6bSeCw65lWJWRuz6kOcFRFMQMAF4CsBP3rnwkIyFr0PEBHvdbZ94OfPzKsHZVN7VS5aNg7y3p/s2576/KG%20Grad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="2576" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtBjsiDAold8T75VHVwqzw_HwXdmTKurdfB2NSKGk-cwNX7hwsn9wCDySeLTqyaugGt1vLRQgIcLN3x8Nz9ajN1z0VMrQUY5yvApZhqfnssGXAqr6bSeCw65lWJWRuz6kOcFRFMQMAF4CsBP3rnwkIyFr0PEBHvdbZ94OfPzKsHZVN7VS5aNg7y3p/s320/KG%20Grad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orono in early May is still chilly!</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><span>and Kenny C from The College of New Jersey (or "Trenton State" for the old-timers).</span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAFXuuxAmlODXvwwYebw9aBRCT8w259fMs1YdTv7DnonDDh2DIe5qh1ysHQvF1YI3sXv6qVrrrYMuyBQrwazaVMEALPzUtI8mSBBSsiPf_cp7fUGEX1hTh9BlRM7MlQxcFKDjrvz20KC0CCIb7uJAOIJ2mycBOqBDSAMN0Sd_lXgS5BoJf5m90x9V/s4032/KC%20Grad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAFXuuxAmlODXvwwYebw9aBRCT8w259fMs1YdTv7DnonDDh2DIe5qh1ysHQvF1YI3sXv6qVrrrYMuyBQrwazaVMEALPzUtI8mSBBSsiPf_cp7fUGEX1hTh9BlRM7MlQxcFKDjrvz20KC0CCIb7uJAOIJ2mycBOqBDSAMN0Sd_lXgS5BoJf5m90x9V/s320/KC%20Grad.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Jersey in late May is more pleasant!</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>Our vacation this summer was to Ocean City, MD, and Assateague Island. Unlike most of our other vacations, this one had a little downtime. We rode bikes on Assateague, and Andrea and the guys spent some time swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. They get along pretty well, considering the age difference. We managed to get a few pictures where they even look like they love each other.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc43x6WMIpmiZYXVnBsJB9xNdOaUeAdMuFJ4P6_xo0RqMSKmgNCY1XY9-r-Z-7jjtSjN_6ity3NzW1p2NLl8EsIzxFHY7MDHGUR8vpwbM24NGjwHNmmqB-ge4uTNsc3Q1MVk7qVy-UnQ-HCtWbj8YS26P_j4SyaJbNEd4JjmKIPhpl-1_FEhEZ_2z/s4032/Assateague2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc43x6WMIpmiZYXVnBsJB9xNdOaUeAdMuFJ4P6_xo0RqMSKmgNCY1XY9-r-Z-7jjtSjN_6ity3NzW1p2NLl8EsIzxFHY7MDHGUR8vpwbM24NGjwHNmmqB-ge4uTNsc3Q1MVk7qVy-UnQ-HCtWbj8YS26P_j4SyaJbNEd4JjmKIPhpl-1_FEhEZ_2z/w219-h291/Assateague2.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzFEWyg5EuKT9_w0nNjmoCjsJGvEY9221e6lZWhMxa-vvGLbm1BdEzVmzf6G3T8KxiuQO6WoZYvpqIOqK8EQg8HN_tIRS9Xl0HTnSR8RXDphuNsWeHXIPan95-u3wF1f0RJ2uH8EJtFMS1BzzknyM_bMtbhIe34rCyVG2R0C5h1uAFmHL_S3QUlOZ/s4032/Assateague.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzFEWyg5EuKT9_w0nNjmoCjsJGvEY9221e6lZWhMxa-vvGLbm1BdEzVmzf6G3T8KxiuQO6WoZYvpqIOqK8EQg8HN_tIRS9Xl0HTnSR8RXDphuNsWeHXIPan95-u3wF1f0RJ2uH8EJtFMS1BzzknyM_bMtbhIe34rCyVG2R0C5h1uAFmHL_S3QUlOZ/w237-h178/Assateague.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC4Pt07EiS2b0_gP-7PLDzeHZWvSuvPeiI1MS-lGgIq9DEHu9_LD4Whb7GJ9whKtc3aDHuk3pIFAJPMNYyFmGwldt32lQ605xMwFuvaSw4G-ESCb6pWT8OaXO0MMj-3NXGgbCL5IvZO2A5V5o3TCPeHzy-Um_L8Z5a8f0kw4veoXusLqL88L6qwdL/s4624/Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC4Pt07EiS2b0_gP-7PLDzeHZWvSuvPeiI1MS-lGgIq9DEHu9_LD4Whb7GJ9whKtc3aDHuk3pIFAJPMNYyFmGwldt32lQ605xMwFuvaSw4G-ESCb6pWT8OaXO0MMj-3NXGgbCL5IvZO2A5V5o3TCPeHzy-Um_L8Z5a8f0kw4veoXusLqL88L6qwdL/s320/Beach.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span> Last year, Andrea was thrilled to get her ears pierced. The novelty has not worn off - at last count she has about 200 pairs of earrings and thoughtfully chooses which ones to wear every day. Sadly, the new edition this year was not greeted with the same enthusiasm as the piercing. She got BRACES. We knew it was coming... both Ken and I had them, as did Kenny G, but Andrea had too many baby teeth to get them before this year. During the long Covid lockdowns, she actually lost the majority of the remaining baby teeth, and the few remaining were pulled so she could finally get started. She was NOT happy, although we tell her she'll feel better when the braces are off and she has beautiful, straight teeth.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoocfL3wTxld0fpslUQdWQqmRqH6Bp3I0cKf3vvXHmj9Rvz8J0VtPETiR7fZ6oxlzmZw-cMvw6ki553TLbxhRDHV9uGargrs4sHqTw_E7B-JIT-yUfipjuYTDxrTLZKVtBodWQw77q9DPcKRH7oG5l0urq6WLtaN_ETmxNyEY8CH2H-WQtstD8bV2/s4032/Braces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoocfL3wTxld0fpslUQdWQqmRqH6Bp3I0cKf3vvXHmj9Rvz8J0VtPETiR7fZ6oxlzmZw-cMvw6ki553TLbxhRDHV9uGargrs4sHqTw_E7B-JIT-yUfipjuYTDxrTLZKVtBodWQw77q9DPcKRH7oG5l0urq6WLtaN_ETmxNyEY8CH2H-WQtstD8bV2/s320/Braces.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least she can choose the band colors</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> Andrea continues her involvement in the Livingston Leaders Club and has been recognized twice by her schools as a "Lancer Jr. Leader". She is going to be a "Counselor in Training" at summer camp this year, and we think her experience with the Learders will help her in that new roll. She is growing into a kind, thoughtful, and caring young adult, and it makes us proud that her teachers often comment on that aspect of her character. She is a good student and works hard on her schoolwork, but she is more often recognized for her treatment of others. Unlike her mother, she has a sense of style (probably channeled from her aunts) and loves dressing for any occasion.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXwU5b60YSDf19jTitBzEBi5SFOzo6bZMzpFZ6SkciMo1ZGLAJwAvEiQlPVIz0KSmZpbKbiMrYVWgmvlxfPjkoZVa36TZsRc280okkmwXYMg1bvomAm0iqWhkWBoZQVVKpkPLFwHMwi6WQhJz9pgOFdRAkKIqIfhvW9HS-qv3ZbPq_ZTWgP8hwE86/s4032/Pride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXwU5b60YSDf19jTitBzEBi5SFOzo6bZMzpFZ6SkciMo1ZGLAJwAvEiQlPVIz0KSmZpbKbiMrYVWgmvlxfPjkoZVa36TZsRc280okkmwXYMg1bvomAm0iqWhkWBoZQVVKpkPLFwHMwi6WQhJz9pgOFdRAkKIqIfhvW9HS-qv3ZbPq_ZTWgP8hwE86/s320/Pride.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_j-NT7EZKsRcpuKB49McpBD2bxmGmggaE4FN6iyUZwPaem5RvX-KFaWrmvI95bD-5Z6PsbMHgeoG0Oq7BXtQQUhgHJzO33DsDAAVzgAQFSwHA8Z284PGSVKxcnafYHtQanEiazutkStmIStUavx0d1DcMkiflqV5Op3IjiNREHuX_36KHonQDBmWl/s4032/Pumpkin%20Picking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_j-NT7EZKsRcpuKB49McpBD2bxmGmggaE4FN6iyUZwPaem5RvX-KFaWrmvI95bD-5Z6PsbMHgeoG0Oq7BXtQQUhgHJzO33DsDAAVzgAQFSwHA8Z284PGSVKxcnafYHtQanEiazutkStmIStUavx0d1DcMkiflqV5Op3IjiNREHuX_36KHonQDBmWl/s320/Pumpkin%20Picking.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeeiq0yBv06iY7doAb0AGWXtO1Z4q9S0tEjufgAu4G7IxGrjvIIAR4ZKm8VAb_JFyFI5ktl-Ji8NewfryD6RcmmSAcp8tcaLbOWUXdJU8NWFalvFvu0LLkB7haltW-dhdaCBuNIjK9nnInSZzHFLwk5xUArfK_H28b8t1FkXmJjdwLpA6kFcIEPtS/s4608/Grammy%20Bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPeeiq0yBv06iY7doAb0AGWXtO1Z4q9S0tEjufgAu4G7IxGrjvIIAR4ZKm8VAb_JFyFI5ktl-Ji8NewfryD6RcmmSAcp8tcaLbOWUXdJU8NWFalvFvu0LLkB7haltW-dhdaCBuNIjK9nnInSZzHFLwk5xUArfK_H28b8t1FkXmJjdwLpA6kFcIEPtS/s320/Grammy%20Bunny.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span> In a lot of ways, this was a pretty uneventful year. Life is more normal than it's been since the pandemic began. When I started thinking about what to include this year, I felt like there wasn't much in terms of "big" news - We're kind of in a holding pattern as she finishes middle school. Looking ahead, I believe this next year is going to be one with a lot of changes, new experiences, and new challenges. As I lay in the hospital bed on February 26, 2009, I felt as if it was all a dream, or happening to someone else. Once Andrea was born and I saw her in the isolette in the NICU, I couldn't imagine ever bringing that tiny, fragile, delicate baby home. Somehow, time has passed, and this:</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX1b6scmVEMRFMVbt02Dxl-D6nvkwPKxap-cAzTgWeuWeVuIR4EUX8rMhjE7hX9c15azbcFhlZAaOVQoLBE4Qayppsw2YEUG1zkYk-FZsVuE8JRs1AHqsYpz4A8iRa_23GtjWortldx_zTy2VyaiQgZZdfki2YTUkkGpGoOLEFI2dJtMwPJvrO0wC/s640/Andrea%20007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX1b6scmVEMRFMVbt02Dxl-D6nvkwPKxap-cAzTgWeuWeVuIR4EUX8rMhjE7hX9c15azbcFhlZAaOVQoLBE4Qayppsw2YEUG1zkYk-FZsVuE8JRs1AHqsYpz4A8iRa_23GtjWortldx_zTy2VyaiQgZZdfki2YTUkkGpGoOLEFI2dJtMwPJvrO0wC/s320/Andrea%20007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>has become this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YfVHDbLtPHpMRnSoOvVwbsyKlgrwC5v1-2KR_jHWacPbrL_oJeQ0Pp_kZeCFpbSMSCBUrr-5hoMERfbjXjk2njHagblo1oqdp8SgZ3A_uH-gL_3o09Wf8qCh_NXdNCb3GHoVdLdqvxY9NmewGQV84ydNH-Q9ZenAqagQn4uWXV5wClFCjvhf6ApT/s2927/Thanksgiving%20Swans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2927" data-original-width="2112" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YfVHDbLtPHpMRnSoOvVwbsyKlgrwC5v1-2KR_jHWacPbrL_oJeQ0Pp_kZeCFpbSMSCBUrr-5hoMERfbjXjk2njHagblo1oqdp8SgZ3A_uH-gL_3o09Wf8qCh_NXdNCb3GHoVdLdqvxY9NmewGQV84ydNH-Q9ZenAqagQn4uWXV5wClFCjvhf6ApT/s320/Thanksgiving%20Swans.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and we are so thankful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.</span></h2></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></p><blockquote><span> ~ C.S Lewis</span></blockquote><p></p></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p></p>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-38799297435851475752022-02-26T20:03:00.002-05:002022-02-26T20:03:51.978-05:00Joyeux anniversaire pour tes 13 ans, belle Andrée! (Happy 13th Birthday, Beautiful Andrea!)<p><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1BV7JFKv1e5PhZ1YA3TleeH-uKnVtpFVEjBYjmgykAOSzutsmcNv5E9pu4j3iUz5j2lNaQOwBXQmyRiBglliRVbK4o2Z5esD2DBjWP4a-VXCajkrn_PvH1J8xxm1PMBbNhAu4m1ZEKWtR2lGloVjr9S_-LBTZZ5fRpV6oaeKK_HuFaBHAsD0sgNXz=s2959" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2959" data-original-width="1547" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1BV7JFKv1e5PhZ1YA3TleeH-uKnVtpFVEjBYjmgykAOSzutsmcNv5E9pu4j3iUz5j2lNaQOwBXQmyRiBglliRVbK4o2Z5esD2DBjWP4a-VXCajkrn_PvH1J8xxm1PMBbNhAu4m1ZEKWtR2lGloVjr9S_-LBTZZ5fRpV6oaeKK_HuFaBHAsD0sgNXz=s320" width="167" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>13 Today!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 4, 748 of life! She is in 7th grade; truly a "middle-schooler", and studying French, among other things. (Thank you Michelle Terzini-Hollar for the translation!) She enjoys French, Chorus, and "Project Art", a class that meets every other day during an enrichment period. She's less enthusiastic about Math (pre-algebra), history, and English, but she works hard and gets good grades. I think she's torn about being back in school full time. She enjoyed not having to get up so early and be dressed and functioning, whereas now she needs to be in the car before 8 every day. On the other hand, she gets to see actual real live people, (*cue Frozen - "For the First Time in Forever") and some classes are definitely better in-person. Not throwing shade at anyone for last year - we know that all teachers are doing their best. It's just been hard for everyone.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strike style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEir7Eo8B3626iGbIcQLBzUGPJW3b9Yv7epKH95cVgEi4nNS23jxNMj-hHKOMCWlAveXG0fK5xF6Z8Lm-qM2R-Gaf9ae2LLsbwBcus715bkhrTXlje7Ls9coah_QBghb035Qx3_5KMVrxrsmrHbRQqWVZvss4mlVJ8QrYO_zY9Eq97T7h7KY1klIbbwM=w240-h320" title="First Day of 7th Grade" width="240" /></strike></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i>First Day of 7th Grade</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>Just like last year, it's been a strange 365 days, (Thanks again, COVID!) so activities were limited. For her 12th birthday, we were able to rent a movie theater, so she and her friends were together, just distanced. Everyone got popcorn and drinks, but we sent the kids home with cupcakes instead of having cake in the theater. She is continuing to take ceramics classes at a local studio, improving her use of a pottery wheel and doing a lot of hand building. She was also able to go back to summer camp and made some great new friends while getting out of the house for a while each day. Because of the isolation of quarantine, remote schooling, and social distancing, Andrea got her first phone. It seems like a big rite of passage, especially since we were planning to hold off until 8th grade. It made a difference, being able to text her friends, even when they couldn't safely see each other.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgncrJjXy-SFZBt0TrFYNRI8kH30xC5fwVvNRmvCRUaD_NWuMeJl2dIntJ0bUBNW0zpHynXc_ZodDMIESGttfv9lZN_cuCQg_IlTmn8NtolH5qdmOKhR1AlcWzDlY8euQb9TkpzGynqE636UOq4tcAb8w0J8dawDDZBw1ywauARDRIhevhCenSUZ8Qk=s4000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgncrJjXy-SFZBt0TrFYNRI8kH30xC5fwVvNRmvCRUaD_NWuMeJl2dIntJ0bUBNW0zpHynXc_ZodDMIESGttfv9lZN_cuCQg_IlTmn8NtolH5qdmOKhR1AlcWzDlY8euQb9TkpzGynqE636UOq4tcAb8w0J8dawDDZBw1ywauARDRIhevhCenSUZ8Qk=w469-h263" width="469" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> The big news was the acquisition of PIERCED EARS this fall! I think she would have liked to get them done sooner, but that was something else derailed by Covid. Many places were closed, or we just didn't feel safe going. We had an awesome experience at Pleasurable Piercings in Hawthorne - no fainting or other drama. Andrea is anxiously awaiting the time when she'll be able to change out the starter earrings for something different, which should be any day now.</span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibwbctEovS8bAi74EI1DLJjeaGiYKUxhsLpjPu-UOUgMNeM-CaZ9kcKQTZtufjf0cDVOs8L9h2r8WdwU_tWyU_T9auZ3jSJrfhZDRggOY8IknsSSvF3esTWu_qktzM6Qf2ngiWFhb752i3fDudrk56GcCQH2D5xlT40fVI1t1dTHIfLT2xGVHIqSVB=s4096" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibwbctEovS8bAi74EI1DLJjeaGiYKUxhsLpjPu-UOUgMNeM-CaZ9kcKQTZtufjf0cDVOs8L9h2r8WdwU_tWyU_T9auZ3jSJrfhZDRggOY8IknsSSvF3esTWu_qktzM6Qf2ngiWFhb752i3fDudrk56GcCQH2D5xlT40fVI1t1dTHIfLT2xGVHIqSVB=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> This summer, our family vacation was to Tennessee. In an effort to be as Covid-safe as possible, we drove down, opting to avoid crowded airports and planes. The guys were able to take turns at the wheel, but poor Andrea had a 12+ hour car ride with few distractions. She bore up like a trooper! No trip to the Volunteer State is complete without a stop at Dollywood, of course. Andrea is now tall enough to ride EVERYTHING, and she seems pretty fearless. Luckily, Daddy and Kenny George are also pretty fearless, so Mommy was spared the roller coasters and other crazy rides. We also visited Great Smokey Mountain National Park and stood in Tennessee and North Carolina at the same time. We did an escape room in Gatlinburg that was a ton of fun, and Andrea was really able to help solve the clues. We went to the Aquarium of the Smokies, which is interesting because it's the only aquarium we've been to that's not on a coast. Andrea the Brave also rode the mountain coaster along with the big guys, while Mom stayed firmly on the ground.</span><br /></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMv9xIAhIrCO5LCGuW-DbXv-OhteCsRF_t7zzT8gOo6Pnv7buupIFRGQXsRvupMfuOtTlaH03vQCKisVl0RznI1W0rXai1yDph2tE2MliiDq7rsCCvs0_tez21I0uMPNJqHvkWAndxCFNl1Q0g82dACI4KwdpUsUrLoKdjZiBj0Mn-xib9OQjc48RH=s4096" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMv9xIAhIrCO5LCGuW-DbXv-OhteCsRF_t7zzT8gOo6Pnv7buupIFRGQXsRvupMfuOtTlaH03vQCKisVl0RznI1W0rXai1yDph2tE2MliiDq7rsCCvs0_tez21I0uMPNJqHvkWAndxCFNl1Q0g82dACI4KwdpUsUrLoKdjZiBj0Mn-xib9OQjc48RH=w189-h251" width="189" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span> Andrea is still participating in the town's Leader's Club, but it's been modified again for safety. They're meeting only in the fall and spring when they can be outside. Many of their activities have been curtailed also - no bingo at the senior center, for example, but they had a food drive in the fall and I'm sure they will have other events when they pick up again in April. I love her involvement in this group because she gets to associate with people she doesn't necessarily see in school. It's a chance for her to work with different people and learn to interact with a variety of personalities.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span> Andrea is still a Harry Potter fan, although she's moved on to some other things now. However, we recently visited Harry Potter: The Exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Mom and Dad came along with us, and we made a mini-vacation out of the trip. We got to sort ourselves into houses, with Andrea being a proud Hufflepuff as usual. I, of course, was my normal Slytherin self. We got to play Quiddich, replant Mandrakes, cast spells, and mix potions, all while earning house points. Here is Andrea sitting in Hagrid's chair.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgruGYn1d3FAxfdLW1fAtbAySMyCVwtEy0bv4_jqTy2kkZlK-FHsSttt5hATEMOENi7DchH31cTgaMK0lc4522q0juq9MkrYQm4ypQLDKbzQeuCCy7Y_cHt4ZkJ_LMre1D88T6uH4TVUlG9zf7uVWeGm8SvjJLPGNowz1gzkMzfN96lUqhjuKwI9Tgf=s1403" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgruGYn1d3FAxfdLW1fAtbAySMyCVwtEy0bv4_jqTy2kkZlK-FHsSttt5hATEMOENi7DchH31cTgaMK0lc4522q0juq9MkrYQm4ypQLDKbzQeuCCy7Y_cHt4ZkJ_LMre1D88T6uH4TVUlG9zf7uVWeGm8SvjJLPGNowz1gzkMzfN96lUqhjuKwI9Tgf=s320" width="240" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span> We also went to the Museum of the American Revolution, which was an amazing stop. It opened in 2017 and is worth a visit if you happen to be in Philly. They have George Washington's original war tent on display, along with some really interesting artifacts from the revolutionary period. Much to our surprise, this museum was Andrea's first choice of where to go. Unfortunately, it was a quick trip, and we didn't have a chance to visit any of the art museums. They are high on her bucket list for the next time.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>We took an Amazon Explore trip to Paris today. For years, Andrea has been interested in France, and anxiously awaited the time that she'd be able to learn to speak French. We spent an hour being guided around some of the major sites in Paris, then had a French-themed meal to wrap up the day. Cheese fondue, followed by beef and chicken, and ending with chocolate! Of course, no birthday in our house is complete without a Last Licks cake. Thank you, Danielle, for another amazing creation!</p><p><span><span><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRvb1Ubo7nSeLQbitRNE_FltEkF6iqrjcR1Xi14yPEJT9tEBGwpptQnW5YmmD2RVLgD82PTnMosK_r_JH3vgMnT_dOYiyEs_HDGSSR6s8cgowZqjR8gGLT5Duo_vCMMdQ-7NUQ5zui0Pl9TU-Rco6jN9XL7WGjxF72Hk6LAAZFFVwGnAuw6mMJYaLP=s4096" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRvb1Ubo7nSeLQbitRNE_FltEkF6iqrjcR1Xi14yPEJT9tEBGwpptQnW5YmmD2RVLgD82PTnMosK_r_JH3vgMnT_dOYiyEs_HDGSSR6s8cgowZqjR8gGLT5Duo_vCMMdQ-7NUQ5zui0Pl9TU-Rco6jN9XL7WGjxF72Hk6LAAZFFVwGnAuw6mMJYaLP=s320" width="240" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">If you need an ice cream cake, you can't go wrong with <a href="http://lastlicksicecream.com/" target="_blank">Last Licks</a>!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>Every birthday is a milestone, but somehow, 13 seems momentous. When she was born, a lot of people didn't expect Andrea to come home from the hospital.No one came right out and said that, of course, but it was understandable. When I started this blog, I also didn't expect to still be writing it (albeit less often) 13 years later. We're grateful that Andrea has continued to thrive and equally grateful that people care enough to still follow her story. I hope she continues to provide inspiration to others.