Easter Bunny!

Let's just say that Emma was frightened by the Easter Bunny at Chesterfield Mall. It might have been the fact that the bunny was brown and not white, it was the skinniest bunny we have ever seen and he even creeped Rett out!

Oh well...it made for a memory that we won't forget...and some funny pictures!

We are looking forward to this weekend as we have an Easter egg hunt on Saturday night and then Easter breakfast and dinner with family. Emma has two Easter baskets awaiting her! (she must have been a really good baby!)

Happy Easter!
Love,
Jenna, Rett and Emma

First Day of School

Emma had her first day of school on Tuesday and she is doing great...much better than mommy is! I call to check on her a couple times a day and every time her teachers report that she is happy. Everyday she practices the following: language arts, cognitive development, creative art, music/movement, motor skills, self-help/life skills and sensory stimulation.

Mommy before the tears began.

Ms. Cindy and Emma in her classroom.

As part of her creative art on Day 1 she applied stickers to a piece of construction paper. Ms. Cindy told me she stuck the stickers to the backs of Emma's hands so she could feel them sticking to them and then used her hands to peel them off and stick them to the paper. Here is the finished product displayed proudly in the kitchen.

This week's theme at school is Prehistoric Days. Emma's teachers weave the theme into her daily activities. Today, Ms. Cindy told us that Emma loved it when the other babies growled like dinosaurs; her eyes would get so big! As part of the sensory stimulation, Emma learned opposites...hard and soft. Ms. Cindy gave her a plastic dinosaur and a plush lizard to touch and play with.

Emma is learning sign language and they practiced the sign for "more." A lesson for me in on my to do list for the AM...as I don't know the sign to reiterate at home :)

Tomorrow night is Mad Science Night and we are going to take Emma to the gymnasium to see all the other kids making lemon soap, performing science experiments and growing plants!

It makes me so happy to know that we made the right choice for Emma's care and development and it does make it a bit easier to walk out the door every morning knowing that her teachers really do care about her and love to snuggle and spoil her!

Hope you have a great week too!
Love
Jenna

3 Months Old!

Emma-
I can't believe you are already 3 months old. These 14 weeks since you were born have gone back so quickly. We went to see Dr. McBride on Tuesday and here are your stats:

• 10 lbs 1 oz (6%)
• 22" long (6.4%)
• 14 3/4" head circumference (2%)

The percentages above are based on the full term baby scale; you continue to do amazingly and we are tracking your progress against other full term babies versus preemies. Dr. McBride is so comfortable with your growth that we are to continue to treat you like other babies your age...therefore we will begin feeding you rice cereal with a spoon at 4 months in your highchair!

You have begun to drool a bit more and are beginning to put more and more into your mouth. The main item is your fingers but you love to "kiss" (or suck on) your babydoll and lovie's heads. You continue to stick your tongue out when prompted and you are getting more and more vocal everyday in a fashion that is almost conversation-like. I will ask you a question or make a statement and you will respond with different noises and cooing.

Family friends gave us their jumperoo. We assembled it this week and put you in it. However you are too light and your legs are not near long enough to hit the ground so you can jump. We thought we would try because you love practicing standing up in our laps and your leg muscles are getting so strong. One day you will love this!

We have some big events coming up that bring along a bagful of mixed emotions. I return to work from a 14 week maternity leave on Tuesday and therefore you have your first day of school! I am excited to return to work as I will be tackling some new brands and FY12 is right around the corner! However, I will miss our days together. You change so much everyday that it will be hard to not be a part of it each and every day.

We went to visit your teacher, Ms. Cindy, and you loved every minute of it. She held you for about 40 minutes and you were calm in her arms, even amongst the craziness of 8 babies in one room! You will do great! You will have 2-3 other babies about your age and then you will also be in a room with about 4 others that range from 6 months to about a year old. We can't wait for you to begin making friends, doing art projects, learning sign language, etc. We hope we can keep up with you (thank goodness for the parent take home cheat sheets!)

Here are some photos from the week (taken from my cell phone so not the best quality):

Your Princess tutu for your 3 month birthday photo.

Just looking at Mom

Happy girl after waking up. This is when you smile the most!

Hanging out on your lambie chair.

I love you, Emma.
Mommy

March for Babies

This will be our 3rd year participating in the March of Dimes March for Babies Event! The team was first inspired by our dear friends’ daughter, Ailey Hope Fanger, who came into the world too soon and left the world in the same fashion. A year later, their son Kannon was born with minor lung issues but is a healthy boy today!

