Rolling and Tubing at the Fair!

Today was an amazing day. Something we have been desperately wanting to happen finally happened. Sweet B rolled! And then she rolled and she rolled and she rolled!

I am so sad because I kept trying to post the video here and it won't post! Maybe I'll try again some other day.

She began by getting angry and raising herself high up on her arms. I had a feeling that something was going to happen, so I picked up my iPhon.e and began filming. After her first roll, she immediately caught on and did it many more times. It's so funny, but she cries nearly every time she rolls, because it's so hard, and then she laughs when she finally does it.

I have to wonder why it happened. First, she hasn't thrown up much for the last week or so, so her reflux has been very well controlled. We have thickened her tube feeds which could be helping a lot. She is also eating a ton more solids, which could be holding the formula down. So, the fact that she isn't refluxing could have played a huge role here. Her physical therapist did say that she thought she wasn't rolling because of her reflux and fear of throwing up. 

Also, we stopped the bottle, which has given her lots more time for tummy time. 

I've been having her lay on her side and I've been swinging her around. 

We've also started keeping her glasses on during tummy time. Her physical therapist said that even though they are annoying and they press against her face as she lays on them, they do help her to orient herself.

But maybe...Sweet B just decided that it was her time to roll. We all know that she is adamant about choosing when and how she does things.

Today Sweet B is eleven and a half months old/nine and a half months adjusted age. 

She is blossoming right before my eyes in the past few weeks. She's struggled so much in the last five months, and now in just two weeks she's eating pureed foods and rolling. Thank you God.

I know I owe you some pictures since I couldn't successfully download the rolling video. So here are some pictures of us at the fair. We took her to the midway where all of the noisy rides were and LOUD music, expecting her to scream from all of the stimulation, but she didn't!

Then we took her to see the livestock. Let's just say that she wasn't thrilled.

Can I just tell you how absolutely wonderful it felt to be at the fair with my own baby? 

My husband and I had been married for a long time-thirteen years-before having her. I have always imagined what it would feel like to bring my baby to the fair. Every year I wondered if I would have a baby in my arms the next time the fair came around. I never did. Something always stopped us from trying for our baby. First it was the fact that we took up scuba diving and I wanted to travel, and we did. A lot. Then it was our move which took us from Northern to Southern California, and my new teaching job, which wouldn't fare well if I had gotten pregnant immediately.

Then it was my miscarriage...I remember going to the fair six weeks after I had miscarried. I was so incredibly depressed. We went to a concert and then sat at a little dining area and ate barbecue. I was completely distraught and I stared at the bungee jumping going on in front of me. 

Last year I was in the hospital on bed rest, not knowing if I would have a live baby or a baby to bury. I don't even remember if I knew the fair was going on. 

This year...well, it was surreal. We had such a good time looking at the exhibits and staring at the strange people. When I saw the little dining area that we had eaten at two years earlier, I had to go over to the exact table and stand there with Sweet B. My mind was filled with all of the memories of the time of my miscarriage, and how I felt, and how joyful I was to be holding Sweet B in my arms in that moment. I was saddened that the last time I was there I had my beloved dog waiting for me at home, and now he wasn't. I wondered where I would be next year when I go and stand at the same place, or the year after. 

Isn't it strange how certain events that happen at the same time each year make us reflect upon our lives?

When it came time to give Sweet B her dinner, we had somewhat of a dilemma. Finding a spot to tube- feed your baby at a fair is hard! First we thought we had found a place that wasn't quite as busy, but just as we were about to start we noticed we were in front of a huge cinnamon roll sign. Then we found the beer gardens, went to a corner table, and tubed away. We tag-teamed it, with my husband tube-feeding her and myself giving her solids. It was never how I imagined I would have my first fair dinner with my baby, but it was still very romantic, and Sweet B enjoyed it as well.

Well, I've got to close this post as I've got a baby to rock to sleep. All of that rolling wore out our Sweet B.