Family visits

Erin got to meet her Aunt Gretchen and cousins Nicholas, Erica, and Sarah just prior to Nicholas' 10th birthday. A few weeks later, she also got to meet her cousin TJ and Aunt Nancy, when everyone came back down for Aunt Heidi's 40th birthday. She really enjoyed meeting more of the Leibold clan and we know she'll have a great time playing with all of her cousins in the years to come.




Grandma and Grampa Leibold were kind enough to babysit so we could all go enjoy a girl's day out at the spa. Thanks!

Baby Got Back!

On August 8, 2008, Erin made a monumental advancement in her young life. For the first time ever, Erin sought the solace of lying flat on her back. Now, to most people, this milestone would seem rather insignificant. However, as the parent of a child with reflux, I recognized this achievement for the true gift that it is. Until that moment, lying Erin on her back had been associated with blood curdling screams the likes of "it burns, it burns!" along with long episodes of burning reflux, twenty minutes of hiccups, occasional spit up, or vomit. At last, my daughter had found peace lying on her back staring contentedly at anyone willing to make goofy faces. Not only that, but she wanted to be there - for thirty minutes! The next day, she was able to do it again. What an accomplishment. She still can't sleep through the night on her back, but she can enjoy a diaper change. Now we can use the bathroom or fold laundry while she lies in her playpen without worrying that she'll aspirate or scream until she passes out. Plus, lying on her back allows her to be more active and reach developmental milestones. Someday maybe Erin will be able to sleep all night in her own crib in her own bedroom and look at her mobile. For now, I'm just happy watching her find her feet and trying to roll. I'm proud to say that my baby has finally got back!

Two month visits

Erin had her two month visit on August 5th. Erin is in the 50th-75th percentile for everything. She is now 11 pounds 9 ounces and 23.5 inches long. Dr. Grier is concerned with Erin's head shape and that her neck muscles are still tight. So, he has referred her to two different types of physical therapy - one for her cranial asymmetry (plagiocephaly) and the other for her tight neck (torticolis). It's a little overwhelming, but luckily we know how great physical therapy can be.

Erin did so well with her shots, only fussing a few times in the first few hours (which is to be expected). So, we decided to drive to Louisiana so that she could meet some of Kurt's family. We drove a little bit out of the way in order to avoid a potential Hurricane Gustav. Luckily, that turned out to be unnecessary caution, as there was little more than wind and rain. However, it did give us the opportunity to drive through Crockett, TX (where Kurt was born) and visit his grandparents' grave site.

The trip gave us the opportunity to try out my new car, a Volkswagen Passat station wagon, which I refer to as "my sweet ride". It really is a beautiful car, even if Kurt says it now makes me an official "soccer mom". The car handled the drive really well and fit all of us, including Shadow, and our luggage - just barely. I think the in-laws were even more amazed than we were by just how much luggage is required when you travel with a baby. Of course, we are lucky they did not spoil her too much or we wouldn't have had enough room on the way back. (I think we traded out used diapers for toys!)
We had a nice visit with Kurt's family in Louisiana. Kurt's Dad put us up in the newly renovated "guest cabin" out back. It was very lovely, and gave us a quiet place to relax and retreat too. Unfortunately, Shadow didn't enjoy the solitude as much as we did, and wanted to find the other dogs to play with (but Jughead was still recovering from hip surgery).

The timing of our visit wasn't the best, but we wanted to make sure that Erin got to meet her relatives after her shots and before I went back to work. We just wish we that we'd been able to see more of the family and had more time to visit with those we did get to see. Erin was mighty smitten with all of the attention, and we hope she'll have plenty more opportunities to enjoy her Schneider relatives.

Erin had several firsts along the way including her first visit to her Louisiana grandparents, first time out of the state, first time to see the Mississippi River, first time that she wanted to lie on her back, and her first time at a sushi restaurant (yum!). We look forward to many more.