This year, we have another reason to celebrate this event. Emma, our baby girl, was born at 33 weeks and spent 2 ½ weeks in the NICU where she learned to eat on her own and keep her body warm. She is now 3 months old and is growing and developing beautifully.

We have joined forces in hopes to do MORE! We want to raise MORE money, spread MORE awareness, and gain MORE friends/supporters of our cause. We will walk for all babies.

Please join us on Saturday, April 30th at 9 AM at Forest Park!

Click here to join Team HOPE 818- http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3618206&ct=4&w=4604453&u=jboesch

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Love, Rett and Jenna

Fun Filled Spring Weekend

This weekend the weather was summer-like in St. Louis. A perfect weekend to celebrate Emma's 3 month birthday. My mom was in town and we took Emma to the Butterfly House at Faust Park. It was so steamy!

In the spirit of Easter, we took some photos of Emma with her bunny stuffed animal. How precious!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend too!
Love,
Jenna

The Tortoise and the Hare

Everyone knows the story of The Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady, with a positive attitude and you will win the race!

Well, I have needed to reteach myself this lesson on many counts this week:

1. Hair (and I mean "hair" and not "hare")- The hair on my head is slowly but surely growing back. It continues to thicken all over and is about the length of most men's short professional haircuts. When we shaved my head this Fall I thought that was going to be the worst part of the physical aspects of my journey, but now I know it is patiently awaiting for it to grow long enough for a cut and style.  My eyebrows and eyelashes have decided to thin and fall out. I am about 6 weeks out of the chemo drug that had this side effect however Dr. Lyss warned me that even though the chemo is out of my system the side effects can linger for a few months. Slow and steady...1/2" of growth a month for the hair on my head and Latisse(R) for the eyelashes if needed.
2. Physical and Occupational Therapy- I have completed my consults for both and begin therapy sessions this week. I received 2 physical therapy exercises to do at home. It is amazing how quickly the lymphatic system basically shut down in my left arm. By removing the lymphnodes under my armpit it was like turning off the pump for the fluid in my arm and with limiting my arm movements for the couple weeks after surgery, some of that fluid hardened to scar tissue. Therefore, thereapy will work to break that down (ouch!) and begin to help regain the loss of range of motion in my elbow and shoulder. Slow and steady...my left arm will be back to bending in no time.
3. Working out- I have been released for the next 6 months by my surgeon and PT and OT have released me to begin my exercise routine again. However, the next time I visit the gym I will be sporting a lovely compression sleeve. Thank goodness, the NCAA Tournament players have recently decided to make these a fashion statement. Slow and steady...back to the treadmill, stairmaster, and Zumba.



4. Radiation- I begin radiation treatments on Monday. I went for my consult and CAT scan this past week to map out my exact plan and location for my radiation. I even received my tatoo marking (to make sure my body is centered evertime for the radiation machine). Slow and steady...33 daily treatments will pass in no time!

Slow and steady, with a positive attitude and I WILL win this race!

Jenna

Your Personality

Emma-
Your personality continues to evolve each and everyday. This week you began to imitate our facial expressions. Your favorite is your surprised look! Your eyes get so big and your mouth turns into a little "o." You are beginning to better understand that the person staring back at you in the mirror is you; you just stare into the mirror and look puzzled. 

You learned a few more tricks this week. You stick out your tongue if mommy and daddy are sticking out theirs. You love to stick it way out and it comes to a tiny little point. Also, during tummy time, you rolled over from your tummy to your back two times in a row!

You continue to love your play and learning time. In the morning, you are very "talkative." We talk about any subject we can: what the weather looks like, what outfit you are going to wear, how to build the best cheeseburger, etc! We will ask you questions and you are beginning to understand the different inflictions in our voices.

Look at all those toys!

We have also discovered a fabulous app for the iPad that displays real pictures (not cartoons) of different animals, modes of transportation, household items and when you click on the photo the noise plays. You are fascinated by the kitty, owl, and helicopter!

This week you visited mommy and daddy's work. So many people love you and have asked to see you that we wanted to make sure we did this before I returned to work. So, we met Daddy for lunch and made our rounds!

Daddy's desk is messy!

Here are a couple more photos from the week!

I love this outfit!

Mommy and Emma

We love you!
Mommy and Daddy