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span><span><span>Photo HIghlights:</span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-5sx1gFnQdhNaxvMTai5xmeRo4IIoQtTrUayhqpa9sGtlvIMJ2BpMwvHYP6a66bKa80DkVnjsQt9OYESDkCTtDqtRasNvwDNP7GYCFN9NX_tgOpHONiM9bI99hAXS3X7d4Su0ceYsrX2aUORF3SQ5UwdafKGFPvmaeyy8UGkfWWDf16mpZTbgMj2y=s2887" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2887" data-original-width="2165" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-5sx1gFnQdhNaxvMTai5xmeRo4IIoQtTrUayhqpa9sGtlvIMJ2BpMwvHYP6a66bKa80DkVnjsQt9OYESDkCTtDqtRasNvwDNP7GYCFN9NX_tgOpHONiM9bI99hAXS3X7d4Su0ceYsrX2aUORF3SQ5UwdafKGFPvmaeyy8UGkfWWDf16mpZTbgMj2y=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd8Mf1xeehR0-TkU1w-tsQLsy1fh4ivTDVkYuGB7MLzzMaVpUG_eseDfHmfv1UardPcfC0_4zLuQKZ7Byo4-o-fedbcBkDDec61dikLXsCC_hqIPVSja9GIE5sgp_t40TFSY8BYhdt1_ZqvW5OJ5dly0Pn7tW5g4WJx2opD4PhjnMPgAoL_RXx1RZ_=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd8Mf1xeehR0-TkU1w-tsQLsy1fh4ivTDVkYuGB7MLzzMaVpUG_eseDfHmfv1UardPcfC0_4zLuQKZ7Byo4-o-fedbcBkDDec61dikLXsCC_hqIPVSja9GIE5sgp_t40TFSY8BYhdt1_ZqvW5OJ5dly0Pn7tW5g4WJx2opD4PhjnMPgAoL_RXx1RZ_=s320" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1lokdudxV-SYatKZcr4ZjAslFX2c8mmLjgfMhuEqCDgtyRU02fYbAVteI89n9t9crX2l1lTEazc_iZizsboy8-h5lvkz-n08ER8U8RVCafUCL8ZAV9-OIcoYsClvd5WUIX5_f6NgaYQMor9_U26VFAfUXObv9HrLsuAdJ1aMrWhMRvF1317VZ1VD2=s2657" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2657" data-original-width="2465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1lokdudxV-SYatKZcr4ZjAslFX2c8mmLjgfMhuEqCDgtyRU02fYbAVteI89n9t9crX2l1lTEazc_iZizsboy8-h5lvkz-n08ER8U8RVCafUCL8ZAV9-OIcoYsClvd5WUIX5_f6NgaYQMor9_U26VFAfUXObv9HrLsuAdJ1aMrWhMRvF1317VZ1VD2=s320" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span><span><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjISXLcBSpSFUAWngXzMEEZnuDRfjwylDt1gpR3PSKVZ9WNVRsfMraxhMwwt8md_d5YD34KEMKh63xLD2RqItGuhYMgcE7T02Wofpdrd9U4CWHY5s-R2rHP4XLpVL4Uf2uQtarNHv5QtFfm92s7576Ok0Qc-ZEPgMMSFc0_sJByrHkjPcBLBVnDgFTx=s1783" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1783" data-original-width="1393" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjISXLcBSpSFUAWngXzMEEZnuDRfjwylDt1gpR3PSKVZ9WNVRsfMraxhMwwt8md_d5YD34KEMKh63xLD2RqItGuhYMgcE7T02Wofpdrd9U4CWHY5s-R2rHP4XLpVL4Uf2uQtarNHv5QtFfm92s7576Ok0Qc-ZEPgMMSFc0_sJByrHkjPcBLBVnDgFTx=s320" width="250" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>"As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful."</p><p>~ Laura Ingalls Wilder</p></blockquote><p></p>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-83424768816609594242021-02-26T16:16:00.002-05:002021-02-26T16:31:13.162-05:00The last "Pre-Teen" Birthday. Happy # 12 Andrea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1g1D68DEvEvgm5eSK4R_hFdesU1NDvPj8veZj7zlJobxA3R1HWN6y7woludwSVSdOFmKfBBJoLD9zLA6QkwmQFTdR_Acv5VQnDUDSV6W1wYucBkPfAzTIIZJq9rIxCNvhn2_5RaTpg/s2048/IMG_20210226_152843042_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP1g1D68DEvEvgm5eSK4R_hFdesU1NDvPj8veZj7zlJobxA3R1HWN6y7woludwSVSdOFmKfBBJoLD9zLA6QkwmQFTdR_Acv5VQnDUDSV6W1wYucBkPfAzTIIZJq9rIxCNvhn2_5RaTpg/w370-h494/IMG_20210226_152843042_HDR.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 4,383 of life. She's 4 feet 11 inches tall, and occasionally borrows MY snow boots if hers are too wet. Granted, they're too big for her, but not by much! (She's wearing her own in this picture)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for everyone, this has been a strange year thanks to COVID. As a result, we don't have as much to share as previous years. I'll recount the highlights, such as they were, but it's been a challenging time for many.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The original plan for Andrea's 11th birthday was a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That did NOT happen (thanks Covid!) but Grammy (Beautiful Andrea the First) and Pa stepped in and she had a painting party with her friends at Color Me Mine, before everything shut down. Of course, the entire theme was Harry Potter. At the time of the party, COVID wasn't even a thing in the US yet, so we assumed we'd still be able to take our trip. Given how the year turned out, we're so grateful that she had the chance to celebrate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8fLkztQbzQ4P6Q20yP5bYAgNYfUvrthEjqocqYqhEONWbNQm713N1Jpy_BqEtThivBi2CANdVNAxDOL7pY8Fej6kXI6hyphenhyphen9h-yb7TZVTE3I23fYjTjHVRQOL95MjwEZchYbMjOvttyUY/s2048/11+BD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8fLkztQbzQ4P6Q20yP5bYAgNYfUvrthEjqocqYqhEONWbNQm713N1Jpy_BqEtThivBi2CANdVNAxDOL7pY8Fej6kXI6hyphenhyphen9h-yb7TZVTE3I23fYjTjHVRQOL95MjwEZchYbMjOvttyUY/s320/11+BD.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p>Andrea participated in an enrichment class called TREP$ last spring. It is an entrepreneurship program where students learn about product design, manufacturing and marketing. She worked with a friend to create stress balls and slime (big seller among the elementary population), which were then sold at the school's TREP$ marketplace. They made a profit, so everyone went home happy, except the parents that now had slime in the house, thanks to my kid.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBll-PjtGCH48EDPgt1gDGFMeP3xgJzrWdMmLVubNfORre7eBDi1kmjnDPb6KNnGk7Boh2MiZrAcQUQYLMfWvPU4w-6L8wlW-meD59qgggyIHIANPLyxamFrPdBVOKdsopaDScZv2x9o/s2048/IMG_20200311_180131308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBll-PjtGCH48EDPgt1gDGFMeP3xgJzrWdMmLVubNfORre7eBDi1kmjnDPb6KNnGk7Boh2MiZrAcQUQYLMfWvPU4w-6L8wlW-meD59qgggyIHIANPLyxamFrPdBVOKdsopaDScZv2x9o/s320/IMG_20200311_180131308.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Last year was Andrea's final year in elementary school. Usually, there are all kinds of fun things for the students, which of course didn't happen. The staff and PTO did the best they could, but it was so sad and bittersweet to say good bye without being able to say good bye. The PTO purchased some memorabilia for the students and her teachers made home deliveries. It gave us a chance to say a socially distanced THANK YOU, and for Andrea to pass along notes that she'd written. We've been connected to that school since 2007, so it was hard!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-EXjuMcV7nG27G40F5WMlpeZPeyMq7e4YWB_DWId5vK8anVtTxNSeKUVnJPIvqXEgKvHh9ozRRQFz7QatWevIjBBl96oS0SvSSgWWVrvRbKNaWC3IxaZljSD9Lb32yqqGguSVryRrUA/s2048/IMG_20200724_173854567.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-EXjuMcV7nG27G40F5WMlpeZPeyMq7e4YWB_DWId5vK8anVtTxNSeKUVnJPIvqXEgKvHh9ozRRQFz7QatWevIjBBl96oS0SvSSgWWVrvRbKNaWC3IxaZljSD9Lb32yqqGguSVryRrUA/s320/IMG_20200724_173854567.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>For the first time ever, we took no summer vacation, and Andrea didn't go to camp. We didn't even join the town pool. We had a low-key few months at home, making use of the back yard for visits with the family.</p><p><br /></p><p>In September, Andrea started MIDDLE SCHOOL. Like many places, her school is not full time in person. She currently goes in for two half day sessions per week, and the rest of her classes are remote. Luckily, Ken is able to work from home, so she's not alone in the house. She's been able to have some new experiences though, even with the challenges of remote learning. In the fall, she had a Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) class, where she learned some basic cooking and sewing skills. Her culminating project was to cook a full meal for the family. Of course, we had to go over the top, making a full-blown Italian meal: Lasagna, meatballs, sausage, sauce, broccoli, and garlic bread. Dessert was apple crisp. Not Italian I know, but we all like it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYxvNCudHdvNKNtxi-1WKttb83VXEegwby44yR33MfB5OhxUdPiEHXi19kitWgRzp7lVumd67R8BDJ0xzQTxKKuZi1ubfVA5FBjxOMXdY9E5Zlbv2F6IsPoHlaoYk_FZNGj_ss8CNCMs/s2048/IMG_20201018_134254859.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYxvNCudHdvNKNtxi-1WKttb83VXEegwby44yR33MfB5OhxUdPiEHXi19kitWgRzp7lVumd67R8BDJ0xzQTxKKuZi1ubfVA5FBjxOMXdY9E5Zlbv2F6IsPoHlaoYk_FZNGj_ss8CNCMs/s320/IMG_20201018_134254859.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfJYE6haDbslDxBmL-Bx9-WFoWVa188Sc0wPPFwlNkn3Id1PEEZpXGrhfT7hVMlfIZw6NQLbhaLo6BN-dGFGObOcKqxgNLRZtgxty2HySGF9Mr8eSHEK-2Gre9gG8WgNnN2wjYexUWQ0/s2048/IMG_20201024_195602998.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfJYE6haDbslDxBmL-Bx9-WFoWVa188Sc0wPPFwlNkn3Id1PEEZpXGrhfT7hVMlfIZw6NQLbhaLo6BN-dGFGObOcKqxgNLRZtgxty2HySGF9Mr8eSHEK-2Gre9gG8WgNnN2wjYexUWQ0/s320/IMG_20201024_195602998.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>She's also been able to take a computer business applications class, and general music. Shortly, she'll get to have technology (which is STEM based, as opposed to computers) and Art. These are cycle classes that change after about 35 days. She's also learning French, which she's been excited to do for a long time. If I had to guess, FCS was probably her favorite class, but French is a close second! She abandoned clarinet after last year, but continues to sing in the chorus. They're able to meet weekly on Zoom, and managed to perform one song live for the parents in January, also on Zoom.</p><p><br /></p><p>She belongs to a town club called Livingston Peer Leaders. They normally meet monthly, but they've transitioned to twice a month, but only when the kids can be outside. The focus in the group is on community service projects and charitable giving. They've gone to senior homes to play BINGO with the residents (pre-Covid) and made cards for service members. It's been one of her few social outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>She recently started a pottery class and is learning to use a pottery wheel. She continues to be very interested in art and frequently spends her time drawing or painting. She also loves to write, and is working on a novel. Yes, a novel. At last check, she had written over a hundred pages, typed. I am not allowed to read it, but Ken gets to see every chapter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdArYLcDd8r0Ye1rAquCjfzf3YOWbTsj62l28eMsXRkx6XDMzel03hio922gn7NPcVle6DvVvBXP9sbl4beHrRPZHJqyv_ZmCSEsWvLHI5EZ7Ir0xwDQjSdWNoDt_0yb8Ky7X_lfJB6kg/s2048/IMG_20200526_093624390.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdArYLcDd8r0Ye1rAquCjfzf3YOWbTsj62l28eMsXRkx6XDMzel03hio922gn7NPcVle6DvVvBXP9sbl4beHrRPZHJqyv_ZmCSEsWvLHI5EZ7Ir0xwDQjSdWNoDt_0yb8Ky7X_lfJB6kg/s320/IMG_20200526_093624390.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In no way was this year what anyone wanted for their families. Ken and I are proud of how well Andrea has dealt with the stressors of being home so much. She misses her friends, who she really can't see. She does like not having to get up and dressed so early every day, and LOVES getting to be home with Charlie, the dog, and Jeremy, the cat. I think having them for company has made things a little less awful.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhfdHNMt4HZBwaXykB6I6LRWBLl2jxBe8sCOySsgT55lMeaq0UWkNwxfELzqU7Zkyv08peiG-Yggv9tWtspmiMzovRRX9HLn6Z6m_oNOkyYEkQap7XB1kQ_NjSOjzLygiccq-3GuClK8/s2048/IMG_20200912_101400858_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhfdHNMt4HZBwaXykB6I6LRWBLl2jxBe8sCOySsgT55lMeaq0UWkNwxfELzqU7Zkyv08peiG-Yggv9tWtspmiMzovRRX9HLn6Z6m_oNOkyYEkQap7XB1kQ_NjSOjzLygiccq-3GuClK8/w387-h516/IMG_20200912_101400858_HDR.jpg" width="387" /></a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote>"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."<div>~ Robert Brault</div></blockquote><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-1725973472138200282020-02-26T17:25:00.000-05:002020-02-26T17:29:55.199-05:00In the Wizarding World, 11 is a Big Deal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 4,017 of life. Conveniently, we had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, so we have an “official” height of 57 inches. She’s more than five times her birth length!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14px;">In keeping with my new policy from last year, I won’t post her weight. However, according to the doctor, her BMI is “perfect”, so she’s all caught up with her growth.</span></div>
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The big news from last spring is that Andrea has mastered a two-wheeled bicycle. (Redundant, I know, but I mean without the training wheels).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She struggled for a long time, trying to learn to balance without the extra wheels.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ken is a saint, and spent hours outside with her, in the nasty weather of March and early spring.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Almost every day after school, they were up and down the block.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She was determined to learn, and she finally mastered the bike!</div>
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I’m not sure if I’m grateful or not, but Andrea’s 4th grade teacher got her hooked on the Harry Potter series.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One day, Mrs. Carabello sorted the students into the Hogwarts houses, and Andrea fund up as a proud Hufflepuff.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>For my readers who are not up on their Harry Potter knowledge, Hufflepuffs are “just and loyal” and “patient….true and unafraid of toil.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s a pretty accurate assessment of Andrea - I’m wavering on the “patient” part, but she is loyal and hard working, and a kind person.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She’s worked her way through all the books (we’re on the second reading of The Order of the Phoenix now) and has seen all the movies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her upcoming birthday party is 100% Harry Potter, and we’re taking her to The Wizarding World at Universal Studios in the spring.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The 11th birthday is a big deal in the wizarding world.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorted into Hufflepuff</td></tr>
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It’s a weird thing to say, but at the age of 11, we’re still trying to help Andrea find her passions. It seems that many of her friends have found their niches. On the other hand, I’m 50, and I’m not sure I’ve found MY niche! She’s tried a lot of different things, but there hasn’t yet been something that sparks her.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She’s musical, playing clarinet in the band and singing in the chorus at school.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She does love art, and can draw well. She seems interested<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in interior design, helping pick curtains and furniture for our house, and negotiating paint colors with Ken. She has tried a lot of sports, from soccer, to softball, to gymnastics, but there hasn’t been anything she’s loved.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We pushed swim lessons for safety, and she does swim well, but prefers to play in the water, instead of swimming laps. (Do any kids LIKE swimming laps???)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea's drawing of Jeremy, our new kitten</td></tr>
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She did another summer at Camp Discover at Fairleigh Dickinson University last summer. She had fun on mismatch day, and enjoyed the trips to Medieval Times and Frozen on Broadway. We also took a Carnival cruise for my birthday. It was Andrea’s second cruise, and this one featured “Seuss at Sea.” We had Green Eggs and Ham and took our pictures with Sam I Am, Thing One and Thing Two and The Cat in the Hat (of course). Andrea also did Build a Bear and BINGO, even winning $100 during one game.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She did a great job at giant Jenga too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mismatch day at Camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Build a Bear on Carnival</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nose Spoons for everyone on Carnival</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdqXcnfUACXBtdVYAdO32coux7ckLr_AYGzZvnU8rjfyPRLPfJD4k9oi0V7xG-eExhWYAbXPP_XBjqamUtF3SbPVBP1NL7w_QIKKEfPSnMz3rMj-wmj5376J1JT81Zzp4XPzyWtcjB-8/s1600/IMG_20190814_185343865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdqXcnfUACXBtdVYAdO32coux7ckLr_AYGzZvnU8rjfyPRLPfJD4k9oi0V7xG-eExhWYAbXPP_XBjqamUtF3SbPVBP1NL7w_QIKKEfPSnMz3rMj-wmj5376J1JT81Zzp4XPzyWtcjB-8/s200/IMG_20190814_185343865.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8vXQxue08sQGMYEWPHayUPpFlXgMKQ9g5Vv3MSgTAxOlG5qh6Bia_XswA42RL2ZsOlv932tkbW6o43cz28GbfpUY5CX18R3Gxp6RWZs-wWhZ8hozactMpHwUsqse0Ol4HmA_COXdQPY/s1600/IMG_20190814_185407286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8vXQxue08sQGMYEWPHayUPpFlXgMKQ9g5Vv3MSgTAxOlG5qh6Bia_XswA42RL2ZsOlv932tkbW6o43cz28GbfpUY5CX18R3Gxp6RWZs-wWhZ8hozactMpHwUsqse0Ol4HmA_COXdQPY/s200/IMG_20190814_185407286.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnival Jenga</td></tr>
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5th grade has been a good experience so far. It’s her last year in her current school - she’ll transition to a “middle school” next year. To prepare the students for switching classes all day next year, the kids do a little bit of it this year. Andrea gets to see different teachers for Social Studies and Science, and has Math and English with her homeroom teacher.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of 5th Grade!</td></tr>
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In the fall, we went back to Maine to visit Kenny G at college.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The highlight for Andrea was the pool (outdoors, in Maine, in late September - too cold for me!) and having BUTTERBEER we got from an ice cream vendor. I wasn’t kidding about the Harry Potter obsession.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She actually dressed up as a Hufflepuff student for Halloween. Three friends filled the roles of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin for trick-or-treating.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pool was TOO COLD for Mom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterbeer in Orono</td></tr>
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Another favorite activity is baking. For Pa’s 80th birthday celebration, she made and decorated cupcakes. She’s progressed to the point where all I do is put things into the oven and take them out when their done. She does all the measuring, mixing, pouring and decorating herself. She is always happy to help me, too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Most recently, she made cinnamon rolls from “The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.” We’ll be making chocolate frogs and chocolate wands for he Harry Potter party. These are Pa's birthday cupcakes. Although his birthday is in August, we celebrated in November, so she went with a Christmas theme.</div>
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It’s hard to believe that another year has passed. We’ll never know how Andrea might have been different if she’d been born closer to her due date. But anyone meeting her now for the first time<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>can’t tell she had such a dramatic entry into the world. I get such pleasure from telling her story because we know there is a happy outcome. She continues to be an inspiration to others we meet who are embarking on their own preemie journeys. When she was born eleven years ago, we were looking for reasons to be hopeful. Today, Andrea has become the reason for others to hope.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea's birthday poster. This will hang on her bedroom door until she's 12!</td></tr>
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"You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens." </div>
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~ Mandy Hale</div>
