A new milestone!

Today Brie hit a huge milestone in the way of growth. She is now 10 times her birth weight. Our little peanut is 17 lbs 8 oz. She is getting so big. In just over 13 months she has come so far. She has grown 14 inches in length as well. Most babies in their first year triple their birth weight so despite her tiny size Mommy and Daddy are proud. Below is a picture of Brie holding a baby that is the exact size she was when she was born. Even the feet and head are the same size. Mommy and Daddy had it made for her first birthday.



Brie has also had a pretty busy week. On Thursday she spent the day with our friends the Johnson's at the zoo. Brie liked looking at the animals, but got very mad when I would not let her pet the black panther. She loves to give our cat Widget hugs, although Widget is not a big fan, and I think because the panther was all black she thought it needed a hug or at least a good tail pull as well. I do not think the panther would have been as docile as our poor little kitty.



Friday, Brie got her last synergist shot. Luckily for us she was able to get this last one, because the insurance had only approved until March. The office had enough left over from her previous dosages that she was able to get this final one. With her having pneumonia a month ago it makes us feel better to have at least a little bit of protection. She is generally not around other children, but now that the weather is nice we will be able to venture out more often.

Feeding Therapy Graduate!

Today was a big day for our little peanut. She saw Nancy, her feeding therapist, for the last time. Brie of course ate very well in therapy today and even took a few bites off of a fork. At this point Nancy feels that she is doing well and that we only need to see her if there is a problem. Brie will now eat foods of various textures and likes things with more of a strong taste. She prefers Mexican. Right now her favorite foods seem to be spicy. She likes mommy's buffalo chicken dip, spicy taco meat, and chili. Brie also loves freeze dried fruits and veggies. She eats dried apricots, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries all day. Brie also likes fish. We were a little leery of trying it with her but it has been a hit! So far she has had tilapia and haddock. Tonight she ate about 1/4 of a piece of tilapia! Her new trick is spitting things out, but we have just been shoving them back in until she finally swallows them. We just need to stay one step ahead of her.

With regards to growth over the last month Brie has gain about a pound. Last night she was 17 lbs 5.5 oz and using our growth chart she was 27.5 inches so she is growing. I think she just goes in spurts. The last 2 days she has been eating pretty well so hopefully that will continue.

Officially a toddler

Well today Brie got her first official walking shoes. She picked out a cute and probably the most expensive pair of sneakers that she could find at stride rite today. Of course Brie inherited mommy's expensive taste. She looks like such a big girl walking in her new sneakers.

Last night we went to the official meeting to kick of the march of dimes walk in our area. Brie had a ball walking all over and meeting the other children. She also met up with her boyfriend Anthony. The had fun chasing a ball around the room and playing with balloons. It was nice to exchange ideas with other parents and to hear stories of other children who were born prematurely. We are looking forward to walking this year to raise money to prevent prematurity and birth defects.

Brie had a good Easter. We spent the day at Nanna and Pop's house. Brie had fun collecting Easter eggs outside and playing with her cousins, Brandon and Christian. She got lots of new books for Easter and enjoys reading them with mommy and daddy.

Our little walker- almost

Brie is moving forward with walking. Today she walked from the coffee table to the loveseat without falling. It was about 4-5 steps. She was very proud of herself. I don't think it will be long and she will be walking completely independently. She is completely recovered from her pneumonia and has been very happy lately. Since this last illness she has gotten more cuddly. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She hugs all of her toys, even elmo who has kicked her a few times.

Yesterday Brie had her second birthday party. Despite not having an afternoon nap she did wonderfully. I don't think she cried or fussed the entire day. She loved all of the attention. Many of our friends were there from college and we got to meet all of the new babies. It was great to see everyone. We have been secluded from everyone because of Brie's preemie status and are hoping that Brie stays healthy after all of the visiting.

Mommy is starting to get Cabin fever. I cannot wait for the weather to warm up so I can take Brie to the pool and the park. Today we went for a walk and although it was a little chilly Brie seemed to enjoy it.

Brie's first birthday pictures

Brie's first birthday party slideshow

Brie's first birthday party

Gabrielle had a wonderful time on her first birthday. Despite not having a good nap all day she was in good spirits. She went to everyone and enjoyed playing with family and friends. She is still coughing, but she did not let that get in the way of all of her crawling and "walking." Brie will now take 2-3 independent steps before falling down. She got some wonderful presents for her birthday and we spent the evening playing with them before getting settled in for the night.

Because of her pneumonia, Brie lost weight this last week. She was down almost a full pound. We did weigh her tonight and she was 16 lbs 3.5 oz and 26.5 inches. We are hoping that since she is feeling better she will gain back what she has lost quickly.