Anna's Birthday Party

Well, Girly Girl Dressup was a huge success! Anna had a wonderful time at her party and I think her friends had fun as well. I was sick and tired of paying outrageous prices for a cake that was beautiful and tasted good and equally tired of not paying much, but not enjoying the cake, so I made Anna's cake this year. While it wasn't winning any awards, Anna ate every last crumb on her plate and told me it was beautiful, so I was happy.

We had 13 girls for the party - a mixture of playgroups, school and some younger siblings of those friends. The theme was fairy princesses and they each got to wear a tutu and wings. There was a naming ceremony and they each took a stroll down the runway to show off their hair, makeup, nails and costume - quite a show! A couple fun shots from the party...

After the party, it was back to grandma and grandpa Clerkin's so the uncles could show up for some birthday fun - both Brian and Mike were afraid they would find themselves covered in glitter if they showed up at Girly Girl! Anna opened her presents and the girls went swimming. Ava took her first float in the pool, and had a great time. We will definitely be getting her back in the water. She has also officially rolled over. My sister tells me she did it last week, but as any mother knows, it isn't official until mom confirms :)

Anna had her 5 year check-up today, and all is good. She needs to drink milk (we have been fighting this battle for about 4 years), but other than that Dr. B gave us a good report - 5 yrs 10 months developmentally and here are her stats:

Weight: 36.2 lbs 25%

Height: 41 in 20%

Happy 5th Birthday Anna!

Happy birthday Anna! May all your birthday wishes come true. Will post after the big 'Girly Girl' party on Saturday!

Where has the time gone?

This is my 'remember when' blog leading up to Anna's 5th birthday on Friday!!! Anna was actually born on a Friday, so this week is bringing back lots of memories. As many of you know, my pregnancy with Anna was rocky from the start. I had all day sickness for the entire pregnancy and when I was put on bedrest at about 6 1/2 months, there were lots of people at my office who didn't even realize I was pregnant.

We knew that Anna was measuring small since my sonogram at 24 weeks, but her growth continued to slow and she wasn't moving as much as she should have been. I was put on bedrest and the insurance denied our claim to have a nurse come to the house every day to check Anna's heartbeat. Dr. Campbell explained that I would not carry Anna full term and that they were concerned because of her size - the pregnancy was officially called - IUGR - In Utero Growth Restricted. I distinctly remember the visit (I was going in at least once a week) when I brought all of my questions about what an early delivery would mean, and broke down when I asked if she thought Anna would live. She gave no promises, but said that gestationally she had good odds, but they would have to make the call of when she was better off in the NICU instead of inside me.

I called my dr. on Tuesday morning because I hadn't felt Anna move on Monday. They did a sono, and immediately sent me upstairs to the high risk doctor. They also did a sono - I was 31 weeks 2 days pregnant, and Anna was measuring at about 24 weeks. The wanted to do an amnio (which we did, but was horrible for me) and I was admitted to the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. During this time, Patrick was studying for the BAR, which he had to take July 24 - talk about distractions!

I was on 24 hour monitors in the hospital, and my blood pressure kept going up and up. On Friday morning a nurse came in a told me she was prepping me for surgery. I will assume that the dumbfounded look on my face made her realize the dr. hadn't been in to see me yet! On Friday, July 18, 2003 at 12:02pm Anna Adele Clerkin was born. She weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs. 8 oz and 14 inches. She was a fiesty little girl - she managed to pull the ventilator out between the delivery room and the nicu. She was only on the vent for 4 hours, and other than being small, she was absolutely perfect. She spent 46 days in the NICU with no major issues - she was a 'Feeder/Grower' for most of her stay. While her delivery and NICU stay are something I never want to have to go through again, I am amazed every day at how she has become such a wonderful little girl and her fiestiness never ceases to amaze me. She is my first born, she is only 5 years old, and she has taught me more than she will ever know. Enjoy these first pictures of our 'Little Peanut'.

4 Month Checkup, 4th of July and Kim's Birthday

Ava is 4 months old today!!! Everything went well at the doctor, at least until she got her shots, which she still doesn't like - imagine that! Here are her growth stats and the comparisons to her big sisters:

Ava

Weight 11lb 14oz 15%

Height 24 3/4 in 75%

Head 41.5 cm 70%

McKenna

Weight 12lb 7.5oz 25%

Height 25in 75%

Head 39.5 cm 10%

Anna

Weight 9lb 5.5oz <3%

Height 20 3/4in <3%

Head 39.5 cm 10%

Dr. B says she is looking great - we just need to work on rolling over - she is close, but no cigar. Tomorrow night we are going to start rice cereal and then next month is veggies. We pulled the high chair out of the attic this weekend and have it all ready for her to use tomorrow. She also got a new ultrasaucer which she has really been enjoying...

My birthday was last Thursday, so I took the day off of work and had a fun time with the girls. We started the morning off with a playdate at Willowbend mall with friends Luken and Keeley. The kids had fun playing together and eating pizza and I got to talk to Rebecca which was nice. My sister and friend, Alyson, also joined us so I got to have lots of adult, non work related conversations - it was wonderful! My sister and mom hung out at the house with us for most of the day and then my big birthday present - they kept the girls overnight! Anna and McKenna went to aunt Jenny's for a sleepover (which they are already asking to do again) and Ava went to grandma's house. Patrick and I went to Del Frisco's for dinner and then back to the house to watch a movie. We got to sleep in on Friday, which was really nice.

On Friday, the girls went to the pool for a bit and were anxiously awaiting fireworks. Since they didn't start until 9:30, Patrick stayed home with Ava and the girls, grandma, aunt Jenny, uncle Brian and I watch the fireworks in McKinney from Craig Ranch. That is just across the street from the house, so it was nice to be so close and not have to mess with traffic. McKenna wanted to be closer the fireworks and was a little dissappointed, so she fell asleep in grandma's lap. Anna thought it was great and talked non-stop through the 30 minute show.

On Saturday we headed out to the lake to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Clerkin, Uncle Mike and his friend Nicole. The girls took all of 2 minutes to become best friends with Nicole and she got to eat in between them at dinner and play with them as much as they could get her too! They had a great time, and I hope she did too :) Ava also found Nicole's arms to be a pretty happy place and spent a great deal of time being held. Uncle Mike put on a great fireworks show on Saturday night, and McKenna was much happier with this one because she was so close. If we let her stand on the dock next to the fireworks she would have, but she had to deal with being back at the house.

Photo Shoot

My friend, Way-Way's, daughter Claire won the 'Cutest Details' photo blog contest and she gave us the 'friend' photo shoot. We just had Ava's photos taken and they turned out wonderfully, as if they couldn't turn out well :) The pictures are only available until Sunday, so take a look as soon as you can:

www.rhondaduronphotography.com Click on the 'Clients' link and the password is 2008clerkin

I have been out of town on business this week, and Patrick did a great job with the girls for 3 nights by himself. My sister and his parents watched the girls during the day, but Patrick had bath and bedtime Monday - Wednesday. I missed the girls terribly, but everybody survived! Hopefully I won't have to travel much more with business, I really don't like being away from them - they seem to change overnight when you are away.

Ava will be 4 months old on Monday!!! We will post pictures from the 4th of July - Anna and McKenna can't wait for the fireworks - and I will update on all of Ava's stats after her doctor appointment. Have a safe and happy 4th of July.