<br />BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-23795838661768284132019-02-26T13:36:00.000-05:002019-02-26T13:36:46.518-05:00Double Digits! Happy #10 to Beautiful Andrea the Second!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 3,652 of life. She measures 54 inches or 137 centimeters tall. Out of consideration for her entering the "tween" years, we decided to stop posting her weight. Even though she's fine and a completely normal weight for her age and height, we figured most young ladies would prefer to not have their size posted on the internet. She is channeling some of her relatives (not her mom) and has become very interested in what she wears. We've graduated from princess dresses and stretch pants to ripped jeans and Uggs. This is Dr. Seuss week at school, so we were limited to red and blue today (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) so this is probably not completely her outfit of choice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf09TfqFjLbxtEKEVJmBSQbBQwKcSgInS9yDtasAyFmKhDuh0BdQKSk4gzOVvO1lirZahuz047NRn7k0HUicmZRfPuTP8NHKFBWmWna0tGXAQyjQoXhhYR47wfAVf182qLBzaQTH5UWA/s1600/clarinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="598" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf09TfqFjLbxtEKEVJmBSQbBQwKcSgInS9yDtasAyFmKhDuh0BdQKSk4gzOVvO1lirZahuz047NRn7k0HUicmZRfPuTP8NHKFBWmWna0tGXAQyjQoXhhYR47wfAVf182qLBzaQTH5UWA/s200/clarinet.jpg" width="150" /></a>Andrea is now in fourth grade, which is a big deal, at least to the kids themselves. It's the year they can start a musical instrument, and Andrea opted for clarinet, following in a long(-ish) family tradition, going back to her great-uncle Alan (as far back as I can go) and both Uncle Stephen and Aunt Margaret. I pulled for a brass instrument of any kind, but I lost that battle. She had her first concert in January, playing with the beginner band and also singing with the chorus. I do wonder if she likes to sing because she subconsciously remembers all the songs I sang in the NICU. She did a great job in the concert and looked so grown up in her (Bergenfield) black and white. And we've got a token red headband to complete the ensemble.<br />
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Andrea continues to love writing and drawing. She's always got some kind of art project going, or she's writing a book or keeping a journal. She has a wonderful imagination that she uses to design all manner of blanket forts. Sometimes, I think she'll wind up as the host of an HG TV home show. She likes to discuss the merits of subway tile for a backsplash or point out which colors should be used on Fixer Upper. Currently, she wants to be an artist when she grows up. I'm not sure if that's a more or less risky career move than being an author. But we want her to follow her passions, so we'll see where they lead.<br />
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Last March, Charlie joined our family as Ken's birthday present. Andrea LOVES having a dog more than I would have thought possible. For his part, Charlie is a good sport, tolerating being dressed in a robe at Christmas, having Andrea join him in his bed, and generally being mauled by her on a daily basis. I think it's helped her to have Charlie since both her brothers are away at college for so much of the time.<br />
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She had her first broken bone this year. I wish there was a cool story to go along with it - Ideally, it would have been a skiing injury or something, but in reality, she tripped on the playground and landed badly. She was a trooper throughout the whole thing, especially when she got to choose the color of her cast (again, Bergenfield red and black!) and all her friends got to sign it. Fortunately, the cast was off before summer kicked off, so she didn't miss out on any of the fun!<br />
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This year was also Andrea's first time on an actual horse (instead of a pony). At an incredibly awesome birthday party, she got to ride the horses, took a trip in a horse-drawn wagon, and play with a very tolerant donkey. She had a good time, but luckily this didn't lead to a request for riding lessons or a horse of her own!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-iJN6mPcXcPxK3z87jH9GZsgoAU1KKWpc8fTEvhga8L0CB_xxLZppgcpCM4b38VlJYUzJyDzX-X_Fi3J2KUoS8rblQn569FKyHTX7EqZCXl_8-8q2p5V4Vd4Y1Ixz3io4HEnaCSzcls/s1600/pemaquid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-iJN6mPcXcPxK3z87jH9GZsgoAU1KKWpc8fTEvhga8L0CB_xxLZppgcpCM4b38VlJYUzJyDzX-X_Fi3J2KUoS8rblQn569FKyHTX7EqZCXl_8-8q2p5V4Vd4Y1Ixz3io4HEnaCSzcls/s200/pemaquid.jpg" width="110" /></a> In August, we moved Kenny George into college in Maine and took a side trip to Boothbay Harbor on the way home. Even in August, Maine is not usually very hot, but Andrea found the guts to swim in the ice water that filled the hotel pool. Daddy actually went in too - I bravely stayed out to take pictures. Andrea has never met a pool she doesn't love - the water temperature is irrelevant. On the same trip, we went whale watching. Despite seeing NO whales (they must have missed the memo about the tour coming) Andrea stayed on deck with a pair of binoculars, scanning the ocean for any sign of wildlife. We saw LOTS of seagulls, but not much else. No Zimmerman trip to Maine is complete without a stop at Pemaquid Point. My whole life, I loved climbing on the rocks and looking in tide pools, and I made sure to take Kenny when he was young. This was Andrea's first trip to the Atlantic Ocean that didn't involve a sandy beach. I wasn't sure what she'd think, but after a few minutes, she was running along the rocks and looking in the tidepools. In the beginning, she wouldn't touch anything, but she even overcame her resistance when she found some tiny snails. They were mostly periwinkles and mussels, but she approached very tidepool with excitement. She also climbed the lighthouse with Daddy. Again, I bravely remained on the ground for photo ops.<br />
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When I look at this miracle, I can't believe this has been my life. In some ways, the past 10 years seem to have taken a lifetime to elapse. In others, I feel like it was yesterday that I had to tell Kenny that his new sister was the size of a pound of butter. And I remember him thinking that was pretty big. I also remember our amazing nurse, Kerri, telling me that I wouldn't think about the NICU every day, and I thought she was crazy. How could we ever NOT think about the NICU? But she was right. On certain days, I play "remember when", and I still love telling her story, but it's not the first thing that comes to my mind when I see her. People meeting Andrea for the first time have no idea what the beginning was like.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First picture on the original blog - March 8, 2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Andrea we have now. How did we get so lucky?</td></tr>
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I wanted to say thanks...and share my gratitude for everything I've been blessed with. Family, friends, and continued support from everyone.</blockquote>
~ Travis BarkerBabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-16666100809773070052018-02-26T13:25:00.000-05:002018-02-26T13:25:31.374-05:00She's # 9 and Feeling Fine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday Outfit for School Today</td></tr>
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As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 3,287 of life! She tipped the scales this morning at 63.1 pounds, or 28,622 grams, 65 times her birth weight. She measured 52 1/2 inches tall, exactly 5 times her length at birth. When she was born, I took to Blogger to keep the interested people up-to-date on her story. In the intervening nine years, technology has changed so much that most of her day-to-day happenings wind up on FaceBook! However, since there are some people who don't "do" FB, or who may not be connected to me that way, I've decided to continue posting here, at least for a few more years. It is kind of nice to have the year in review all in one place. Let's see how long before she demands I stop writing about her!<br />
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I usually like to start with a picture from her birthday party, or something similar. Among the girls in her circle, this is the year of the ROLLER SKATING PARTY. Many of her friends have had their parties at the rink, so she'll be doing the same in a few weeks. Santa even brought her her very own rollerblades for Christmas. I admit to loving the skating parties. I flash back to the 80's, and I have vowed to put on a pair of "quads" for the party. I figured it was time to start embarrassing her...let her get used to it now before she's a teen-ager.<br />
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Andrea spent another summer last year playing softball with Daddy as a coach. She likes it well enough but doesn't love it. Most likely, this was her last summer, since we'd rather not push her if she's really not crazy about the sport. She's still taking swim lessons at the Y, and just starting learning to ski. We have NOT had a good winter for the skiers - Andrea got one lesson in, then the second was canceled due to lack of snow. We're hoping for enough cold weather to get in a few more classes before spring, but I'm not optimistic! She's also expressed an interest in learning tennis, so getting her started there is Daddy's next assignment.<br />
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After a few weeks at Camp Discovery again, we went on our first family cruise. Andrea loves traveling (just like Grammy!) so is usually happy to go anywhere at any time, but she LOVED being on the ship! We went to Bermuda, but I think Andrea would have been fine never getting off the boat. She loved the pool, of course, but also the never-ending ice cream at the buffet. Her favorite thing was the Pullman bed that came down from the ceiling of our cabin. If we could install one in her room at home, I think she'd be in heaven. While on the cruise, we went snorkeling. As much as Andrea likes the pool and even the ocean, she didn't love snorkeling. I think the mask was hard to get used to. She and I just wound up swimming around while the guys looked at fish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to snorkel on the cruise</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Stuffed Peppers<br />
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She's still Mommy's girl in the kitchen - and getting more and more independent. If I play this right, I might soon be able to stop cooking entirely. She doesn't like the oven - if she's baking she leaves that part to me, but she's getting proficient at decorating desserts and she likes to experiment. For Halloween, she made jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers. She did all the carving herself, and helped stuff them. Sadly, she won't eat most of the healthy stuff she cooks with me - she eats almost no meat, no matter how it's prepared. However, she has yet to meet a cookie or cupcake she won't try!<br />
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She's also decided that she's big enough to scoop out her own Halloween pumpkin. You can see from her face that she was not a big fan of the insides. She wasn't interested in trying the roasted seeds, either. We wound up putting everything outside for the squirrels and deer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq32Zdhyphenhyphen6_Eh2GjtBSBYxMu7hWT80SRJsRLLzM61jRXFnQobY3IDRQbEbKaSA1XhT2MskLqXMY217UrN8Vwu_CATRJod_YoOfJzxDSY6MaoF4-pvAO43OJl1fujGwuhFHeXMdMGP-aSWs/s1600/Pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq32Zdhyphenhyphen6_Eh2GjtBSBYxMu7hWT80SRJsRLLzM61jRXFnQobY3IDRQbEbKaSA1XhT2MskLqXMY217UrN8Vwu_CATRJod_YoOfJzxDSY6MaoF4-pvAO43OJl1fujGwuhFHeXMdMGP-aSWs/s320/Pumpkin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the "guts" from her pumpkin<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea is still a fashionista and is lucky to have several women in her life who love to dress her. She has strong ideas about what she wants to wear, and we've learned to let her run with them, as long as she's dressed for the weather! She does enjoy getting dressed up and will change at the drop of a hat. She plans her outfits well in advance for special occasions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">In September, she began THIRD GRADE, which is a huge big deal, at least in New Jersey. It's the year of cursive handwriting, multiplication tables, and the dreaded RECORDER. (All my music teacher friends are laughing at that, and all my friends with elementary school children are commiserating). She likes her teachers and school in general, but she prefers writing to just about everything else. She doesn't love to read, although she's happy if we read to her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">She continues to be very artistic and enjoys making arts and crafts. She is always drawing, writing or designing something. She LOVES to watch all the home shows on HGTV - and she critiques the designers all along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We have been continually blessed by this child. Most people who meet her now have no idea what her start in life was like. She is mostly a happy person, but boy, she does have a temper at times. I have to own that one...she got her short fuse from me. She has a great sense of humor and the most infectious laugh. What an interesting nine years it has been!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Thank you, as always, for taking the time to keep up with Andrea. We continue to be grateful for everyone who shares her journey - regardless of where they got on the train!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it."</span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: small;">~ Dennis P. Kimbro</span></blockquote>
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BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-13120577244096590202017-02-26T20:42:00.002-05:002017-02-26T20:47:58.329-05:00# 8 and Doing Great!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating 8 years, or 2,922 days, of life. Thank you Google for providing a "date difference calculator". She's now 48.75 inches tall and weighs 54.2 pounds, or 24584.71 grams (we've never forgotten the original weight of 450 gm). Quite an improvement from the beginning!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This past year has been utterly normal. Andrea played softball on the Livingston Penguins Little League team, with Daddy as one of her coaches. She likes fielding better, but she's got a decent swing and was able to connect with a pitched ball (as opposed to using a T) She had a great year in first grade, and has really made strides in reading and math. She continues to LOVE writing - we are inundated with books that she's written, many including tables of contents and "About the Author" pages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She spent another summer at Camp Discovery at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She got to spend several weeks in a variety of activities from Science and World Cultures to art and drama. Every two weeks was the camp show, and it was great to see how her self confidence had grown since the previous year. She was singing and dancing her heart out - and of course Mommy was tearing up the whole time. They took several fun field trips, finishing out the summer at Aladdin on Broadway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Andrea loves being in the kitchen with me. We bake a lot together, and she likes to help cook supper. She's started doing some decorating on her own. For Daddy's birthday last March, she decorated a piece of her birthday cake for him. In the picture below, she's piping the words on the cake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfUxR3DygGEmayeeaLTRloD7E9ddmVl_RcBTsoqdSkDa50ZWmKUuiF-n41Fsgt9HQ-aQVnoAkz666c0tKbgRiNnrhhH-v83tFLMfp-HbOgCJbXvw1_T29J73QjMzKvVnJUgCf-uO3JSY/s1600/Decorating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfUxR3DygGEmayeeaLTRloD7E9ddmVl_RcBTsoqdSkDa50ZWmKUuiF-n41Fsgt9HQ-aQVnoAkz666c0tKbgRiNnrhhH-v83tFLMfp-HbOgCJbXvw1_T29J73QjMzKvVnJUgCf-uO3JSY/s320/Decorating.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Below is a writing piece that came home from school in April. I had to share what Andrea wrote: (all spelling, grammar and punctuation are hers)</div>
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"I'm lucky because when I was a baby a Dr. saved me from diing. But now I'm 7! and I'm just know I am going to have a great life. I'll tell you about the 1st stuffed animal I got. It was a big bunny but it was not big it was small but I was smaller then it was when I was a baby. Her name is bunny. I will grow up to be a good person!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQiNssTLv205o2FLFEUrYtM_PTgIreHnAw5D18OsOTJ-w4F39T1TtpVOYxCy0XkEwEIrYwQl-HVgV4bzSB-Fc4Hjjh64fzRZS1aJTt4Z0jSJHhtNuNxl_zif7J6LaRy5YMXzlv97LHdQ/s1600/Writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQiNssTLv205o2FLFEUrYtM_PTgIreHnAw5D18OsOTJ-w4F39T1TtpVOYxCy0XkEwEIrYwQl-HVgV4bzSB-Fc4Hjjh64fzRZS1aJTt4Z0jSJHhtNuNxl_zif7J6LaRy5YMXzlv97LHdQ/s320/Writing.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDoO0WtF1RBkytNYtj7MRIN5Dls0ShxgVhpxkxJ1DySM3YLgt-lCfgIhrBrgL9xUYH9OvAj3BxsLSZreMmATkhGhbxniqRal5mSlmqa9lhVsHtJg23uBtW_qbRR-MZGFqS82rXuA6tio/s1600/Sanibel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDoO0WtF1RBkytNYtj7MRIN5Dls0ShxgVhpxkxJ1DySM3YLgt-lCfgIhrBrgL9xUYH9OvAj3BxsLSZreMmATkhGhbxniqRal5mSlmqa9lhVsHtJg23uBtW_qbRR-MZGFqS82rXuA6tio/s200/Sanibel2.jpg" width="112" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">More Sanibel beach</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMb-O_F_gOrfwUvis78EMJMkkKpeRe-Z3Syk5xOCaI7_XZkFVbElqwKTqhzW3bBqRrr8Kg98SuvIngNyNeqblAoGJkDih1ZbFdv9IQir0zMjVMZx3qrmP9aILwPbmS8o-J8aiGWXy7B0/s1600/Sanibel1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMb-O_F_gOrfwUvis78EMJMkkKpeRe-Z3Syk5xOCaI7_XZkFVbElqwKTqhzW3bBqRrr8Kg98SuvIngNyNeqblAoGJkDih1ZbFdv9IQir0zMjVMZx3qrmP9aILwPbmS8o-J8aiGWXy7B0/s200/Sanibel1.jpg" width="112" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">On the beach at Sanibel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last summer, Andrea went on her first plane ride, for our family vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. Despite the fact that Mommy is a TERRIBLE flier, Andrea was enamored immediately. She loved the experience from beginning to end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once we actually arrived at our home away from home, I think Andrea had the best vacation of her life. She loves the ocean and we were within walking distance of the Gulf of Mexico. There was beach time every day! Andrea also LOVES seashells, and Sanibel is famous for the shelling. I think her luggage was ten pounds heavier on the trip home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While on Sanibel, we all went on a fishing trip. (Shout out to Captain Paul! <a href="http://www.captainpauls.com/">http://www.captainpauls.com/</a>) Everyone caught something, except Andrea, who didn't want to fish. She DID get to drive the boat though. If you're ever in the vicinity of Cape Coral, FL, call Captain Paul. It's a great time!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea at the wheel of Captain Paul's yacht.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">September marked the beginning of second grade. Andrea was excited to be in class with some old friends, and she made some new ones too. She was a bunny for Halloween. Bunnies are her current obsession - her best friend is Spot, a hideaway pet she got for Christmas two years ago.