Picture day: November 1 - 12

Candy cane cutie...it was only a few years ago that our niece Lilianna was wearing this very shirt. It's one of those cherished hand-me-downs that we absolutely love.

The cold weather is now upon us, so bring on the indoors. It's time to hunker down. We only step out with Arabella for appointments these days. And as everyone around us is battling colds, we've managed to stay healthy. We've been really fortunate so far.

I decided to head back to work in December (instead of January), so the real test of health is still yet to come. Our biggest worry is that I'm going to catch something and bring it home. 

What else is new? We started taking Arabella to a chiropractor 3 times a week. An alignment of certain parts of the spine have been shown to help proper digestion, so we figure we have nothing to lose. If we align her spine, we might be able to correct her nervous system, and thus help her reflux and digestive issues. We're trying everything we can at this point. 

We still haven't seen an improvement with her reflux. We go through a lot of onesies and blankets on a daily basis. Belle will cough, wretch, gag, and eventually throw up (sometimes an hour or two after a feed). 

I think it's safe to say we're quite used to it at this point. We don't really care, and we tell ourselves repeatedly that throwing up is a normal baby thing. 

Most of the time it doesn't even phase Belle, either. She's a trooper! 

What are some of the other changes we've made? We went back to her hypoallergenic formula (called Nutramigen). 

The "exclusive breast milk trial" showed us no results with her bottle feeding. It didn't make a difference. The only thing we noticed was that Arabella was missing her extra calories and it slowed down her weight gain. So we're back to the smelly formula. It's actually really gross!

Currently Arabella's up to 5.45kg (12lbs) and she's almost 6 months corrected. She's still at the very bottom of the growth curve, but her length has increased over the last few weeks, at least (now at 62cm).

Overall, we're not too concerned. Belle will catch up in time...

What else? A few weeks ago we discontinued her acid blocking drugs and started using natural remedies to manage her stomach acid. We're carefully watching her for any major discomfort when she throws up - since we know that the acid-burning sensation can cause inflammation to her esophagus, throat, and even her lungs. But we're really trying to do everything we can the natural way these days...

Another thing we've changed? We stopped giving Arabella the bottle entirely. We got paired up with a great occupational therapist, who told us to give Belle a long break from the bottle. Belle wasn't taking anything from it anyway.

Kiera and I have to create more positive experiences around eating for Arabella, especially with the objects that come into (or close to) her mouth. 

Feeding her anything is a real challenge. She's simply not interested in any kind of food, and she dislikes most things that come close to her mouth. Lately she doesn't even want her soother. So it's important that we don't push or force the spoon. As soon as Arabella pushes away our hand or the spoon, we have to stop and respect her boundaries. The last thing we want to do is make things worse.

That's what she thinks of food 😛

And she thinks it's funny, of course 😄

We were told to sing to Belle while we present spoons and items close to her mouth, and most of the time we shouldn't even attempt to put food on those items. 

Eating isn't enjoyable for her right now, so it's all about getting back to a good place without forcing food or making eating a stressful chore. 

Other than her eating issues, Arabella's doing great. She's making steady developmental strides and she's getting stronger by the week. 

According to an infant development nurse, Arabella's muscle tone is roughly equivalent to a 4 month old, but we're working hard to get Arabella on track. 

Kiera and I have learned not to stress over milestones. We know it's not a race, and Arabella isn't exactly a regular term baby either. 

To be honest with you, I don't think there's much we stress about anymore. 

We're all too tired, and too busy to stress 😁

There's too much joy in our house these days. Too many laughs! We're having lots of fun with Arabella, and we're trying to hold onto every beautiful moment as long as we can.

Life is absolutely perfect right now 💗

Happy Halloween

One pumpkin inside another 😄. But which one do you think weighs more? Belle is 11.5 pounds at the moment...and the pumpkin weighs over 18! 

Kiera and I couldn't stop laughing as we snapped these photos. And Arabella was such a good sport, too. She didn't cry or grimace once. 

So what is Arabella's Halloween costume this year, you ask? 

Supergirl! She's our superhero daughter, so it's only fitting that she wears the 'S' on her chest. She deserves it. After everything she's been through, she's definitely the perfect candidate 😊

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Supergirl!"

Even the dreaded 'tummy time' is no match for her! 😂

And here she is showing off her super teether...

She does a great job of managing it by herself!

Everyone is so very proud of you Supergirl. You're more amazing than you know!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

Picture day: October 19 - 30

People say that babyhood goes by too fast...

So everyday I do my best to cherish these moments. I pinch myself, because I know that they won't last forever.

Arabella changes so much from month to month. I only notice the changes when I look at her older photos or videos. Even two weeks makes a big difference sometimes. 

As tired and exhausted as we are these days, I really think these are the absolute best days of our lives. There's no question. 

Spending time with Belle is like heaven on earth, and we make a point to never take it for granted. 

Everyday we remind ourselves that we're looking into the eyes of a miracle 😍

She's such a fantastic model. And she knows just how to pose for mom and dad, too 😊

I love her big ears. I love her toothless smile. There's nothing that I don't love about her - and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her, either.

I never knew that a love for a child could run so deep. It's more intense than any kind of love I've ever felt. It's a love that's extraordinarily blissful, and somewhat frightening at the same time.

As parents, we're affected by every single struggle that faces our child. Her problems are our problems. 

But there's also a point where parents have to let go, too. It's for our own mental health, because we can't possibly control everything. And overwhelming yourself won't necessarily do you, or your child any good.

These are just one of the lessons we're learning.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's easy for parents to get lost in all the potential issues that face our children. 

In our case, Arabella's eating issues take a toll on us sometimes. And as much as we'd like to completely shut-off the worries, it's almost impossible.

Unfortunately, Belle hasn't been growing very well since September, and it's looking like she'll eventually require a gastrostomy tube, also known as a "g-tube" (a tube inserted through the abdomen that delivers nutrition directly to the stomach).

That's as far as she'll let you go...and she'll only chew on the nipple, at best. 

Arabella wants nothing to do with food or eating, and everything we try continues to fail. 

Belle's been throwing up a lot more over the last few months too, so we've had to feed her lots of mini-meals during the day (in hopes that she can digest the smaller portions faster). 

Her reflux has hit an all-time high...

Night-time feeds are continuing to be a big challenge for us, but we try to remain up-beat and positive. After all, we have a lot to celebrate, don't we?

I laugh every time I look at this picture. Belle did NOT enjoy her first time on the swing. Her face is absolutely priceless.

I'm pretty sure she liked the slide, though 😁

Through thick and thin, I love our little family. There's nothing we can't possibly overcome...

And although we sometimes face turbulent moments, we'll always look back at this time and say, "Man, those were the good old days, weren't they?"

These are the people and moments I live for...and I thank God for them every single day 💗

Happy 8 months

On October 17th we celebrated 8 months of Arabella. 8 whole months! Kiera and I almost can't believe it. Where does the time go?

Now we can say that Belle's 5 months old (corrected). And exactly 5 months ago (in May, around the time of her initial due date) she was merely a tiny caterpillar, wrapped inside a cocoon. 

At that time we said that Belle was working on a transformation, a metamorphosis of sorts...

She barely had any hair...

She was still a tiny thing (at around 3.5 pounds)...

She had a hard time coming off air pressure support...

And she was dealing with very different challenges on her road to recovery...

But we knew that one day she would transform into the butterfly she was always destined to become...

And now we're thrilled to be watching this beautiful butterfly soar...


Happy 8 months Arabella! 💗