Spring Break

Folks, spring has finally arrived. The weather has been awesome (It's officially 70 degrees out!) and we've been taking advantage of it. Chris took a much needed week off so we headed down to Denver to see my sister and some cousins. It was so beautiful down there. Much of the time was spent playing with their kids and hanging out at the pool. We came back home on Wednesday and have been just lounging ever since. Too bad he had to go back to work today. :(

It's finally warm enough to bust out the spring outfits.

Yesterday we went to the Montana Zoo. Boy, what a disappointment. There are like three animals there. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but like the farmer's market in Billings, the zoo leaves much to be desired. It probably didn't help that we went to the San Diego Zoo in June and anything would pale in comparison.

The Zoo. Don't see any animals? Because there aren't any.

As for Ava, she's still growing like a weed. She actually cut an upper front tooth earlier this week. Then yesterday, we noticed a random molar that's popped out. In a few months, that girl's smile will look worse than Shrek's.

First bath in the sink. Actually, it's much easier this way.



I would post a video but my computer's crashed the last three times I've tried. Maybe it's all the baby pictures I have on here. My memory is shot. :)

New Faces

I really don't have too much new to say this week. I will note that Ava has added new expressions to her repertoire - her new favorite is what I call the evil mischief face. Chris says she looks like Chucky. I don't know...I'll let you decide. Either way, here are a few new pics.

OH!!! I have to give a shout out to all the new babies just born or on the verge. Here's to Cannon Chiang and Claudia Augspurg! Little Micomonaco and Little Kosnar...we're excited for you to get here!

The new expression she constantly has on her face. Guess I won't have to worry about anyone approaching me in Costco or Albertsons anymore. Scary!


Her sweet face. This expression disappeared suddenly.


For all of my Buffalo friends. (hee, hee, hee) Oh, and Sarah and Peter!


For Katie Potender...



For Chris...I love how she's looking at him. You need to click on this picture and blow it up. Her face. Sigh...

For Aunt Deb who took this picture.

Spasmatic

Things are going well for the Cancro family. The weather has been amazing lately. It was 66 degrees here yesterday! Today, I had to bust out some summer clothes for Ava. We have been going to the park behind our apartment and playing almost everyday. It makes me so excited for Spring. Thank God the days of being cooped up in this apartment all day long are almost over.

This weekend Ava and I went to Powell to say goodbye to my cousin Brandi and her family. Unfortunately, they had to move to South Dakota for her husband's job. We visited the baby and played with cousin Jarrett. He was so kind to let Ava play with his recorder and toy machete. :) The rest of the weekend we hung out with the grandparents. Ava goes bonkers every time the cat walks into the room. I wish I had gotten it on video.

Jarrett and Ava. (yes, that is fake blood.)

Baby Lauren. I forgot what a newborn feels like. It was like holding a dryer sheet.


That being said, I did get Ava going spastic while she was playing with a pillow case. She loves it when we throw blankets or sheets over her head. Strange child, I know. Here is a clip from earlier today. This is just a small reason why I love being at home.

Finally, I feel Ava is so close to crawling soon. We try to entice her by placing her favorite toys just out of her reach. So far it hasn't worked. Maybe I should put my cell phone or the remote on the floor as incentive. Here is another video from today.

Sunny Day

It was 55 degrees today in Billings. For those of you who live in cold, northern states, you know that's practically a heat wave. Ava and I decided to hit the kiddie park and play on the swings. Here are some pictures and a video.

Rehab

Well, I am happy to say that I am continuing to do MUCH better. My back feels better every day and I'm slowly weaning off the drugs. Right now, I'm only on extra strength Tylenol. Yeah! Speaking of weaning, I had to stop nursing Ava because of all the drugs I've been on. I tried to keep my milk supply up by pumping and taking all these herbal supplements suggested by the lactation consultants but it just didn't work. The final straw was Ava biting me when I attempted to put her back to the breast. Little turd! While I am very bummed about not nursing, I'm getting better which is the most important thing.

As for Ava, she is growing like a weed. She just had her 6 month check up (although she's 27 weeks and almost 7 months...but I digress) and she's still topping the charts with all of her measurements. She's now 18 pounds and 27 inches. The big developmental changes this week are that she is able to sit by herself and she's just started to scoot backward. Crawling isn't too far away, I'm afraid. Time to babyproof everything!

Everyone has told me less narrative and more pictures so here you go. I'll try to stick some videos up here but I've been having problems uploading them lately.

Here is one of the first days that Ava said "dada".

Usual nighttime feeding. Sweet potatoes are her favorite!

Helping Grandpa read the paper.

Progress

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the well-wishes. I am really touched by all the concern. Also, thanks for the prayers too. I have definitely felt them!!

A quick update on me. I did make it back to Billings a week ago - last Saturday. Fortunately, Jan Hansen and my mom had already planned a trip up to Billings so I was able to hitch a ride with Jan in the back of her van. My mom and Ava followed us up to Billings in my car. I was able to lay down the entire trip and it went smoothly. My mother in law, Patti, has been here since last Sunday. What a help! For those of you who know her, it won't surprise you that Ava took to her right away and my apartment is cleaner than it's ever been. :) We've had such a great visit and her presence has been so comforting as well as helpful. Chris has been working all week but he is home at night.

