'Dress' - Up

Ali is starting to go out more and more.

Yesterday she went with us to her cousin's baptism.

She got to wear one of her cute dresses.

We are going to start taking her to church next Sunday so there will be more pictures of dresses next week.

Ali is also sleeping better at night. She is only getting us up once during the night to eat.

Mommy and Daddy like that... especially Mommy.

Ali's blessing day at church will be on March 27th.

Mimi is making her blessing gown for the special occasion.

On another note, Ali's hair on the top of her head is growing back.

Also, Mommy found a curly hair on her head. We will see if they all come in curly.

Chocolate & A Sweetie

We are sure that many of you all have asked yourselves,

"What do I do with all this chocolate we have left over from dipping strawberries from Valentines?"

A Westenhofer Solution: Make chocolate covered chewy chocolate chip cookies!

They are delicious!

We also made chocolate covered pretzels. (you can see one of them at the bottom of the picture above.)

Mommy clipped Ali's nails last night. Maybe not very eventful, but very necessary.

After we made sweet chocolate treats, we took pictures of our sweetie in another dress.

The dress is a 3 month size and she already looks like she is getting to long for it.

Ali: Oh pictures.

This is fun.

Well... I think it is starting to get a little boring.

I think I'm getting tired.

Very tired (big yawn).

I'm almost out Dad.

(snore)

Ali's friend came to say hi.

Her lamb started to get tired too though.

Then they both were out, and they snuggled.

Some new feet pictures because we love them, and we haven't taken any in awhile.

Ali

Ali went to the GI doctor.

Ali is:

9 lbs 13 oz

almost 21 inches

Ali has been put back on pro-biotics drops.

Ali will get an upper GI study in march to make sure all her organs are in the correct place.

She goes back to the pediatrician for her next rsv shot on monday.

Ali is liking bath time more and more.

Ali has started to go walking with mommy in the park. Pictures to come.

Ali doesn't like wearing her clothes when in her stroller/car seat because she gets hot.

Sometimes at night Ali will scream all of a sudden, and when we go to pick her up she immediately stops screaming. So, we think she has nightmares.

Ali is seeing better and focuses on objects and us when we talk to her or come close to her.

She is still cute as a button.

Ali before it was time to eat.

She made sure not to loose her pacifier.

Flowers from Valentine's to Jodi.

And 7 days later the lily that blossomed from it. There are 3 other lilies left to bloom.

I also got her a pearl necklace. Her favorite stone/jewel and my birthstone (june).

Jodi got me an awesome card written in Spanish and she got me Josh Groban's cd Illuminations.

This is one of my favorite songs from the cd.

Cutie Patootie

Yesterday, we were doing dishes so we put Ali in our bed and closed the door.

I went and checked on her and found a great photo-op in the morning light coming from the window.

And later, when we were changing her diaper she decided she would go ahead and sleep on the changing table. She slept there for about 45 minutes. And that was while we were doing dishes.

She also fell asleep waiting to be fed while Mommy was holding her. It didn't look to comfortable though.

Ali is going to a GI specialist on Wednesday to monitor her.

We will see what he says about the milk protein intolerance that she has.

Ali is also growing out of her newborn clothes.

It's Time to Fight for the Little Ones

We have formed a team to walk in honor of Ali in this next March for Babies: March of Dimes.

We encourage and welcome any and all support.

Walk with us...encourage us...donate for the cause...invite others to join our walk.

We never thought of the the possibility of having a premature child. We assumed that our baby would be be born at full term, and that she would be perfectly healthy.

It's a surprise that can come to anyone. It could be your next cousin, nephew/niece, grandchild, or your child.

Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. Even babies born just a few weeks too soon can face serious health challenges and are at risk of lifelong disabilities.

The March of Dimes works to reduce premature birth rates. They raise public awareness of the serious issue and invest in education of moms-to-be and health care providers. They also support medical advances and knowledge. Every year, new promising research studies are funded through various initiatives.

To join the team and help raise money for the cause:

 1. Go to http://www.marchforbabies.org/

2. Click on the "join team"

3.search "Amazing Little Infants"

If you aren't into walking, but would like to sponsor us by making a donation, go to: http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1511122 

or click on the link below.

Hi !!!

Ali has been having a hard time lately and received some special visitors today.

First, pictures.

Ali has been fussy this week. A few weeks ago we took Ali to the doctor because of mucus in her stool. The doctor said it was probably due to changing formulas. Well, it never went away. Yesterday morning I found blood in her diaper.

I took her to the pediatrician again, well another pediatrician, who said that she has a milk protein intolerance.

So, she is back to the Alimentum formula.
I saw all the signs, but the doctor dismissed all of them. 
I think deep down I knew better (I have 2 nieces with milk protein intolerance) but I didn't really want to see it after seeing all the difficulties they have had.
Anyway, I could've kicked myself because her recovery will be much longer now and she is hurting more now. 
Lesson 1 of parenthood: mom really does know best.

The doctor said that it will take months for her intestines to heal completely.

While she was there they weighed her... 8 lbs. 6 oz.!

Ali's Uncle Allan & Aunt Suzanne came to see Ali for the first time today.

Since they came today, and since they have already lost control of the truck driving here due to the ice, they will be spending the night. :)