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Pumpkin picking with one of the "brudders"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hYUtdaZyaRXjkdmKIZnwtauGlpaSUujhnkHvZFfNrfsq0NAqyEpB-YQ17whnVW7c8vkvPO4TlCNlohp8Or1EI9AIKcKgIE2JCtajuBvEatUIwC8VcImG7LR3n9Y1kTIMqvfG6FmETNQ/s1600/Pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hYUtdaZyaRXjkdmKIZnwtauGlpaSUujhnkHvZFfNrfsq0NAqyEpB-YQ17whnVW7c8vkvPO4TlCNlohp8Or1EI9AIKcKgIE2JCtajuBvEatUIwC8VcImG7LR3n9Y1kTIMqvfG6FmETNQ/s320/Pumpkin.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea with her pumpkin</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH42kqj-XqvBvFSQ4IjvcNVOgAyX9VmurQE-CcaNH_3c9Zd0UgOWd4SX46APBnRgmXu5fmBqqcNFzcTBBZk3gafb6hUGuHJLsgcQLKhewkAWyKSaaIW72n9YPLdX0i48PE24kCQzz5KSA/s1600/A+and+S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH42kqj-XqvBvFSQ4IjvcNVOgAyX9VmurQE-CcaNH_3c9Zd0UgOWd4SX46APBnRgmXu5fmBqqcNFzcTBBZk3gafb6hUGuHJLsgcQLKhewkAWyKSaaIW72n9YPLdX0i48PE24kCQzz5KSA/s640/A+and+S.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea and Spot playing Headbanz</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At Christmas, Andrea reprised her annual role of "angel" in the St. George's Christmas pageant. She got glasses in November, which completely changes the way she looks. She's the second angel from the left, looking the part! She's gotten better about learning the words to the carols and was actually able to sing along this year.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQhib2Y02IcP-n2OsJQ8Pe6vi8H4weB4H1gHCPp6sLsw_ygY6Br6xcSDXrjZ23dzziIElEf3hAWr9dNKxK_Nq_jdBTo-N0ybynrE1gSxBHb1ouBc2SqlKN8yMTnyr7cLrh9gPwyIOm_A/s1600/Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQhib2Y02IcP-n2OsJQ8Pe6vi8H4weB4H1gHCPp6sLsw_ygY6Br6xcSDXrjZ23dzziIElEf3hAWr9dNKxK_Nq_jdBTo-N0ybynrE1gSxBHb1ouBc2SqlKN8yMTnyr7cLrh9gPwyIOm_A/s640/Christmas.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Christmas 2016</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Sa88U_jdBszeEmfSw_KeoTodz2wh38VvwN-VpZHbCAInCuXtCoz5KZBWdzKIm-ImBP4NJRHVmiXL5syDJOBG_PqoTxCYq-LRya4DzLhyn0FXhgSCUeEGxGVVJaGhBtEFFVwfa-mV_g/s1600/Gingerbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Sa88U_jdBszeEmfSw_KeoTodz2wh38VvwN-VpZHbCAInCuXtCoz5KZBWdzKIm-ImBP4NJRHVmiXL5syDJOBG_PqoTxCYq-LRya4DzLhyn0FXhgSCUeEGxGVVJaGhBtEFFVwfa-mV_g/s320/Gingerbread.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea with her gingerbread house</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She began taking karate classes in the after school enrichment program, and earned her yellow belt in December and her orange belt in February.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsJa4hjV0Ou8xEWuvO3fbJuVOhAMtQkGR5q0X2mIan2meFH0XzMLoVXl6A_N3vgJhxM6-3ptYOBLVmmZhHhbMDAVp9Q8SE4VPp2sBRD7puEPrGePQKl6tndSqnvn4mUr0jTA5YGVl5zo/s1600/Yellow+Belt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsJa4hjV0Ou8xEWuvO3fbJuVOhAMtQkGR5q0X2mIan2meFH0XzMLoVXl6A_N3vgJhxM6-3ptYOBLVmmZhHhbMDAVp9Q8SE4VPp2sBRD7puEPrGePQKl6tndSqnvn4mUr0jTA5YGVl5zo/s320/Yellow+Belt.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea broke the board with her hand for yellow belt, with her foot for the orange. (No picture of the orange one)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />We had a pretty decent snowfall a few weeks ago and Andrea is a LOVER of snow. Kenny George went out in the piles with her, and they built a snow bunny. She was out for hours and was finally forced inside by the sunset.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWKC7U8IP0_k8m50SqljOq1JS_liawhY_wHBJB137-WBmQdmxd61Tl30VtqC2Vgp78FaWOOi8v0OO4GE61bBiqyV5xHPCgp1mHxoNs8_88A1T2cm6kzz4u7X8SNPiPXFOZdcl-7sDdgw/s1600/Snow+Bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWKC7U8IP0_k8m50SqljOq1JS_liawhY_wHBJB137-WBmQdmxd61Tl30VtqC2Vgp78FaWOOi8v0OO4GE61bBiqyV5xHPCgp1mHxoNs8_88A1T2cm6kzz4u7X8SNPiPXFOZdcl-7sDdgw/s320/Snow+Bunny.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Andrea, the "other brudder" and the snow bunny</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To end her 7th year, Andrea had her longest-ever sleepover at Grammy and Pa's house. Mommy and Daddy got to enjoy three nights away, and Grammy and Pa are still standing! It was a milestone in a lot of ways - three nights without at least one of us around was a new experience for Andrea. She loved every minute of it - I'm not sure she missed us much at all. She went on a shopping spree, got to eat out A LOT and spent a few hours at Chuck e Cheese. When you're the youngest in the family (both our nuclear family and among all the Zimmerman cousins), you don't get a lot of "alone" time. Andrea gets dragged to a plethora of sporting events, concerts and other things, so it was a huge treat for Andrea to have Grammy and Pa all to herself.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you, as always, for taking the time to keep up with Andrea. So far, she doesn't mind that I continue to tell her story. I'm sure sooner or later she'll make me stop, but I'll keep going as long as I can.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As always, I have to end with a quote. I saw this one as a meme on Facebook, but I wasn't able to track down the original source. (Google let me down on this) So, for now, I'm attributing it to Anonymous - if anyone knows the correct citation, let me know and I'll update.</span></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Life is a series of tiny miracles. Notice them. ~ Anonymous</span></blockquote>
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BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-54384492102991263462016-02-26T10:31:00.000-05:002016-02-26T12:47:09.008-05:00Lucky # 7 for Beautiful Andrea the Second!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oMe6b0wXk25iKRm3S8LkAa9LEbKTyTwFDo-57xOMktthXe51GSxFQ3j0KowqgEzfKIJZDzx76Ap0WAeG2Y5gjC3wsnqhQIw8GBLG09GvQxtFIVqY0mOA7YceSGMM3VH3u5EYafFvEdg/s1600/2016022695075341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oMe6b0wXk25iKRm3S8LkAa9LEbKTyTwFDo-57xOMktthXe51GSxFQ3j0KowqgEzfKIJZDzx76Ap0WAeG2Y5gjC3wsnqhQIw8GBLG09GvQxtFIVqY0mOA7YceSGMM3VH3u5EYafFvEdg/s320/2016022695075341.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is officially 7 years old and celebrating day 2,557 of life! She is 45 inches tall, and weighs 43.7 pounds, or 19,822 grams. I wonder at what age she’s going to insist I stop posting her weight.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdn2JulyWpgvJ3-4YRO658zn-lS8KfPiwQhKv5KbnnG59_jq1FsHeXg7oxDHBYNFYTdrCe0xRRM2g63N83gY8v3uhNWtvTtdUC8hCEQNNkNNfE2lOZKYNJSZaBsZmynUSNJz9pwz8zGs/s1600/20150821_144957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdn2JulyWpgvJ3-4YRO658zn-lS8KfPiwQhKv5KbnnG59_jq1FsHeXg7oxDHBYNFYTdrCe0xRRM2g63N83gY8v3uhNWtvTtdUC8hCEQNNkNNfE2lOZKYNJSZaBsZmynUSNJz9pwz8zGs/s320/20150821_144957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you can see from her outfit above, Andrea continues to explore her personal sense of style. Generally, if she is dressed appropriately for the weather, we leave her to her own devices. I need to teach her to do her own hair - she's still dependent on me for pony tails, pig tails or braids. Ken has just about mastered the pony tail.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpYn8oH6brACFvtB4LyJdQFAIWfaiGqtf__nTPbZddUcEePq5pRkZ6S87Klxg8pooLsIEpsFLpE6dUXqq5AA5iLwmgrRcB56FydxvMvBd6VopaTZJ6m7e1o8y-j6A_j7aX-Q41iccaPo/s1600/sewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpYn8oH6brACFvtB4LyJdQFAIWfaiGqtf__nTPbZddUcEePq5pRkZ6S87Klxg8pooLsIEpsFLpE6dUXqq5AA5iLwmgrRcB56FydxvMvBd6VopaTZJ6m7e1o8y-j6A_j7aX-Q41iccaPo/s320/sewing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e72ab56c-1e2c-6730-8dd3-b06328492573" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have had a blissfully average year. Andrea finished Kindergarten in the local public school, still without any modifications or accommodations to her curriculum. She played softball on the Livingston Ladybugs team, which is designed just for Kindergarten girls. She played with some friends from school, but also made new friends. Ken was one of the coaches, which made him happy as well. Unlike when Kenny was young, the girls don’t use a T… they start right off hitting pitched balls. She’s already registered for this season, but now we’re on to real “Little League”. We’ll see how she does.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XNPCRyrqbevsRFq4njTiXWxONtwdgG4S9THpurx0SG70RQxtRndabkhEhaXygmyxFQzr1wiCEYt-7wLTzb8C0TD4WB68QBUv_2ArN6QTpSFwaFvQXuTRNAOKwXXNKHsBcrWXBm4r0zA/s1600/summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XNPCRyrqbevsRFq4njTiXWxONtwdgG4S9THpurx0SG70RQxtRndabkhEhaXygmyxFQzr1wiCEYt-7wLTzb8C0TD4WB68QBUv_2ArN6QTpSFwaFvQXuTRNAOKwXXNKHsBcrWXBm4r0zA/s320/summer.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the summer, Andrea attended day camp at a local college. Kenny George went for years, and now goes back as a volunteer, (until he’s old enough to work there) so he was around to keep an eye on her. On the second day of camp, she lost her first tooth. (While trying to open a Pringles can with her teeth!) The tooth fairy paid a visit and left $5 – which is actually pretty low by local standards, according to Andrea’s friends. The best thing to come out of camp, from my point of view, was she really learned to swim. We’d had her take lessons at the local Y for a few seasons, but she never got over her fear of the water. Well, in camp it finally clicked. She became like a fish – she goes under water, jumps in from the sides, doggy paddles around and generally wears us out. Gone are my days of watching her in the baby pool and staying dry.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4b739CFpV9b4FjuSjrfED3DulQmd_-GHUc_s6X-l5nJBxSkeor_tQOWMS7tqu1DgCdH6c29bJOQPvo2_zKo9-5_Re_WSbaGJLeDSeCiwSRKJPaC9a-xNHtjSeLIN06ODE233rtbK058/s1600/sand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4b739CFpV9b4FjuSjrfED3DulQmd_-GHUc_s6X-l5nJBxSkeor_tQOWMS7tqu1DgCdH6c29bJOQPvo2_zKo9-5_Re_WSbaGJLeDSeCiwSRKJPaC9a-xNHtjSeLIN06ODE233rtbK058/s320/sand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also in camp, Andrea got to attend her first Broadway musical. They saw Aladdin, which she enjoyed. They also took trips to the local zoo, Medieval Times, and the Intrepid Museum in NYC. Every other week, she was on stage for the camp productions, where she sang and danced with her group. When Andrea was a toddler and we’d watch Kenny in the shows, I knew I’d lose it when she finally made it onto the stage. And I was right. The music started and the tears followed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuIl8PGQbuRJ43DJkXL-4jlnX7EaV5ZL9_hSxMTdFDHW_QyNHZLDYw8ztHUR79LmR8OJIxaxJon04YuTimjlybEvpfVK8VvUO3D2GV42vUV63XRyvLulx05iiE_i4xNPOhmcJvhTfjbs/s1600/CandyCane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuIl8PGQbuRJ43DJkXL-4jlnX7EaV5ZL9_hSxMTdFDHW_QyNHZLDYw8ztHUR79LmR8OJIxaxJon04YuTimjlybEvpfVK8VvUO3D2GV42vUV63XRyvLulx05iiE_i4xNPOhmcJvhTfjbs/s320/CandyCane.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After camp ended, we were off for a family vacation to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. We’d gone there when she was 2, and it was amazing to make a trip back with her so much older and bigger. She has mostly inherited Kenny’s fearlessness…. She went on every ride she was tall enough for, and cried over the ones that she couldn’t try. That’s not to say she loved them all – Escape from Pompeii really freaked her out (there’s fire and brimstone all over the place) – but she tried everything out. We spent a day at Water Country USA, which gave Andrea another opportunity to demonstrate how fearless she is. She went on as many water slides as she could. We tried taking her in some of the “playground” areas, but I think she generally found them too tame.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46UkKcstUPSKhaoBTp0HuKSRsC43lBW4k-gcIrrx__QyEtkfLb9ZdzJJ5XXzTzqH7edqIHlNVe-d5p8RdaMYwTaFYw2eKqlYR-yuO3bfiFH-W8PFKzgi6POHOffUMDWrQF4w7nspTueA/s1600/canon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46UkKcstUPSKhaoBTp0HuKSRsC43lBW4k-gcIrrx__QyEtkfLb9ZdzJJ5XXzTzqH7edqIHlNVe-d5p8RdaMYwTaFYw2eKqlYR-yuO3bfiFH-W8PFKzgi6POHOffUMDWrQF4w7nspTueA/s320/canon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The condo we stayed at had a pond right outside our unit, and every morning Andrea started the day feeding the ducks. (Despite all the “Please do not feed the ducks” signs) It was so funny to watch - she’d open the sliding doors and the flock of ducks would come waddling up the grass. They were SO noisy! In typical Andrea fashion, she was very worried about the ducks when we left. After all, who would feed them now that she was gone?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHOCSIUH5c9VkGeZhG7qLU8pb4pEjjpSQbllyIac8xmxytFeWeAx3CYgAlcLWqmXM7OA7WSJfiaPHaB38b2L0RwipuZ4LJ4gjyKeB0dngPrwQGNxNo022dlVjRyJ-i3RN_xh68JxR6Y8/s1600/Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHOCSIUH5c9VkGeZhG7qLU8pb4pEjjpSQbllyIac8xmxytFeWeAx3CYgAlcLWqmXM7OA7WSJfiaPHaB38b2L0RwipuZ4LJ4gjyKeB0dngPrwQGNxNo022dlVjRyJ-i3RN_xh68JxR6Y8/s320/Tree.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In September, Andrea began first grade. She has a wonderful teacher, and we continue to love her school. She’s working hard, and really has a love of writing. She writes constantly and prolifically. A thank you note will go on for pages. She writes stories about her stuffed animals, vacations she’s taken and places she’s going in the future. More often than not, her writing is accompanied by illustrations. The detail she puts into things in pretty impressive for a 7-year-old.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her teacher mentioned that she seemed to have trouble reading, and she often puts her face close to her books. We had her eyes checked by the nurse several times last year and this, and there was never an identifiable issue. We finally took her for a proper eye exam with an optometrist. He was able to diagnose an issue with the muscles in her eyes, so we’re going to begin treatment with another doctor, who will teach her exercises to strengthen the muscles. Hopefully, that will make it easier for her to focus, and she won’t struggle so much with reading. Her school also screens all first graders for gross motor deficiencies. In the fall, Andrea was screened along with all her classmates and found to have a weakness in her ability to throw overhand and dribble a ball. She was given the opportunity to have a developmental physical education class once a week, so we signed her up. She goes before school in a group of 8 kids and the PE teachers work on her skills. Two of the kids with her are her friends and full-term babies, so it’s possible that this has nothing to do with her dramatic start in life. She just has fun running around with her friends.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg59S7EjZzmOdxb8tEcq88IqFSUriCASCTMM10fzGyWxvxlstjALBJiyrpWw7jm7nMIzQhdoQQUawVAPLzofgmSf_r7WnhIBs3SupJ0GpyoDAOx2GcfhFQdw0qGgAgY2TaHFCJwZO1KA/s1600/Christmas+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg59S7EjZzmOdxb8tEcq88IqFSUriCASCTMM10fzGyWxvxlstjALBJiyrpWw7jm7nMIzQhdoQQUawVAPLzofgmSf_r7WnhIBs3SupJ0GpyoDAOx2GcfhFQdw0qGgAgY2TaHFCJwZO1KA/s320/Christmas+Cookies.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Halloween, Andrea was a tiger - she wore a costume I’d made for Kenny when he was four - an indication of either how big he was for his age, or how small she still is, compared to her peers. She’s not the smallest kid in the class, but she’s not at the top, either. She sort of hovers around the middle of the pack. We spent Thanksgiving with Aunt Arlene and Uncle Mike at the NJ shore. Andrea loves time with them - especially because Uncle Mike is ever ready to make something fun out of food. This year, they made a vegetable platter shaped like a turkey. Andrea repeated her usual role of “angel” in the church Christmas pageant. She’s beginning to know the songs and is better able to sing along. We spent Christmas evening at cousin Corin’s house, where Andrea got to play with the Lindsley cousins. Since Ken’s niece and nephews have children younger than Andrea, she gets her chance to be “the big kid”, in a way that doesn't happen with the Zimmermans. She almost made it to midnight on New Year’s Eve. She gave up around 10:30, which was impressive. I was probably 16 before I made it to midnight, and even now I’d rather be sleeping than waiting for the ball to drop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSZHCzGQeitn1CBNDwU1NPD2gmnQrdoO4xG5pZ7OmZ7s8TLzBd6Aq4kXSllgLsuOqV4hko5uJRkGuXaGLDUiOf_092WpTMLr6KKfqXRHw2bcr_jk0F6PwxIUNv-CCNpHq4pjEtDTYDgk/s1600/Stocking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSZHCzGQeitn1CBNDwU1NPD2gmnQrdoO4xG5pZ7OmZ7s8TLzBd6Aq4kXSllgLsuOqV4hko5uJRkGuXaGLDUiOf_092WpTMLr6KKfqXRHw2bcr_jk0F6PwxIUNv-CCNpHq4pjEtDTYDgk/s320/Stocking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Andrea loves to play outside, and has been disappointed by our lack of snow this year. She did get out after the big East Coast blizzard, which made her happy. She and Kenny built a snowman and Kenny made an igloo for them too. As much as she likes the snow, I know she’s looking forward to the spring coming. We’re hoping to help her master bike riding, something she still struggles with.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhG5fa-NLKREp1YOf-tz013k8iHgvQ_2SlWcqZ8IH6Ch6YpJyR3qWK3ReQDePKX0kGUevXhkcpsVBUdm1IKFBY8FDYmoYySABAioiioKNjQ6hi-tGJmxxuvpvXA5ounwzj2NuLUDyEnA/s1600/Igloo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhG5fa-NLKREp1YOf-tz013k8iHgvQ_2SlWcqZ8IH6Ch6YpJyR3qWK3ReQDePKX0kGUevXhkcpsVBUdm1IKFBY8FDYmoYySABAioiioKNjQ6hi-tGJmxxuvpvXA5ounwzj2NuLUDyEnA/s320/Igloo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's interesting to see how Andrea's interests are developing. She is learning to sew with Pa, who has more patience for her than I do. She loves to cook and bake with me, and even enjoys making breaded chicken. She won't eat it, but she likes to coat the pieces. She writes all the time, making up and illustrating her own stories. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for continuing to follow Andrea’s story. We are so lucky in her, our families and friends who have shared this journey with us.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">~ Eisabeth Kubler-Ross</span></blockquote>
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BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-68808233134311691922015-02-26T20:43:00.002-05:002015-05-29T14:18:04.889-04:006 Years Old Today!<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is officially 6 years old, and
celebrating day 2,192 of life. I actually wised up this time - I just added 365
to last year's total. So much easier than figuring out the days and counting leap
years! Andrea now weighs 38.5 pounds (17,463.31 grams, or 38 times her
birth weight!) and is 43 inches tall. She is more "girly" than
anyone expected a daughter of mine to be. She insists on long hair and
owns more shoes than I do. Fortunately, she loves me the way I am, and doesn't
seem too bothered by my lack of makeup and manicures. (We have Aunt Tina and Aunt Margaret for that, anyway) I promise to post a picture tomorrow. The only ones I got today are terrible! Read on, and you'll see some key shots from the past year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the challenges of posting only once a year is to try to
remember all the highlights. Last year was momentous because we had just
registered her for Kindergarten. This year is momentous because she has been
ATTENDING kindergarten! More on that later. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In June, Andrea "graduated" from pre-K, which she had
been attending at ECCS in Norwood, NJ. I was relieved that she was basically
given a certificate and a pat on the back. I think some schools go overboard
with the graduation caps (and gowns, in some cases!) Her class sang a
bunch of songs for the parents, and I admit to tearing up at that part.
