Visit to CHOP

Well...I finally got an appointment with Dr. Finkel down at CHOP. Mom-Mom joined me for the visit. Alida did quite well I must say. It was the morning of the snow storm so driving was not ideal but I didn't want to risk rescheduling and having to wait another month or more. We got to the office on time and then had to wait over an hour to see the Doc. Dr. Finkel was very thorough in his examination and once he weighed all the factors and checked Alida upside and down he gave us his opinion. Alida does not have a Brachial Plexus Injury as we had thought. The Doc said that her problem is one of two things...A. She has a developmental anomaly of the right lobe of her brain which controls the left arm OR B. She suffered a motor stroke while in utero or during delivery that was very mild. So....further investigation is needed to see if we can figure this out and Alida will be going back to CHOP for an MRI....yippee! UGH! I am not looking forward to it! Dr. Finkel reassured me that her condition is VERY mild and on a scale of 1 to 10 it is definitely a 1. The MRI results might not tell us anything since it is so mild. The best Dx would be a stroke....there is 100% recovery and the likely hood of it happening again is rare. So....we shall see.......

NO Cheesy Smile!!

This morning Alida tried on her summertime gear! As soon as I showed her the swimsuits I had gotten she wanted to put them on. We played a little game of peek-a-boo and I got some GREAT pictures. It's so rare that I can capture a real smile!!!! I was ecstatic to get more than one!
Here's to warm weather!!

"Scared...Pablo"

Matt and I recently took Alida to see her favorite cartoon character at The Crayola Factory...Pablo from The Backyardigans. I was so excited to see how she would react. She absolutely LOVES this guy! Well....sure enough she was scared. BOOHOO!! She wouldn't even stand with him to get a picture! From a distance she loved him but up close and personal was way different. Despite my disappointment I was still glad that she got to experience the visit, even if it wasn't ideal. The entire ride home (and for the next few weeks) she chanted the words "Scared Pablo" over and over. She still loves him though!!

By the way...I am crossing my fingers that one of these days...when I ask Alida to 'smile' she won't give me the cheesy toddler grin that she just hasn't been able to shake yet. One of these days!

Waiting for Pablo...

He's here.....

Scared Pablo!!

The world's largest crayon and the world's cheesiest toddler grin...

Another cheesy grin! Man, I gotta stop asking her to smile!!!

OK....so, it's my fault. I know what she does when I ask but I still do it!!!!

Erb's Palsy

Long story short....I had Early Intervention out to see Alida recently...I was still concerned about her left hand. As soon as they got here and engaged her in some play they told me that they think she has Brachial Plexus Palsy. The Brachial Plexus is nerve that runs from your spinal cord into the neck that controls sensations and movement in the arm, hand and fingers. A lot of times when babies are assisted deliveries (forceps or vacuum) the neck can be stretched too far from the shoulder pulling on this muscle causing damage. The damage is usually severe and in Alida's case it is very mild...thank goodness. So...Miss Alida now has her own Occupational Therapist that visits weekly to strengthen the muscles and the nerve signals in that arm, hand and fingers. She enjoys the playtime!! I plan to take her down to CHOP to see a specialist...if I can ever get an appointment!!

Jabber-Jaw

Alida is talking up a storm!!! I am amazed at the words she knows and remembers to use in context! At least...once I figure out what the word is that she's actually saying!! In all seriousness though she is doing incredibly well with talking. She labels everything she sees and repeats anything that you could think of saying....time to watch our mouths!! She loves to do puzzles and go through flashcards....and she's even started helping me when I read to her!! She downright amazes me!!

Current Top Ten

In no particular order....


1. The Backyardigans...especially Pablo (the little blue guy in the stroller).

2. Mommy...poor Daddy is always last in line for Alida's affection. Sorry Matt! Your time will come...no doubt when she's 15 and "hates" her mama!

3. Bath time! She sometimes asks for one...and she always says "hi" (see below) when asked if she'd like one. She pronounces it BAAAhhh and sticks her tongue out for the "th".

4. Noodles....gotta love those Carbs!! She now asks for them at meals...odles...it took me a while to figure out what she was asking for!



5. Saying "hi" when answering "yes". I have tried over and over and over to correct her when saying yes but she insists on saying hi....I just don't get it!



6. Pictures of family and friends....she loves to point people out! She may not always be able to say the names but if you put her in front of a picture of some people and tell her who they are she can then point to each person when asked. The girl has got a great memory!


7. Labeling objects as to who they belong to or who they came from. If it belongs to mommy it is called "mommy's", if it's daddy's then we call it "daddy's", if it's Alida's then we call it "aye-aye's" (not sure why she pronounces her name so strangely!). At bedtime I cover her up with a blanket that Mimi made so her last words at night are "Mimi's" and when I put her coat on that Aunt Nine and Uncle Dave bought her it always "Nine's". She brought some lipstick to me the other day and said "Mimi's"....it was my lipstick but I don't really wear it, Mimi wears lipstick a lot though!!


8. Her phone (and anyone else's phone for that matter) aka Doan!! She loves, loves, loves to talk on the phone. She will use a remote (which we call Daddy's), or a calculator or anything that resembles a phone if her baby cell isn't handy. She has gotten the "hi" and "bye-bye" down pat.

9. Cheese. She Loves, Loves, Loves cheese! She will ask for it while driving and for snack. Anytime we open the fridge she tries to open the top drawer and yells CHEESE!


10. Baby dolls. We weren't aware of this intense interest until Christmas where she received her first real baby doll and a baby stroller, pack 'n' play, baby swing/high chair and shopping cart. She will spend hours putting the baby to bed or pushing the baby through the house. It's so cute to watch!!

Merry Christmas!!

I have so many things that I want to share but absolutely no time to do it in!!! Boo!!! I had to post a Christmas Blog with Alida on Santa's lap. She ABSOLUTELY adored him!!!!!

Until next time.....Merry Christmas to Everyone!!!!