I've slowly been getting better. I'm walking pretty normally. I can sit for very short periods of time. I can even hold Ava a little bit. I saw an orthopedic doctor on Thursday and was reassured that I will get better and that I'm past the worst of it. I have an MRI on Monday and then we'll decide a course of action from there. Physical therapy is part of it as well as the litany of drugs that I'm currently taking. On that note, because of the drugs, I will am not nursing and my milk supply is barely more than a tablespoon each time I pump. The lactation consultants have assured me that it will come back so I'm trying to be optimistic. Patti goes home tomorrow but my dad is taking over until Wednesday and then hands me off to my sister, January. Hopefully by next weekend I won't need any help.

I do have to mention that Ava has thoroughly enjoyed all the attention she's been getting. As a result, she's lost some of her stranger anxiety and has just blossomed. She spent a whole afternoon saying "dadadada" much to my dismay...well, not really. I have a video where I tried to capture it. Overall, she's been very happy. Man, do I have a good baby. Here are some pictures you might enjoy. (I've been trying to load some videos but I'm having some technical issues. Once I get them worked out, I'll put them up.)

My back is starting to ache so I need to sign off and get back in bed. I'll try to update the blog later this week. Thanks again for all the prayers, phone calls and emails!!

PAIN! My horrible ordeal.

Boy, it's been a rough week. It started out last weekend when Ava and I headed down to Powell to spend some time with my parents while Chris was on call. We came a night early so we could go to a high school basketball game. The next day, Saturday, my mom was at work, my dad was taking a nap so Ava and I decided to run down the road to visit my Grandma Ruth.

As I was walking out the door, I was holding the diaper bag and the car seat (with Ava in it) in the crook of my right arm. I pushed the screen door open with my left arm. I almost walked to the car but then realized I needed to shut the main door. So I leaned over, twisted to grab the door with my left and BAM! I dropped the car seat and went to my knees. I'm still not sure how much damage was done but I'm pretty sure I blew a disk.

The pain since then has been excruciating. I could walk right after it happened but once I sat in my dad's lazy boy chair, I was stuck. Thank God my dad was home. It was -1 degrees that day and we were outside. He heard me yell and came and picked both of us up. Throughout the day, I tried to get up several times but the pain was so bad and had such a nasty bite that I couldn't get out of the chair.

My dad has had back problems and had some percocet on hand. I took two pills (after consulting with my doctor of course) and it didn't even touch the pain. I ended up trying to sleep in the chair but the pain and lack of sleep became unbearable. The final straw was the fact I hadn't peed in about 12 hours and I was about to pee in his chair. My muscles were spasming, I had to go to the bathroom badly and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold Ava or nurse.

After calling Chris nonstop (he was in Billings on call at St. Vincents), we decided to call an ambulance. I was hysterical and crazy with pain. I went to the ER, got some morphine to get the pain under control and then somehow managed to go back to my parents' house later that morning. Chris was with me by then. He took off early to drive to Powell to be with me.

I laid flat on my back that day. I couldn't nurse which killed me. I could barely make it to the bathroom with a walker. Thankfully, I had some good drugs and the swelling has slowly gone down. Chris had to go back later that day but my parents and grandmas have been taking care of me and Ava.

All this went down on Saturday and it's now Wednesday night. I don't need a walker but I still can't bend over, carry Ava or dress myself. 98% of the day is spent lying on the bed with a TENS unit. BUT, I can go to the bathroom by myself...even wipe. No small feat, I assure you. I had to create a handy little homemade contraption. Rather clever, I might add.

We'll head back to Billings on Saturday where my mom will stay until Sunday. Chris has the day off and Patti, Chris' mom, is coming to help for a week. Hopefully that will be enough time. In the meantime, I've started nursing again but I barely have any milk now. I'm actually kind of depressed about it. I did call the awesome ladies at the lactation place at Billings Clinic. They told me that once I get back to Billings, start using my pump nonstop, take some herbal supplement and nurse a lot and it will come back. In the meantime, I am to drink beer every day because the yeast boosts milk production. Who knew...Kind of funny drinking beer through a straw though.

The silver lining to this whole thing is huge. First, it happened in Powell. I could have been in a random gas station somewhere, or worse, by myself! My family has been amazing. Especially my dad. I have never felt so loved and nurtured by him. He has gone through this exact pain so it's helped him to be very sympathetic. My mom and dad have been my rock this week. Bringing me food, helping me walk, feeding Ava, playing with Ava, changing diapers, getting me drinks, arranging my pillows, etc. Incredible. Second, Ava has had MAJOR stranger anxiety lately and hasn't done well with anyone except Chris or me. Well, she's had no choice but to get used to others holding, feeding, changing, playing with her. Now, she gets all floppy and excited when my mom, dad or grandma's walk in the room. It's been so great to see her so happy with them. Finally, it's another chance to see Grandma Patti again. The circumstances suck but I am so thankful that she is willing to come out and help. Man, I am in a debt I'm not sure I can repay. I guess I can only express my gratitude.

From here, I am guessing that I will see an orthopedic doctor, go on physical therapy and slowly rehab. It'll be a long road. I just hope that I can be a good mom to Ava. I'm very concerned about that. So, those of you who pray, please send one...or two...or three up for me. Thanks!!