She likes to sing, and I wonder how much of that is innate, and how much
is a function of all the singing I did in the NICU. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3B9%3A4%3Enu%3D3292%3E5%3A4%3E856%3EWSNRCG%3D3%3A88%3A652%3A232%3Anu0mrj" height="200" id="wc25:lrImg2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="112" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-K graduation</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Right at the end of
the school year, we had kindergarten orientation at her new school. I dropped
her off for a few hours, and she got to visit with her new teachers, spend some
time in the classroom and get used to a building that is (much) bigger than her
daycare center.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36277%3Enu%3D3292%3E5%3A4%3E856%3EWSNRCG%3D3%3A88%3A6568332%3Anu0mrj" height="200" id="wc13:lrImg2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="112" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten orientation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In July, Andrea attended a day camp here in town for 3 hours a
day. It was great, because she was in a group with other kids who would be
attending her same elementary school. She got to make some new friends,
and then there were some familiar faces when she got to school. From her
point of view, the best part of camp was that they went on a REAL field trip!
They got to ride a school bus, and took a trip to a local children's
museum. She was so excited; even more so because I didn't chaperone!
She was really a "big girl".</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWAPTCykN3jf7wcjnp5cnXQd8020F7ZhYFPBDRae_PQ3z4Oopo8w86vyfSnEJDZbACEiabx9Cn8FMKhxbI3PhqBaK5zO_9knXNcDbTjLyvNmouK2WmYBT92rWGEvEWpF4nksi_bzqWR8/s1600/CRS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWAPTCykN3jf7wcjnp5cnXQd8020F7ZhYFPBDRae_PQ3z4Oopo8w86vyfSnEJDZbACEiabx9Cn8FMKhxbI3PhqBaK5zO_9knXNcDbTjLyvNmouK2WmYBT92rWGEvEWpF4nksi_bzqWR8/s1600/CRS.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out on the playground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We got Andrea her first passport this year, and she made her first
trip out of the country in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
took a huge family vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was funny how excited she was to be in
Canada…considering that it’s not dramatically different from the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loved telling everyone she met about our
trip.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv39%3A%3A4%3Enu%3D3292%3E5%3A4%3E856%3EWSNRCG%3D3%3A875%3A%3A75932%3Anu0mrj" height="150" id="wc13:lrImg2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding deer at Marine Land</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv35398%3Enu%3D3292%3E5%3A4%3E856%3EWSNRCG%3D3%3A875%3A%3A75632%3Anu0mrj" height="150" id="wc13:lrImg2" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On "The Maid of the Mist"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">School started in September, and Andrea is in a full day, regular
education Kindergarten class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a
teacher with the patience of a saint, and is enjoying being known as Kenny’s
little sister. (Kenny makes an impression wherever he goes!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has learned about two dozen sight words,
and is reading basic books on her own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She loves art and drawing, and over the recent winter break, decided to
write a book for fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a kick out
of hearing her parrot her teacher…”First draw, then write, then color”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The amazing thing is that she chooses to write
and create almost constantly. Left on her own, she almost always gravitates to creative
projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to reading, she’s
learning math, science, social studies, art, music, physical education and
Spanish. It’s quite a load for a little kid, and she’s pretty tired at the end
of her days, but I think she enjoys school, and we’re amazed and grateful at
her ability to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her teacher has
commented that she is a hard worker and always tries to do her best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, sometimes she doesn’t work fast
enough, because she won’t rush a project, or leave it half done.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rs6LQ8tqK_fsFS2aTHeK-88GLDJGy53duy2XphjR1hsk8LHWNxOl4QP4ZY0P58NLVqary96gygnWQdW_FPGsnjVs4eDgnN0lQHqqes-8Ou-pIl-I7u7hIBO1bUUeQ63I61-KDgtjD6k/s1600/school1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rs6LQ8tqK_fsFS2aTHeK-88GLDJGy53duy2XphjR1hsk8LHWNxOl4QP4ZY0P58NLVqary96gygnWQdW_FPGsnjVs4eDgnN0lQHqqes-8Ou-pIl-I7u7hIBO1bUUeQ63I61-KDgtjD6k/s1600/school1.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9EBAdJ7N-SBkgZbvgYwxQV24Oa1ubkt7qsDFKB3D95KLTa_yAgLjafGMxZ-89nY886o1_noAveKpN4OiA_ccAOJkJ-SJC22wt7-7EWGBomxbjiPZJu9q_KQeBPYxYvTgYFWFQRsUXyk/s1600/school+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9EBAdJ7N-SBkgZbvgYwxQV24Oa1ubkt7qsDFKB3D95KLTa_yAgLjafGMxZ-89nY886o1_noAveKpN4OiA_ccAOJkJ-SJC22wt7-7EWGBomxbjiPZJu9q_KQeBPYxYvTgYFWFQRsUXyk/s1600/school+2.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of school.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For Halloween this year, Andrea was Rapunzel, and went
trick-or-treating with her big brothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She is still so funny – she has to exclaim over every item as it’s put
in her bucket!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I carried a stash of nut
free treats to swap out whenever she got something with peanuts or nuts – a big
improvement over two years ago, when she announced at EVERY door that she was
allergic to nuts!</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv33575%3Enu%3D3292%3E5%3A4%3E856%3EWSNRCG%3D3%3A88%3A64%3B%3C532%3Anu0mrj" height="200" id="wc41:lrImg2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="112" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapunzel</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As I read back over this post, I realize something remarkable…there
is nothing remarkable about this post. Our miracle micro-preemie, x-26 weeker,
who had a 65% chance of survival at birth has become quite an ordinary girl.
Our lives with her are very similar to anyone else’s with a small child. And for that blessing, we are eternally grateful!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD3Z9Pg12CnYpWkvBcBjzs8AxyZJgEHXaWm69addZbP_RhGaQkQg-m-R1Grpl-eF5zqpePFdiUeKTa29ig45FYNm7qAFMG7l1lC5dO7XAoA5S24E3Q3EmMzZokMD2yKwZakqGCKK0vsQ/s1600/book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD3Z9Pg12CnYpWkvBcBjzs8AxyZJgEHXaWm69addZbP_RhGaQkQg-m-R1Grpl-eF5zqpePFdiUeKTa29ig45FYNm7qAFMG7l1lC5dO7XAoA5S24E3Q3EmMzZokMD2yKwZakqGCKK0vsQ/s1600/book.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Reading" Mommy's book on the couch!</td></tr>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very
Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<span style="background: white;">― </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81466.A_A_Milne"><span style="background: white; color: #666600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">A.A. Milne</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1225592"><span style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Winnie-the-Pooh</span></a></i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-52543028935845107302014-02-26T17:49:00.000-05:002014-02-26T17:50:41.161-05:00Happy 5th Birthday, beautiful Andrea the Second!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8IlycPu7YLl0croiH1SzKTqEUVa2TeMlR-W5g61WqxWfQtHNj-uITnfGISKoj6kKu7GCRgZc892RfozJuyiKQMxsL97jIdiFdJSAtpexyeF6rQx-Cu85BhF3w11sKZJ-qNMjTPsTzok/s1600/IMG_20140226_065438_883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8IlycPu7YLl0croiH1SzKTqEUVa2TeMlR-W5g61WqxWfQtHNj-uITnfGISKoj6kKu7GCRgZc892RfozJuyiKQMxsL97jIdiFdJSAtpexyeF6rQx-Cu85BhF3w11sKZJ-qNMjTPsTzok/s1600/IMG_20140226_065438_883.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before school this morning. Ready to take the day by storm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is officially 5 years old and celebrating day 1,827 of life.<span id="yiv9475412971yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1393427439255_5357"> </span>Boy, that calculation is getting harder to do as the years pass.<span id="yiv9475412971yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1393357727522_4660"> </span>I have to keep track of the leap days.<span id="yiv9475412971yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1393427439255_5356"> </span>Andrea is now 42 inches tall and weighs 28.4 pounds (or 12,882 grams) Remember, at the beginning, she was 10.5 inches tall, and 450 grams. I get a kick out of making the pounds to grams conversion, because at the beginning we were so very excited about every little weight gain, no matter how small.</div>
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Today is significant for so many reasons. Earlier today, Ken and I formally registered Andrea for Kindergarten. Yes, the 15-ounce preemie is beginning her public school career in September, in a regular education classroom. No early intervention once she was discharged from developmental clinic, no special accommodations in the classroom. It’s a milestone we couldn't even imagine 5 years ago.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOyd9WjyoTSsyTIpjUKrdaeWGy4Wjt3KjJDiTJ6WfjkRQPaUra7ulcy0jZNMJvXi6LOXb4_zrFvQO8aqBBUipzKAIyb0o671SU-OLL_AO-popj49bEE1QNybW4hKVfJaO0_9dFXYy-tI/s1600/IMG_20140226_172426_895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOyd9WjyoTSsyTIpjUKrdaeWGy4Wjt3KjJDiTJ6WfjkRQPaUra7ulcy0jZNMJvXi6LOXb4_zrFvQO8aqBBUipzKAIyb0o671SU-OLL_AO-popj49bEE1QNybW4hKVfJaO0_9dFXYy-tI/s1600/IMG_20140226_172426_895.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officially a member of the class of 2027. <br />
My friend Ron made her a "onesie" when she was a baby,<br />
predicting she would be Prom Queen in 2027.<br />
I have a feeling he was on to something!</td></tr>
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Over the summer, Andrea attended day camp for the first time. She was with a group of other 4-year-<span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-2">olds</span> in a half day program right in town. Every day there were crafts, sports and games, and the six week session culminated with a "camp show" of singing. She also took swim lessons at the YMCA during the school year and at the town pool over the summer. She loves the water, as long as she can touch the bottom. She is still very fearful, even when wearing a life jacket, if the water is over her head. Since she's getting taller, her range in the pool is expanding, so I am forced into ever deeper icy water to keep track of her. I don't know what it is about these kids, but they seem happy to swim in melted ice.</div>
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Those of you who are my "<span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-3">FaceBook</span> friends" got to experience Andrea's first trip to Disney World. We went down on the <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-4">autotrain</span>, an event it itself to a 4 year old. She enjoyed the compartment and the fold down beds, and managed much better than I would have expected, given the confined space.</div>
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We spent a week staying in a Finding <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-5">Nemo</span> suite at the Art of Animation Studios, and Andrea wore a different princess dress each day. For her, there were probably two main highlights of the trip. She was truly a "princess" every day we were there. Seriously - every single "cast member" called her Princess, which she saw as her due, anyway. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhT8zw7gA6Qtc-I5fqursYTKkpCC7VKhA_KbmQf-H9P8V8e18vnofz2vp3M9Dx2JbF5phdyr0eYoMZiGCkXVZFRBcpFLxEOje5Q4auWOTkazov3J8T64OviBU5iS0sOX5AdImsgeGRQo/s1600/Sleeping+Beauty.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping Beauty. This was at the Princess Dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMiaZA5SXsLRQgurpqMtj5bT106klNaxvGGMOpEm0X2ldVTqZpPYzgcN8ir8bR93Lf_5xQd4ZTnr4dOSBYojqgxw7nejso4a4sJ_JQIL3lOruGMtlNG60hbmKZECzJ6a7eNfck6ciuF8/s1600/Snow+White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMiaZA5SXsLRQgurpqMtj5bT106klNaxvGGMOpEm0X2ldVTqZpPYzgcN8ir8bR93Lf_5xQd4ZTnr4dOSBYojqgxw7nejso4a4sJ_JQIL3lOruGMtlNG60hbmKZECzJ6a7eNfck6ciuF8/s1600/Snow+White.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow White. We spent this day in Epcot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzFGHnEBiAFzFXvXPSo4GD9hteiaQqmKBRig1JGpUTOBOJ66o3P7v8O-l9SfHGDtR8to6p8ZYj_yzjTy9GfndAYkdiAYbvyjniNktFxkNO_1wY7TdUNVYk8NFWfHH-nAfLorR7TIUIKA/s1600/Rapunzel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzFGHnEBiAFzFXvXPSo4GD9hteiaQqmKBRig1JGpUTOBOJ66o3P7v8O-l9SfHGDtR8to6p8ZYj_yzjTy9GfndAYkdiAYbvyjniNktFxkNO_1wY7TdUNVYk8NFWfHH-nAfLorR7TIUIKA/s1600/Rapunzel.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapunzel, back at the hotel before heading to the pool.</td></tr>
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The other highlight was a makeover at the <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-6">Boppity</span> <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-7">Boppity</span> Boutique. I fell apart when her "fairy godmother in training" sprinkled glitter "fairy dust" over her; I just started crying. So then I had to explain to the staff about the <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-8">NICU</span> nurse who sprinkled "fairy dust" on Andrea's <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-9">isolette</span> to help her grow big and strong. By the end, we were all in tears. Andrea, of course, just enjoyed the fuss - hair, nails and makeup from head to toe. (Or just about, anyway!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post makeover, in her Cinderella dress and Boutique sash.</td></tr>
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At the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom, Andrea happily left the family behind to go dance with the cast. She gleefully waved at us each time she passed by, but had no fear of being on her own. I think she liked being in the spotlight.</div>
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After the week in Disney, Andrea, Kenny George and I went on to <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-10">LegoLand</span>, while Daddy and KC flew home. Andrea loved <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-11">LegoLand</span> almost as much as Disney, because there, she was big enough for the ROLLER COASTERS. Yes, she is a speed demon, who LOVES coasters. I am not a fan, but went to make her happy. She loved every minute. I had to tell a little white lie - "you are only allowed one ride per day" in order to get her to move on to other things. If I hadn't told her that, she would have just ridden the same ride over and over!</div>
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We also took what was probably our last trip to Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. Much as it pains me to admit it, Andrea was never as big a fan of Elmo and company as Kenny was, and at 5 she is "too big", at least in her own mind, to visit Sesame. So, we are off to bigger and better things in the future.</div>
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In September, Andrea began another year in <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-12">pre</span>-kindergarten near my school, where she has learned more than I ever expected from <span class="yiv9475412971mark" id="yiv9475412971misspell-13">pre</span>-K. She can write her first and last name, count to 49, and read and write some basic sight words. She is taking piano lessons at school one day a week as well. </div>
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In December, she make her "formal" acting debut as the littlest angel in the Christmas pageant at St. George's Episcopal Church in Maplewood. She was happy to be "on stage" with the big kids, and was paired with an older girl who acted as her "guardian angel" throughout the show. She sang and danced and basically stole the show with her appearance.</div>
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Health-wise, Andrea is fine. She has asthma, but so do most of the people on the Zimmerman side of her family. She is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts (seriously so) but so is one brother and one cousin. We'll probably never know what is a result of her prematurity and what is just the way she was made. She is about the 39th percentile for height, but still only about the 3rd percentile for weight. How I wish that was my problem!</div>
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Recently at school, Andrea was the "Star Student". (Each child gets a week of the year to be celebrated) As part of her week she had to make a poster, including pictures and text about herself. According to her poster, right now, her goal in life is to be a lifeguard when she grows up, which I thought was interesting. She actually told me she wanted to be a "life saver", so I asked for clarification. She did mean the people in the pool, but maybe she'll go on to save lives in a different way. I believe the doctors learned a lot from treating her, and hopefully that knowledge has gone on to save other very small babies in the 5 years since Andrea joined us.</div>
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Until next year, thank you for being a part of Andrea's ongoing story.</div>
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<blockquote style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 19px;">
When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.<br />
~ Helen Keller</blockquote>
BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-56206813284278499452013-02-26T20:10:00.001-05:002013-02-26T20:20:15.881-05:00Happy 4th Birthday, Beautiful Andrea the Second!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPs9eWBb5aHMjca0Y2AkCoGkBrWpop9lB4-qpgcufxhNN8kfLPu8Qo9MSFWesk8xtKQZYb6HrDMjMz0NMT0XyiZ4l5iq27cHHFlrmUu9PpqmcLZ6Mk_9QTH7DBBDBIXO660NUes9FcxE/s1600/4+years+old.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPs9eWBb5aHMjca0Y2AkCoGkBrWpop9lB4-qpgcufxhNN8kfLPu8Qo9MSFWesk8xtKQZYb6HrDMjMz0NMT0XyiZ4l5iq27cHHFlrmUu9PpqmcLZ6Mk_9QTH7DBBDBIXO660NUes9FcxE/s320/4+years+old.jpg" /></a>
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I'm not happy with today's picture, but the princess is not cooperating. I will try to get a better one over the next day or two and replace it.
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At 5:29 pm today, February 26, 2013, Beautiful Andrea the Second is four years old. Last year, I opted to only post to the blog on her birthday, because our lives have become blessedly normal. Or, as normal as life can be with a combination of kids in middle school and preschool. Today is day 1,462 of life. Andrea’s height is now a respectable 38 inches (96.5 cm) and she weighs 28 pounds, or 12,700 grams. According to the doctors, she is still small and light, but we don’t really count that as a problem.
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Andrea has had an eventful year. I wrote on her birthday last year that she’d been discharged from developmental clinic. We miss seeing the people at the hospital for so many reasons. They shared our sense of joy at seeing how far Andrea had come, and probably got even more out of it than we did, knowing firsthand how much worse it could have been. Last summer, Andrea was finally discharged from the audiological follow up program. She had so many ear infections as a baby/toddler, the doctors didn’t know if her hearing was weak because of scaring on her ear drums, or because of the medications from the NICU. Finally, in the summer, she had a clean bill of health. Whatever hearing issues she had at the beginning (which were pretty mild, anyway) stemmed from the infections, and are not lingering.
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The big developmental step for Andrea this year was saying goodbye to diapers. Because she is a princess and needs to have all her clothing coordinated, it was not nearly as difficult as I expected it to be. Grammy (Beautiful Andrea the First) provided the requested panties – Hello Kitty, Minnie Mouse and Dora the Explorer - and Andrea happily arranged her outfits around the color of the fabric or trim. In less time than I would have thought possible, we were done with Pampers. I think waiting until summer vacation was key – our school year commute is not rest stop friendly. Now, we’re encouraging her to dress herself. She can, sort of, but we don’t usually have time on week days to let her work on it.
I figure it'll come with time, so I pick my battles.
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We took a mini vacation to Sesame Place last summer, and I have to say, Andrea was the perfect age for it. She loved, loved, loved seeing all the characters. The “brudders”, as she calls Kenny and Kenny, bore up well spending two days with Elmo and company, and really made sure Andrea had fun. Of course, we did bribe them with a trip to Six Flags afterwards, but they were still really good sports. Andrea was finally tall enough to go on some of the bigger rides, and had her first taste of water slides with Daddy. Like her brothers, she is a water baby, and must have gone down half a dozen times in a row. The water was WAY too cold for me to venture in.
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In September, Andrea started a pre-K class in the daycare center she’s been attending. It’s a mixed age group of 3 and 4 year olds (now mostly 4 and 5 year olds) who are really learning pre-kindergarten skills. She has learned to spell her name, and is working on writing it. She can read and spell a few basic words, and do some basic addition and subtraction. She is a social butterfly, and enjoys seeing her friends at school. Of course, it’s not all work – they get outside on the playground when weather permits, and do art projects and music. She loves it all. She’ll stay in the same class next year as a 4 year old, and start Kindergarten in Livingston in the fall of 2014.
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Andrea continues to take classes at TumbleBees gymnastics on the day she’s with Mom and Dad. She is really a daredevil, racing down the zip line and hanging upside down from the trapeze. She also takes swim lessons at the YMCA, mostly because I can’t keep her out of the water, anyway. We figured that at least she’ll be safer if she learns to swim. She has a wonderful, and extremely patient, teacher. Of course, Andrea is at the beginning, just learning how to float and kick. She’s happy to put her face in the water and can blow bubbles, but that’s about it. On the other hand, I can’t do much more than that, so she’s ahead of me!
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I have often said that genetics are funny things, and we’ve been enjoying watching Andrea becoming her own person. Unlike her mommy, she insists on wearing coordinated outfits, having her hair done, and getting her nails painted. Actually, the only way we can clip her nails is to promise to paint them when we’re done. I actually have to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to have time to braid or style her hair! Ken and I, having survived two (now almost teen) boys, were unprepared for this stage of development. We count ourselves lucky when the boys are in clean, sort of matching, clothes.
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A few days ago, I began thinking about what I wanted to write for today. Something that keeps coming back to me is that we really got lucky. I think once Andrea came home from the hospital, we knew we were lucky, but as more time passes, and Andrea is not only fine, but thriving, it is constantly driven home. I know several people with their own preemie stories. So far, not one as small as Andrea, but some as early. Of those people who shared their stories with me, most have not had the “Disney-esque” happily ever after that we got. So I reflect, “Why us?” I know some of it was because many, if not all, of Andrea’s prenatal problems were related to me. She was a healthy baby in a bad situation. I credit the genius teams at Robert Wood Johnson for most of it, because they knew exactly how to take care of her. Our primary nurses made sure that Andrea got exactly what she needed all the time. The doctors were amazing. The respiratory therapists got the ventilator in on the first try. Obviously, I can’t discount the prayers from everyone, all around the world, but I still wonder how we got so lucky.
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I love to tell Andrea’s story. Poor Kenny – I know he dreads every new person we meet, because he knows the story will come out. I feel an overwhelming need to share Andrea’s story. Some day, I hope to write a book about the whole thing, even if all I do is publish the blog. It continues to amaze me how one tiny baby could have such an overwhelming impact on people.
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“There comes a point in your life when you realize that nothing will ever be the same, and you realize that from now on…time will be divided in two parts, before this and after this.” John Hobbes
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BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-2038689227215710232012-02-26T20:27:00.007-05:002012-02-26T21:33:41.492-05:00Happy Third Birthday, Beautiful Andrea!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UWOpr-T-RtbE6G2JC82Upg3XgmJBOpboRNrovmjYT03AAzOVKu7SZO4SW75JxrXfToJGh0oVcGu_41If3a609brAbM_ogB-JMuaQKe_vka7w8ABlGUkVUJoJISDLQT417vs67b6g9t0/s1600/third+birthday.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UWOpr-T-RtbE6G2JC82Upg3XgmJBOpboRNrovmjYT03AAzOVKu7SZO4SW75JxrXfToJGh0oVcGu_41If3a609brAbM_ogB-JMuaQKe_vka7w8ABlGUkVUJoJISDLQT417vs67b6g9t0/s320/third+birthday.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713621792647568658" /></a><br /><br />What a long, strange trip it has been! Because life is crazy, and Andrea is blessedly normal, I've decided to only post on Andrea's birthday moving forward. Our lives are mostly the same as other parents of toddlers.<br /><br />As of 5:29 pm, Andrea is three years old. Today is day 1,095 of life. Andrea is 34.25 inches long and 10,886 grams (24 lbs). Not too shabby, when you started at 450grams.<br /><br />The biggest news of the past year is that Andrea has been discharged from Developmental Clinic. We had our last appointment at the beginning of February. Originally, the doctor had planned on seeing her for the final time in June, but she has met or exceeded all three year old milestones. There is nothing for the doctors to look for.<br /><br />Leaving the hospital for the last time was an incredibly emotional experience - Mom and I cried. We've spent three years waiting for the other shoe to drop. At each clinic, we felt sure Andrea was fine, but were subconsciously waiting for the catch. And now, at long last we know, there is none. In her development, she is a completely normal (but small) three-year-old. <br /><br />It's funny how relationships have changed. When Andrea was in the NICU, I was terrified of the doctors. I was afraid of what they would tell me, and worried that I wouldn't know the right answers. I thought there were things I was going to do that would make Andrea worse. Now, the doctor that was the most intimidating back then has become so much more approachable. We really credit Dr. Thomas Hegyi for saving her life. He's funny, because he tells me that we underestimate what we did to get Andrea to this point. I think Ken and I approached the whole situation in the only way we knew how. We never saw a point in being angry or argumentative. I think we just moved forward because there was no other choice. I frequently quote Dory from Finding Nemo. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Swimming, swimming. What do you do? You swim, swim, swim!" What choice did we have but to play the cards we were dealt?<br /><br />In January, Andrea was moved up to a new classroouly in her daycare center. She's learning so much there, I continue to be amazed. She knows her alphabet and can count to 20 reliably, and 30 most of the time. She goes to Musical Munchkins and TumbleBees classes when she's with Mom and Dad. She loves to sing and is starting to build real puzzles, with interlocking pieces. She continues to be completely enamored with baby dolls and costume jewelry. She's truly a "girly-girl."<br /><br />We finally had Andrea baptized in September. I felt so strongly that Andrea would be baptized in "her" church, with our families and friends around her. We found a wonderful church in Maplewood, and finally have a place to call home. Andrea loves church - possibly because it's an excuse to dress up and have people make a big deal over her. Fortunately, everyone there is tolerant of her antics - she is well behaved, but exuberant. It's not unusual for her to dance in the aisles.<br /><br />Over the summer, we took a family vacation to Busch Gardens/Williamsburg. This was the first vacation that Andrea really got to enjoy. We stayed in a time share condo, and I think Andrea got a taste for luxury. She was annoyed to come home. Busch Gardens is a great place for younger kids - they have a Sesame Street section, and each "country" has two "KidSperience" rides that little ones can enjoy. She's a dare devil - there wasn't a single ride she didn't love. In fact, she wanted to ride the big rides with her brothers and was not happy to be put off. She even seemed to enjoy Jamestown and Yorktown. I know she didn't get much of the significance, but she paid attention and participated where she could.<br /><br />Andrea's favorite summer activities were the town pool and riding in the "baby" seat on my bicycle. What a difference a year makes! Summer of 2010 she wasn't walking yet, and pretty much sat in the baby pool splashing around. Summer of 2011, she was all over the place. She liked to be in the big pool with the big kids. She couldn't get enough of the bicycle, either. If she even heard the word, she'd go running for her helmet. Today, for her birthday, she got her very own two-wheeler (with training wheels, of course). I predict that she'll be going full speed ahead by August.<br /><br />Sorry this was so long. I'm trying to condense a year into one post.<br /><br />Also, Andrea and I will be joining the March of Dimes Walk for Babies again this year on April 29, 2012. Weather permitting, Andrea will walk along with me, hopefully motivating others and helping prevent anyone else from living through what we experienced.<br /><br />Please click the banner ad below if you're willing to support us in this effort.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will."<br />Jawaharal Nehru</blockquote><br /><br /><script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.marchforbabies.org/includes/badge_2011_vert_js.asp?w=5205268&u=BabyAndreasMom&bt=2"></script>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-82305066128763709962011-02-26T21:31:00.014-05:002011-02-27T01:16:30.221-05:00Happy Second Birthday, Beautiful Andrea!As of 5:29 p.m., Beautiful Andrea the Second is celebrating day 730 of life! At the doctor's office on Wednesday, she tipped the scales at 20 pounds, 14 ounces, (9468.74 grams), and measured 30 inches long. Still small for a 2 year old toddler, but a whopping 21 times her birth weight, and almost three times her length. <br /><br />Here is Andrea in her birthday finery, wearing some beads borrowed from Aunt Arlene.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9Y1vHTYgdrb5_42B8Zp-u4ak7zmKolbg9GBxncNX31m4HcYtTRtwPYQxA7pHdPaW1LMFFzXtupByh3NaBuyFQj4AkUDhNzztXRLNOY9qSqVNjFLObW4PhfKg3gFj2y4codYE2HdbIU0/s1600/Two+Today.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9Y1vHTYgdrb5_42B8Zp-u4ak7zmKolbg9GBxncNX31m4HcYtTRtwPYQxA7pHdPaW1LMFFzXtupByh3NaBuyFQj4AkUDhNzztXRLNOY9qSqVNjFLObW4PhfKg3gFj2y4codYE2HdbIU0/s320/Two+Today.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578207015857447394" /></a><br /><br />I like to make the birthday cakes for all the kids (my children, niece and nephews). The older ones know that I'll come through with whatever they desire, from dragons to Batman. I figured this was the last year that Andrea wouldn't have an opinion and went with my choice of Big Bird. The only TV Andrea consistently watches and seems to enjoy is Sesame Street, so we ran with the theme. Her cake is shown here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVmQVJyaGRs73BGVWeT2dJXHBtw9gM9lpoyQHydNd1qPTk1cACPJyQ_JC5Hhfp_9w0weyoBf-PiJjGxc4vNiW4n8sn3d1GFrHDfuI1PmUzJEzO1whGxAqIR8zjOyLp_dJcOLFhcIn3fQ/s1600/2nd+bd+cake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVmQVJyaGRs73BGVWeT2dJXHBtw9gM9lpoyQHydNd1qPTk1cACPJyQ_JC5Hhfp_9w0weyoBf-PiJjGxc4vNiW4n8sn3d1GFrHDfuI1PmUzJEzO1whGxAqIR8zjOyLp_dJcOLFhcIn3fQ/s320/2nd+bd+cake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578207127359715762" /></a><br /><br /><br />We are thrilled to report that Andrea is not only walking, she's running, climbing, and circumventing the baby gates that we have all over the house. She is starting to develop a vocabulary, although she refuses to talk on command. She says "Mommy" and "Daddy" consistently, but her current favorite word is "MINE". She makes animal sounds when asked, and knows all the hand movements for "The Wheels on the Bus". She loves music, and will dance around the room whenever something is playing. <br /><br />Andrea is growing up to be a true girl. She loves her baby dolls, ("baby" is one of her identifiable words) and she can't get enough of pushing them in the stroller. She carries her purses around and likes getting dressed up. Fortunately, she can hold her own with her ten-year-old brothers and is pretty fearless. We went to an indoor water park yesterday, and couldn't keep Andrea off the water slides. She threw a tantrum (welcome to the "terrible twos") when the lifeguards wouldn't let her on the big kid slides. <br /><br />Books are another of Andrea's true loves. We've committed half a dozen favorites to memory, and usually go through a dozen more over the course of a day. We've enlisted the boys as story readers to give us an occasional break. We've had to hide some of the books, just to spare ourselves having to read <EM>Daddy Hugs </EM>yet again.<br /><br />Andrea has been going to Story Time with Grammy (Beautiful Andrea the First) and Pa and will soon be starting something called Musical Munchkins, a music class for toddlers. She's so much like the other kids, it's easy for us to forget sometimes how rough the beginning was. Her health continues to be a little fragile compared to her classmates, and she seems to get every germ that comes along. We had an emergency room visit in January that turned into an overnight stay for IV fluids and glucose, but we have faith that she is continually getting stronger, and will have a good immunity by the time she starts kindergarten.<br /><br />Much like her Mommy, one of Andrea's favorite foods is CHOCOLATE. In this picture below, she had just grabbed a piece of chocolate covered matzoh from me and managed to eat it before I could snatch it back. I love the ring of chocolate around her mouth, LOL!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznX4EoIaMrCj7wH7mUWr12hG5MjUqw_TChfEiedGV6L9OaE-3gWHK8Y_D9i1ajb1Pre0RB3rpOzuAaXhfD-rcAUfM4igKfSnfBIr2Ls2rpT0XiUZ0zCKGqidDM-N5mmRKu5fxAg3uKA4/s1600/Chocolate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznX4EoIaMrCj7wH7mUWr12hG5MjUqw_TChfEiedGV6L9OaE-3gWHK8Y_D9i1ajb1Pre0RB3rpOzuAaXhfD-rcAUfM4igKfSnfBIr2Ls2rpT0XiUZ0zCKGqidDM-N5mmRKu5fxAg3uKA4/s320/Chocolate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578207205557643794" /></a><br /><br />I've been trying unsuccessfully to upload video of Andrea to the blog. The "old" blogger editor just keeps spinning away and nothing is happening, and the "new" editor doesn't have a link for video upload. I'm reluctant to post to Youtube... I tried making a private video available to a single friend, and so far she's been unable to view it. I certainly don't want video of my child to be public at this stage of her life, so at present I'm stuck. If anyone has advice as to how to make Blogger cooperate, please share it! (Or if you know how to make the private Youtube thing work, let me know!) <br /><br />I'm sorry for not posting more frequently. I think about it often, even composing posts in my head as I commute to and from work. Unfortunately, the reality is that our lives are insane, and I never have time when I also have access to the blog. Please know that, in the absence of other news, all is well with Andrea.<br /><br /><blockquote>"today is your day, your mountain is waiting. so get on your way" <br />— Dr. Seuss </blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-12921167230032593682011-01-01T21:29:00.008-05:002011-02-27T00:08:24.269-05:00Another New YearHappy 2011 to all. Andrea did not stay up until Midnight, although she decided to get up at 2:30 a.m for a snack. She's not the best sleeper in the world! We keep telling ourselves that this, too, is a phase. We hope she outgrows it before we're up all night wondering where the boys are. I miss sleep!<br /><br />We had the most recent developmental clinic on Monday, December 20. Once again, all went pretty well. She's on target for her gross and fine motor development, having caught up to where she should be. She's walking and running, and was able to build puzzles and color on paper...all the things she should be doing. The only area where there is still a deficit is in expressive language. Andrea is about two months behind her corrected age in terms of her verbal expression. On the flip side, what she understands is beyond her corrected age, and pretty close to her actual age. We've been trying to encourage her to talk, but she's as stubborn as always, and most of the time won't bother. She has words for some things, but mostly resorts to pointing and whining. (Which gets old very fast!)<br /><br />What a difference a year makes...last New Year's Eve we put Andrea to bed connected to the oxygen concentrator and PulseOx. This year, that was all gone, and seemed like a distant memory. Sometimes, we look back at Andrea's life and can't believe we've made it this far. <br /><br />This picture was taken on New Year's Day...Andrea is resplendent in her blue velvet Christmas dress and Mary Janes. However, not wanting to miss any of the fun with her mostly male cousins, she's joining in at the air hockey table. She kept walking off with the paddles and puck, much to the annoyance of the big kids!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVl4ilLiwvuRnrnvWpsrBy_Fr12xJKEun5jRztQsEjNms5mQws27Re7YlAtfFCDPYnmAzVMJcZLjrbW__OBdlNlAp3tEcxesuXDGUXKb9oGdn5o5z60jvFPqt1dILEsoI8ou3zF3ckn-M/s1600/Christmas+2010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVl4ilLiwvuRnrnvWpsrBy_Fr12xJKEun5jRztQsEjNms5mQws27Re7YlAtfFCDPYnmAzVMJcZLjrbW__OBdlNlAp3tEcxesuXDGUXKb9oGdn5o5z60jvFPqt1dILEsoI8ou3zF3ckn-M/s320/Christmas+2010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578231318521767874" /></a><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.</blockquote><br />Oprah WinfreyBabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-25689454180014400792010-11-07T20:15:00.010-05:002010-11-07T20:57:45.893-05:00A Long Overdue UpdateI know many people check in periodically to see what's going on in Andrea's life, and I'm sorry for not posting in so long. Our lives are insanely busy, and there's precious little time left over. On the up side, Andrea's life is fairly typical, so there's less to report.<br /><br />Halloween was a bunch of fun... We went to a local farm with all the kids for some pumpkin picking. So far, Andrea is NOT nature girl. There was too much grass, dirt and hay for her liking, but she tolerated the fields long enough to get a pumpkin, and to let me take this picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7Kf_EsHw4_S55eajZRzC6gb5l36GMIJ16yzwMlhrpCDKXw67RYf0Oghxb2pORRBpXHqYSaZrmGZ9uww731eORsO1yOePAzW_YP_KQ4I10MtmZ6c3TAjBTuWUKg9c0vb5Djc2Fjc37oU/s1600/Andrea+pumpkin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7Kf_EsHw4_S55eajZRzC6gb5l36GMIJ16yzwMlhrpCDKXw67RYf0Oghxb2pORRBpXHqYSaZrmGZ9uww731eORsO1yOePAzW_YP_KQ4I10MtmZ6c3TAjBTuWUKg9c0vb5Djc2Fjc37oU/s320/Andrea+pumpkin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536991563877408754" /></a><br /><br />Andrea wore her same giraffe costume from last year. It's funny, because it was a little big last year, and a little small this year. In the picture below, she's eating the one piece of trick or treat candy she got to keep. A KitKat. She wasn't sure at first if she liked it, but by the second bite she was a fan. Kenny George was a good sport and let her kind of tag along with him as he went around with his friends. She didn't make it to many doors, but I think she enjoyed being out with her big brother.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQDLgTLQarD4LHSn65fLevc1lmx6A9LsEchapWTUb6D3oShjbZYFsiXf4IiqTHVDTQ-ujT5bo9-hNQtdJX33ETMx7tHk-zOxXwj9RY6vFa4K9XMQUvSN9lHS98y-PG21QraM7Zjd6D8o/s1600/giraffe+kitkat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQDLgTLQarD4LHSn65fLevc1lmx6A9LsEchapWTUb6D3oShjbZYFsiXf4IiqTHVDTQ-ujT5bo9-hNQtdJX33ETMx7tHk-zOxXwj9RY6vFa4K9XMQUvSN9lHS98y-PG21QraM7Zjd6D8o/s320/giraffe+kitkat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536991685961401538" /></a><br /><br />On Halloween, Andrea finally figured out the walking thing. She had taken a few toddling steps here and there before, but not with any consistency. For some reason, it all clicked on Halloween, and she's been walking more and more each day. She still looks like she's been drinking more than milk in her bottles, but she's getting better as she practices. We had her at the New York Aquarium yesterday, and she was able to enjoy the tanks on her own two feet. Ken got some video on his phone, which I'll have to post once he sends it to me.<br /><br />Andrea had her first trip to the dentist on Friday. She has all of six teeth, although the dentist says that she should have 4 or 5 more before her next visit (in 6 months). You know I rarely plug businesses, but the dentist we see is AWESOME. It's Sparkles Dentistry in Montclair, and they are a pediatric only practice. I've been taking Kenny there for about a year, and Dr. Matthais is wonderful. It's the first time I've been to a dentist where she asked questions about the patient besides her teeth. Of course, Andrea HATES having anyone poking around in her mouth, so she wasn't overly cooperative with the exam. You can see her on the exam chair in this picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR4yqQy2CF23AG5FbIIyMZrH3GnCMwqZS-H15BOGaJutZGlXlPdRDnQo6rNvb2OApdiYY4JUqD76KGioL5_XngoHRy6A0Lj-PrcgSFIQMCW_46_aJH6JcQpeXD2nKbtFdHi71ttdN85A/s1600/Andrea+dentist.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR4yqQy2CF23AG5FbIIyMZrH3GnCMwqZS-H15BOGaJutZGlXlPdRDnQo6rNvb2OApdiYY4JUqD76KGioL5_XngoHRy6A0Lj-PrcgSFIQMCW_46_aJH6JcQpeXD2nKbtFdHi71ttdN85A/s320/Andrea+dentist.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536985907357728306" /></a><br /><br />The last picture, below, is my current favorite. For some time, Andrea has been wanting a baby doll. She has a few that are like rag dolls... soft bodies and sewn on clothes. She got a Cabbage Patch doll for her birthday, which is in her closet until she's old enough for it. (Ages 3 and up) Still, every time she sees it, she points and reaches for the box. So I finally got her a doll, appropriate for ages 18 months, and she loves it. We've named her Sarah, after my niece in North Carolina. Andrea likes holding Sarah's pictures, and Sarah likes hearing about Andrea, so it seemed appropriate. Anyway, in the picture below, Andrea is holding baby Sarah, and the doll is wearing one of the preemie outfits we bought for Andrea when she was still in the hospital. The most amazing thing is that the clothing really fits the doll well, and it's quite a small doll. At her last doctor's visit, Andrea was 29 inches long and 19.5 pounds, so she's not a big girl for her age. You can see how small the doll is in comparison. We vividly remember how excited we were when Andrea was able to wear clothes in the NICU, and how big we thought she was. Perspective is everything.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWNJ1CHh81UzHdNHwSBBupSyfJg5OG_XiYS6fCB2lkxubdBXT8hyphenhypheniyGuVZi-bstymaKuWuoZA7VcAD45cdzXuGSzmQglDIVkb3217r-qPYngQJi3ao8AJoG_1owkr0Ue99OuESHtrVw0/s1600/Andrea+baby+doll.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWNJ1CHh81UzHdNHwSBBupSyfJg5OG_XiYS6fCB2lkxubdBXT8hyphenhypheniyGuVZi-bstymaKuWuoZA7VcAD45cdzXuGSzmQglDIVkb3217r-qPYngQJi3ao8AJoG_1owkr0Ue99OuESHtrVw0/s320/Andrea+baby+doll.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536988092580588082" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."<br /><br />- Buddha</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-5519182732961371452010-08-31T21:41:00.004-04:002010-09-24T11:45:49.977-04:00A Mighty Fortress is Our House*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVV6N5TQsARq6Ai-sVLWdnldaGwc3DSUXV7Xf0jYDkyfZoWIiKkZDzu7TkIhfoxjfKUclbx6iRpTvDY5xDaD0DmLDCyvnoJ0RZ4yoclCAcrhcglaxn8zvzi3P4ban5QidR1ViXxdpgaDU/s1600/2010-09-19_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVV6N5TQsARq6Ai-sVLWdnldaGwc3DSUXV7Xf0jYDkyfZoWIiKkZDzu7TkIhfoxjfKUclbx6iRpTvDY5xDaD0DmLDCyvnoJ0RZ4yoclCAcrhcglaxn8zvzi3P4ban5QidR1ViXxdpgaDU/s320/2010-09-19_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520506619988058898" /></a><br /><br />The summer has passed in a blur - and what a change from last year. All things considered, we managed to be out and about a lot last summer, despite the oxygen tanks and monitors. This year, we didn't have to drag the paraphernalia, but we did have an almost toddling, strong-willed girl who made everything challenging. We spent much less time at the town pool because it was almost impossible to keep Andrea from drinking the water. She loves swimming, but doesn't know enough to keep her mouth closed or her face up. As a result, I was a nervous wreck every time she headed toward the pool.<br /><br />Andrea has not yet mastered walking - in fact, she still falls down when she lets go of whatever is supporting her. However, she's a speed demon in cruising, and loves crawling, and we've had to install baby gates throughout our house. There's one at the top and bottom of each set of stairs, plus one between the kitchen and living room and between the kitchen and dining room. There is nothing wrong with Andrea's brain, and we've had to opt for the kind of gates that are fastened to the wall. When we used the other kind, Andrea was actually able to circumvent the gate and head up the stairs.<br /><br />I think Andrea is making progress in the speech department. She's making more sounds that sound like words. She's got a word for "giraffe" (of course) and will repeat animal sounds. She has a "woo-woo" for a dog, and "tee-tee" for a bird. I think we've got "star" down as "tar", but I'm not 100% sure. She does call me MaMa, but not consistently. Still, we're making progress. Given that the rest of the family are major talkers, we figure she'll catch up soon.<br /><br />Today's picture is just a cutie that I wanted to share. Andrea has a beautiful rocking chair made by "Uncle Pete" for her first birthday. You can't see its detail in the shot, but it's got a giraffe on the back, and the arms and rockers are painted in jungle leaves and lady bugs. The work is amazing - there's a stuffed monkey sitting on one arm, and her name in glitter letters down the back. Andrea's new favorite game is to climb in and rock herself. We store her "soft friends" in the seat, so the fun begins by pulling everyone off and using them as stepping stones.<br /><br />* A Mightly Fortress is Our God - Martin LutherBabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-88974498816700817482010-07-20T22:20:00.006-04:002010-07-22T03:22:36.544-04:00Amazing Andrea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PimrIMYZzieddwby8gqcqITWurZ_dGvLhmuiZPR8BtXXcNyMsasd2KQPjLfAJQDWsuWifrqSJYCA0fsgpkybbMZtKUYnJpbJGjAhb1UXTK4WIeuaesKaNu-xMdKnk8CcCWDAuZmhNgs/s1600/IMG00264-20100712-1557.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PimrIMYZzieddwby8gqcqITWurZ_dGvLhmuiZPR8BtXXcNyMsasd2KQPjLfAJQDWsuWifrqSJYCA0fsgpkybbMZtKUYnJpbJGjAhb1UXTK4WIeuaesKaNu-xMdKnk8CcCWDAuZmhNgs/s320/IMG00264-20100712-1557.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496524532263837458" /></a><br /><br /><em>Andrea likes to sit in the laundry basket. She likes it even more if the clothes are clean and folded. Then she throws them onto the floor!</em><br /><br />Yesterday, we finally had another visit to the Developmental Clinic at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Andrea was supposed to be seen there in March, but had an ear infection, so the doctor cancelled her appointment. This was the first time she was there since October 2009, so there have been considerable changes.<br /><br />At Developmental Clinic, Andrea is seen by Speech Pathologists, Physical Therapists and Neonatologists, who compare Andrea to other (full term) babies based on her corrected age. That means that everyone was looking to see how close Andrea was to a full term 13-month old baby. The thing that was so interesting is that I think Andrea knew she was being assessed. She was at her most charming, smiling and cooing at everyone that came to see her. She was very attentive, and performed all the tasks she was asked to do.<br /><br />We were expecting a few areas of delay, but she's not as far behind as we dreaded. The deficits are minor, and are in speech and gross motor. Right now, Andrea does not say anything that is recognizable as a word. She does say "DaDaDaDa", but she uses it for many things, not just Ken. A 13-month old baby is expected to have a few words. The other thing that Andrea doesn't do is walk. Now, many babies aren't walking at 13 months, but Andrea is a little further behind than expected. No one was especially worried about these slight delays, and we left with strategies to help her along a little.<br /><br />Andrea also had a cognitive assessment, to see how her brain is functioning. Now, for a long time we've felt that she's smart beyond her age, and the doctor confirmed that. The first thing the doctor asked her to do was put a peg into a hole. (She modeled for Andrea, since we're not up to following directions yet.) The doctor showed her once, and then Andrea immediately repeated it. She was then given another peg, and on her own put it in the hole. Then the doctor had a ring with a string on it. She dangled it in front of Andrea, and Andrea grabbed the string and used it to "reel in" the ring. The doctor was quite pleased at Andrea's problem solving processes. There were many other tasks she was asked to perform, and the doctor went beyond what would be expected from a 13-month baby to see where she really fell. Well, cognitively, Andrea is 15 months old! WooHoo!!!<br /><br />The only other finding from the doctors is that Andrea is small for her age. This did not come as a shock to us! She has made up a lot of ground, but still has a way to go. The doctor told us that we might want to consider HGH (Human Growth Hormone) in a few years, if she doesn't catch upon her own. It's not something we need to do now, and it's good to know that the option is there if we need it.<br /><br />In other Andrea news, she finally has more teeth! She's had the bottom center two for a while, and now the top two (to the sides of center, HAH!) have finally broken through. Once they're out, she'll have fangs!<em></em><br /><br /><blockquote>“The person determined to achieve maximum success learns the principle that progress is made one step at a time. A house is built one brick at a time. Football games are won a play at a time. A department store grows bigger one customer at a time. Every big accomplishment is a series of little accomplishments.” <br />David Joseph Schwartz</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-78639879623650547702010-07-12T13:23:00.007-04:002010-07-12T21:24:31.382-04:00Andrea the Brave...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQvto1rQb1ekcUIyzFRxXvlGmTNuBaeOLEbSYMu_W4MGvryd790abCWe5Dp660pQ66FsPIU_nCsxkAL8Yi_esuCbMFY0UfOy_vUHWYj1TVEr00_xnpLN1C4YDaLl57wwzSqZrIv_gv6o/s1600/Andrea+7_12_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQvto1rQb1ekcUIyzFRxXvlGmTNuBaeOLEbSYMu_W4MGvryd790abCWe5Dp660pQ66FsPIU_nCsxkAL8Yi_esuCbMFY0UfOy_vUHWYj1TVEr00_xnpLN1C4YDaLl57wwzSqZrIv_gv6o/s320/Andrea+7_12_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493191955505496194" /></a><br /><br />We are so fortunate in that there has been very little to report in the world of Andrea. I know people want updates, but for the most part, there is nothing going on that is out of the ordinary. Who would have thought that we'd be saying that about Andrea? A year ago at this time, we were trying to come to terms with life on the apnea monitor and PulseOx. Now, we're contending with baby gates in not one, but four locations in the house as Andrea climbs the stairs and basically gets into everything she shouldn't.<br /><br />Last week was a week of doctor's appointments. We had Andrea's 15 month physical (those are scheduled based on her actual, not corrected, age) a pulmonology appointment, and a follow-up hearing test. The physical went well, although at this age there are always vaccines. We know they're important, but we hate to see Andrea so enraged, LOL! The pulmonologist was pleased with the way Andrea's lungs sounded, and we don't need to go back until October, if she stays healthy. The hearing test was the most interesting. Andrea had a hearing screen before being discharged from NICU, but I wasn't there when it happened. This time, I got to watch. The doctor had me sit Andrea on my lap in a sound booth. (I felt like I was on a game show!) The doctor then spoke to Andrea from outside the booth, and the sound came through speakers on either the right or left side. If Andrea turned her head to the correct side, a box lit up and she saw either a stuffed dog or pig making sounds. The doctor progressed from speech to tones, and each time Andrea turned toward the sound, she got the reward. Fortunately, Andrea did well on the test. Her hearing is adequate for speech and language development. I learned from the audiologist that some of the preemie medications can cause hearing loss. We're not in the clear, but she doesn't need to be retested until she's three.<br /><br />One of the things we're enjoying this summer is finally being able to go places with Andrea. (Although it's a challenge to travel with her.... we have to bring so much baby stuff!) We've been able to spend a day at the NJ shore, travel to Connecticut for a family wedding, and make trips to the town pool, where Andrea is able to splash in the baby pool. Last summer, we went to the pool with the boys, but Andrea was allowed nowhere near the water, and we left her with my parents to take day trips with the big guys. Now, she can be a part of all of it.<br /><br />Our most recent adventure was a trip on Saturday to the Bronx Zoo. It was a cloudy, overcast day, which is great for seeing the animals. They're more active when it's not so hot. This time of year, there are usually lots of baby animals, too. We saw the "adolescent" giraffe that was born there last year, along with this year's crop of monkeys, cattle, sea lions, birds and so on. The most interesting thing, and the reason for today's title, was Andrea's response to the animals. She was quite interested in everything she saw, and we could see her eyes following the animals as they moved around their enclosures. She rode the "Bug Carousel" and watched the butterflies in the Butterfly Garden. Nothing intimated or upset her until we got to, of all places, the Children's Zoo. For those of you not familiar with the Children's Zoo, it's a place within the main zoo where kids can experience some of what animal life is like. They sit in giant birds' nests, climb in prairie dog burrows, wear tortoise shells, climb a giant spider web and so on. At the end, there is a barn yard with farm animals for feeding; the usual assortment of cows, pigs, goats, fowl and sheep. After all we went through, the one thing that made Andrea absolutely hysterical was... the sheep! Among the cutest animals in the area, they had the audacity to bleat when we were there, and Andrea burst into tears. Actual heart wrenching sobs of terror! It was so bad we actually left the barnyard and moved on to another area of the zoo. So, go figure... she's had more transfusions, IVs and shots than most adults, endured months on oxygen tanks and monitors, will happily be thrown through the air, but <em>cannot </em>abide by <em>sheep</em>! LOL!<br /><br />Next week, we have Developmental Clinic in New Brunswick. This will be her first appointment there since October 2009. She had an ear infection for her March visit, and the doctor didn't want her coming in. I hope the doctors will be pleased. We think she's come so far, and seems pretty on-track to us. As before, the doctors will assess her against full term babies and recommend early intervention if necessary. I'll try to post after clinic with the doctors' updates.<br /><br /><blockquote>“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character” <br />Henry David Thoreau</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-46789082134159762822010-04-25T21:47:00.007-04:002010-05-14T09:54:41.687-04:00March for Babies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7xxKZdXTRjdYW96ljL5JiME_h49eBlJT92MX-AozOOXux1miDxrxpccuHauDudMZ1iw6GCq_Pbhg9yNFHk009ijXn8yc3sBmC80xPahMX3Lap14-sZkwjgMnSsUckk0krW_kd46mOC8/s1600/IMG00195-20100211-0933.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7xxKZdXTRjdYW96ljL5JiME_h49eBlJT92MX-AozOOXux1miDxrxpccuHauDudMZ1iw6GCq_Pbhg9yNFHk009ijXn8yc3sBmC80xPahMX3Lap14-sZkwjgMnSsUckk0krW_kd46mOC8/s320/IMG00195-20100211-0933.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471123755021671858" /></a><br /><br />I know it's been a long time since I posted. So much has happened that I want to write about, but I probably won't get to it tonight. One reason I haven't been posting too often is that we're really living a fairly normal life right now. Andrea is pretty much an average baby. The bigger reason I don't post is that there just aren't enough hours in the day.<br /><br />I had an interesting experience today. I participated in the March of Dimes "March for Babies" in Piscataway, NJ. I spent the walk last year sitting next to Andrea's isolette in the NICU. The original plan for today was to bring Andrea along for the walk, but the weather was awful. After all we've been through, we didn't want her to get SICK!<br /><br />The reason I found the walk interesting is that it drove home haw many people have stories similar to ours. I didn't meet anyone else with a 15 ounce baby, but the majority of walkers have some connection to a preemie baby, all with their own dramatic stories. I walked for a while with a woman born 10 weeks early thirty years ago, at a time when most hospitals didn't have a NICU. I met parents of a 24-week boy who was born only a few months before Andrea. Despite the fact that he was almost twice her size at birth, his recovery hasn't been as smooth as Andrea's. It's hard to hear the sad stories. It makes me even more grareful for our happy outcome, amazed that we were, and continue to be, so lucky, and sorry for the parents who have ongoing challenges that we can't even imagine. Even worse are the families who lost their babies. I can't begin to know how you go on after such a loss. <br /><br />I was able to connect with some of Andrea's NICU nurses, and show them her most recent pictures. Life has gone on for the personnel in the NICU, and it was interesting to see that no one remembered me by name. I was recognizable as “Baby’s Zimmerman’s Mommy”, or “Mommy Zimmerman”. No one who met Andrea back then will likely ever forget her, but other babies have moved into her spot (hallelujah!) and we’re not in the forefront of anyone’s minds. What a blessing that was!<br /><br />In other Andrea news, she has finally decided she’s ready to crawl. She actually began crawling in earnest the week after Easter, but would slip and drop onto her tummy, especially on our hardwood floors. Now, all bets are off! She is a speed demon, and has to be watched every second! She loves to crawl over to the electrical wires and try to chew on them. She also has awesome eyesight – she finds every speck of lint on the floors and puts it in her mouth. She’s working hard on pulling up into a standing position, too. She’s been able to get onto her knees, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before she works out the next piece.<br /><br />Andrea has been teething for a while, and has cut her bottom two teeth. She is very stingy about showing them off… if we pry her mouth open, she’ll stick her tongue out to hide them. I keep trying to get a picture, and she won’t cooperate.<br /><br /><blockquote>"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” Pablo Casals</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-1427528892460261712010-03-08T15:16:00.004-05:002010-05-14T09:37:18.372-04:00Too Much PartyingThis past Saturday, we celebrated Andrea's first birthday and Ken's 50th. (He probably would have preferred I didn't mention that, but it's my blog, and I proudly announced my 40th last year, so too bad!) We had a small, family-only party, since it's still not a good idea for Andrea to be around crowds of people. I have to say, the whole event went better than we could have hoped for. We opted for a catered meal, held in the parish hall of the church where Ken and I got married. <br /><br />I have to mention the two vendors who provided the food. Our meal was catered by “A Family Affair” catering in Fair Lawn, NJ. (<a href="http://www.afadeli.com">http://www.afadeli.com/</a>) The storefront is misleading, as it’s the tiniest little place. However, the food was AWESOME, and we could have fed an army on what was left over. We sent leftovers home with everyone, and we still got three or four more meals for ourselves. The people we dealt with could not have been nicer, even going back to the deli to get us extra plates and utensils for our hors d'oeuvres. If you’re in need of a caterer in Bergen County, at least check them out. The prices were incredibly reasonable, and as I said, the food was awesome. (And no, I am not getting paid for the endorsement, LOL!)<br /><br />Many of you know that one of my claims to fame it making the cakes for all the kids’ birthdays. I’ve been doing this since my niece was born almost 13 years ago, and the kids have learned to count on Mom (or Aunt Tori) to come across with the goods. Well, for the first time ever, I BOUGHT a cake for a party. I had my heart set on a giraffe (for Andrea, of course) wearing a Yankees baseball cap (for Ken). This is way beyond my abilities, so I hired Kimmy, of Kimmy’s Kakes (<a href="http://www.kimmyskakes.com">http://www.kimmyskakes.com/</a>) who gave me what I was looking for. The cake is actually on her web site in the kids’ cakes section, but I posted my own picture here. Kimmy made a delicious cake, and even delivered for me, so I didn’t have to try to transport a 3-d giraffe along with 50 helium balloons and two kids. Like the meal, we could have fed another hundred people on the leftovers, but it was too cute for words and worth the cost.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos71QzYzx2FHHVb1MtHSYoVg2xs7VdEuqq-2jUVx7L-RyL7b6i4JcL1cXf5MnYs_xJoJN2xO7xoFBqHZacZj7gY3ePC-_S4iynnR2g99RO8FLIkBwLAtp8Ob2IAwlXvh8CGXOBLzbnYw/s1600/Andrea+and+Cake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos71QzYzx2FHHVb1MtHSYoVg2xs7VdEuqq-2jUVx7L-RyL7b6i4JcL1cXf5MnYs_xJoJN2xO7xoFBqHZacZj7gY3ePC-_S4iynnR2g99RO8FLIkBwLAtp8Ob2IAwlXvh8CGXOBLzbnYw/s320/Andrea+and+Cake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471117330111575794" /></a><br /><br />Ken didn’t know that he was one of the guests of honor at the party, so we had an interesting theme. I went with an animal/princess theme for Andrea and a 50th/Baseball theme for Ken. I had a baseball piñata, to the delight of the bigger kids. Andrea happily spent the day being passed from one relative to another. We’d brought her exer-saucer to give her some down time, but she mostly preferred to be carried around like a princess. Her dress was an Easter gift last year, while she was still in the hospital. I promised the givers that she would wear it as soon as it fit, and so she did!<br /><br />Even though Andrea is officially one, she’s developmentally a nine month old baby. She’s been eating some solid foods, (Cheerios are still a favorite) and she’s thinking about crawling, but hasn’t worked out the logistics yet. As when she was in the NICU, she does everything in her own time. We’ve learned that she can’t be rushed, and that she’ll get there when she’s ready. Still, a year ago we couldn’t imagine this day would ever come.<br /><br /><blockquote>“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.”</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-17123226728913164652010-03-05T22:18:00.002-05:002010-03-05T22:35:28.194-05:00The End of an Era<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0Fvxb8Ajgf8JPDkGIJSbiw0h4Gjl0XwV6Sh-gDAwxdZIkOvuF2DJTkGvGMGP5esSIulM7QU7nEkgwzKs9XLrtPXFiQBCo_fEcho05j3paQrqeNqTkdsqBxzg-pYJyWxOqfpTbGLNhPU/s1600-h/03_01_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0Fvxb8Ajgf8JPDkGIJSbiw0h4Gjl0XwV6Sh-gDAwxdZIkOvuF2DJTkGvGMGP5esSIulM7QU7nEkgwzKs9XLrtPXFiQBCo_fEcho05j3paQrqeNqTkdsqBxzg-pYJyWxOqfpTbGLNhPU/s320/03_01_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445356690010402994" /></a><br /><br />Andrea had an appointment with her pulmonologist today - her first "well"visit there in months. She's been seen there with a variety of illnesses, but hasn't been healthy for a visit since early fall. It was also her first visit since the doctor took her off oxygen over night. I have to say, it was a wonderful appointment! Andrea now weighs 15 pounds, 11 ounces, and is 25.8 inches long. She is rapidly approaching "normal" size for a full term baby. The best news of the day was that her lungs sounded clear, and the doctor told us we can stop using the PulseOx monitor over night!!! This thing has been a trial - every time Andrea turned over in the night, the monitor would alarm, and we would have to get up and check on Andrea. Tonight, for the first time in her life, Andrea is sleeping with nothing attached to her body. We will probably be more anxious over night for a while, but we are excited about this next phase.<br /><br />In other news, Andrea's first tooth broke through yesterday. You can't see it yet, but we can feel it, and the doctor saw it when he looked in her mouth with a light and a tongue depressor.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"<br />Martin Luther King, Jr.</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-12410401001461037272010-02-26T18:32:00.013-05:002010-02-26T21:19:39.867-05:00Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!<A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvQia6xWePkajpeDDFH2OwaI5tg_2f1F2JmfD0v2yWWfWE3EHGzKJFJ0H8xYdio9GJrNza3EjiSSd99fOSmTxQEFYKf4xYJBUW_FkSVLYbtyabMSdOSsTUZb08WtQOgYYLW-dacxYrwI/s1600-h/DSC05417.JPG"><IMG style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442699638447274290 border=0 alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvQia6xWePkajpeDDFH2OwaI5tg_2f1F2JmfD0v2yWWfWE3EHGzKJFJ0H8xYdio9GJrNza3EjiSSd99fOSmTxQEFYKf4xYJBUW_FkSVLYbtyabMSdOSsTUZb08WtQOgYYLW-dacxYrwI/s320/DSC05417.JPG"></A> <br /><br />As of 5:29 p.m., Andrea is officially one year old! For those of you followers who are not on the East Coast of the US, you might not know that Andrea's birthday was commemorated by Mother Nature with one of the biggest snowfalls we've seen in a while. Ken said more than once today, he'd never have gotten to the hospital in the storm we had. We have about 18 inches of snow here; other New Jersey areas got as much as 2 feet. As a result, we were home today to celebrate. Most schools (if not all!) were closed. <br /><br />One thing that many people have a hard time believing about Andrea is that she is pretty close to developmentally normal. Her age is counted from her actual birthday of February 26, but her development is considered from her due date of June 4. So by that reckoning, she is about 9 months old. She is able to sit up unassisted, can pass objects from hand to hand, can get almost anything into her mouth, smiles, laughs and makes baby sounds. When we tell people this, I think we appear to be in denial. <br /><br />I'm including a very short video clip of Andrea eating Cheerios, just to show her off. She's a huge fan of Cheerios, to the point that she recognizes the box and tries to grab the cereal right off the picture. She's picking the cereal up off a tray and shoving it in her mouth. She has no teeth yet, so she has to gum them to bits. I didn't realize I had "Law and Order" on in the background, so I'm sorry for the sound track.<br /><br /><em>The videos take a few minutes to download. The speed is determined by your Internet connection.</em><br /><br /><OBJECT id=BLOG_video-6e4d6d530edfd591 class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="6e4d6d530edfd591"></OBJECT><br /><br />This second video is of Andrea playing with a toy she got for Christmas. It's kind of dark - I didn't have enough light, and she wouldn't perform for a reshoot once Ken got me another lamp. Still, she's cute, and you can see her acting like a typical baby.<br /><br /><OBJECT id=BLOG_video-1bc165e00ed4300f class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="1bc165e00ed4300f"></OBJECT><br /><br />Because Andrea is developmentally only 9 months old, it means she couldn't have any birthday cake. Mom had a great (but sort of disgusting) idea. She suggested I mix baby cereal with a favorite flavor of baby food, making a thick paste. She then told me to mold the paste in a small ramekin, and put it in the refrigerator. It solidified into something the consistency of pudding. I was able to unmold it, warm it slightly to take the chill off, and put a candle in it. Here are some pictures of Andrea with her cake, and eating it too! Thanks Mom!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm59TOvnlWPO3c72IFs03aWBtq9QjhXWYhHVAr9FR6gwMHDHhqWQzJvK8Ef4AM9Xz6M1_kOu6Z48pK5Rfxxr7Hnv8NA5QGkcWzWbyLSgBQMkXIkF5MUHONn_3dzd4WWKTiRBAgv1KVhZ0/s1600-h/DSC05434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm59TOvnlWPO3c72IFs03aWBtq9QjhXWYhHVAr9FR6gwMHDHhqWQzJvK8Ef4AM9Xz6M1_kOu6Z48pK5Rfxxr7Hnv8NA5QGkcWzWbyLSgBQMkXIkF5MUHONn_3dzd4WWKTiRBAgv1KVhZ0/s320/DSC05434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442740304308877506" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehc2GGEfMsSgOZ305cEGp3XxfTWgTSwph8InVqn5m5WP3flr6jHlEUewTZjBgbZg9A9-vgsiIilYGE4uQm87_5XzKleJLpVxEADD3TIVC4Omzr3jVwJwhlElo8YTmPLK5fCiqD07wkls/s1600-h/DSC05435.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehc2GGEfMsSgOZ305cEGp3XxfTWgTSwph8InVqn5m5WP3flr6jHlEUewTZjBgbZg9A9-vgsiIilYGE4uQm87_5XzKleJLpVxEADD3TIVC4Omzr3jVwJwhlElo8YTmPLK5fCiqD07wkls/s320/DSC05435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442740479370270690" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZLd7OCoYLlo0GBeOjDWv-LjY2gtkGQ3Oikt59xJzn22X7VBjyjnzQ7QjBoPAIqu0tHUwx-t-dnQeHYyLu-SP7eXDXbwq1xyX0Lx5nq9X72bXc0YlUcQeUopYoz69JUYGFwtfB28NDQI/s1600-h/DSC05443.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZLd7OCoYLlo0GBeOjDWv-LjY2gtkGQ3Oikt59xJzn22X7VBjyjnzQ7QjBoPAIqu0tHUwx-t-dnQeHYyLu-SP7eXDXbwq1xyX0Lx5nq9X72bXc0YlUcQeUopYoz69JUYGFwtfB28NDQI/s320/DSC05443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442740661442697362" /></a><br /><br />We have an eventful week coming up. Andrea has her second visit to the developmental clinic in New Brunswick on Monday. We look forward to these visits, because they reinforce our belief that Andrea is developing normally. Additionally, if there are deficits, the doctors will make recommendations for remediation before the problems become severe. We have to see the pediatrician for Andrea's 12 month "well baby" visit, and the pulmonologist to determine if Andrea can come off the PulseOx monitor. We still use it overnight, and we've had about enough!<br /><br />What a year it has been. Thank you for keeping us company and supporting us through this tribulation. It has been a journey that we never expected, and are still not sure how we survived. We hope Andrea's next year is less dramatic than her first, and I plan to continue posting as the situation warrants. <br /><br /><blockquote>Very early, I knew that the only object in life was to grow.” <br />Margaret Fuller</blockquote>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-53516653751733152472010-02-20T08:17:00.001-05:002010-02-20T08:17:57.861-05:00Million Dollar Baby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ecdkmTz0UGw8EMjGlu0p_wrRzBW6meuXyvEAM8vA4bLuzqx7nKKClfGyLfwl5q2CvoBpYPj0AecL4Omz9UA3eFlQNnUPOxBOVOIcdVW6uCuliB2_P-TfcypUf_6HrLsvwKN94gtLgY/s1600-h/Andrea+Year+1+033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ecdkmTz0UGw8EMjGlu0p_wrRzBW6meuXyvEAM8vA4bLuzqx7nKKClfGyLfwl5q2CvoBpYPj0AecL4Omz9UA3eFlQNnUPOxBOVOIcdVW6uCuliB2_P-TfcypUf_6HrLsvwKN94gtLgY/s320/Andrea+Year+1+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440313517507345922" /></a><br /><br />I know it's been ages since I posted. February has been a rough month. Some respiratory viruses made the rounds of the family, and although I held out the longest, I was eventually sick along with everyone else. Between trying to take care of all the patients and get better myself, the blog was neglected.<br /><br />For most of Andrea's life to this point, I've said that the only way to get through this experience is to stay positive, and laugh when we can. As the saying goes, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. We continue to be extremely lucky that Andrea's health is doing so well. She has continued to sleep all night without oxygen support. The PulseOx has not alarmed, and Andrea seems to be adjusting to sleeping with nothing taped to her face. It's much easier for her to move in the night, now that we leave the upper part of her body unswaddled. It's wonderful to see her roll over on her side, and position herself however she likes. The down side to that is her current favorite position; she likes to sleep on her belly, with her face pressed into the mattress. VERY stressful for us!<br /><br />All that being said, all the craziness outside of Andrea's continued good health will make us insane. In the mail the other day, Ken got a letter from his insurance company, telling us that they are "investigating" the charges from the hospital for Andrea's 102 day stay. The amount they are questioning is $1,183,226.74. Yes - ONE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY THREE THOUSAND dollars, and 74 cents. Heaven forbid we don't reimburse that 74 cents! Now, we know this is mostly an insurance SNAFU. Babies in NICU with NO insurance get the same care as Andrea did. She is, and has been always been, covered under policies provided by both our employers. However, actually SEEING someone mail you a bill for one million dollars is somewhat scary. The vast majority of the costs should be covered by one or the other policy. I just think it's going to take YEARS before the dust settles from all this. Potentially, we could be left with several thousand in uncovered costs, but I refuse to stress about it. And of course, in the meantime, we continue to generate expenses from vaccines (currently being denied coverage by Ken's insurance), doctors' appointments, prescriptions, x-rays, blood work and sleep studies. So, she was already a million dollar baby by discharge, but I think we'll hit the $2 million mark before she graduates from high school! <br /><br />We are in the final count down to Andrea's first birthday. In less than a week, she will have been here a whole year! We originally wanted to have a huge blow out party, but the doctor advised against it. Until April, it's really better to limit the number of people who come into contact with Andrea. She had a long run of good health (about 2 months) before her recent illness, but the last one resulted in a trip to the emergency room, a chest x-ray, antibiotics, oral steroids and breathing treatments for 10 days. We'd like to avoid doing THAT again soon!<br /><br />I promise a picture and a post on February 26, 2010. It's the very least I can do to thank Andrea's fan club.<br /><br /><blockquote>"God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty."<br />Peter Marshall </blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3202360&ct=4&w=4033887&u=babyandreasmom&bt=4"><img src="http://www.marchforbabies.org/gethsig/pp=3202360&ct=4&4033887b.jpg" border=0 /></a>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797382437502807674.post-10137855929225453452010-01-26T17:06:00.006-05:002010-01-26T20:59:04.903-05:00Eleven Months Old TodayAs of 5:29 p.m., Andrea is celebrating 11 months of life. Over the last few posts, I've been writing about how much this experience has taken out of us. Whenever we have a milestone day, I can't help but relive every moment that led us to this point. I sill vividly remember being in the NICU during rounds and hearing the residents report on Andrea. "Baby Zimmerman, x 26 weeker, today is day X of life". In the beginning, we clung to every single day - grateful to have made it that far, afraid to believe that she was going to be OK, but equally unwilling to contemplate the alternative. Now, here we are on 334 of life, still marveling at our good fortune.<br /><br />We don't have another developmental clinic until March 1, so we're sort of on our own for how Andrea's doing. She sees her pediatrician with incredible frequency because of all her vaccines, so we have a pretty good idea of how she's faring. She has been thriving in the "Grammy & Pa" day care situation. She gets way more floor time there than she does at home. Andrea loves being on the floor. She rolls all over the place, and is pushing up on hands and knees more and more often. She is loving baby food, now that we've stopped trying to make her eat peas. Sweet potatoes and carrots went down well. We're going to give her fruit this weekend. We figure we've forced enough vegetables on her already for now. We've also started giving her Cheerios. She can pick them up herself, but can't get them into her mouth. Still, if we feed them to her, she likes to gum them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8s7qoEIPm6NqAAgadsaujCuDzM-aBPk25yHEanfUTVaam4r6FukmZAUtcgpMkFDibcewhIBTxQEeUf67ir3FqfIKgQWH2LWrx1tGvmCyfoPsRUPRt6tCiQ5wm_WZ1pmle42scr06tF0/s1600-h/Andrea+1_26_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8s7qoEIPm6NqAAgadsaujCuDzM-aBPk25yHEanfUTVaam4r6FukmZAUtcgpMkFDibcewhIBTxQEeUf67ir3FqfIKgQWH2LWrx1tGvmCyfoPsRUPRt6tCiQ5wm_WZ1pmle42scr06tF0/s320/Andrea+1_26_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431231567642335138" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>"Faith is not believing<br />that God can,<br />It is knowing<br />that God will."</blockquote><br /><br />Today's quote came to me today in an email from my friend Janice. It seemed appropriate.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3202360&ct=4&w=4033887&u=babyandreasmom&bt=4"><img src="http://www.marchforbabies.org/gethsig/pp=3202360&ct=4&4033887b.jpg" border=0 /></a>BabyAndrea's Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05921383191427018751noreply@blogger.com0