It's Been A Very Long Time!!

A lot has happened since the last posting. Sophia has grown so much! Everyday is a joy and is amazing through her eyes. To catch up...she had her surgery in September 2010 for her kidneys. The surgery was a success so far. She needs to grow a little to know if everything will be ok. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We will find out in mid April if things are looking ok, again keeping fingers crossed! As of the end of January Joe got a new job in Syracuse, NY. We up and moved the family closer to his job. We are so fortunate for this opportunity in this difficult economic time. I am currently a stay at home mom. This is the best job I have ever had!!! Unfortunately that does not pay the bills, so I am looking for something but enjoying the time with Sophia. We celebrated Sophia's 1st Birthday on February 25th. Hard to believe that it has been a year. She had such a wonderful day with her family. Here she is in all of her glory!

Wyatt was just out for a very quick visit. It was great to see him and spend time with him. He is busy as usual. I have to send him a shout out, he is turning 15 on April 1st! Happy Birthday Wyatt, we love you!Well that doesn't cover everything but it is a good review, he he. We will try to be more diligent about posting. Thank you for reading.

Six Months and counting...

Our summer has been a busy one. Wyatt came out early this summer and spent just a few weeks with us. We were so glad to see him, he is doing great! He and Sophia like spending time with one another. While Wyatt was here we spent the Fourth of July watching fireworks and had a picnic at my mom and dad's. We went on a few day trips while he was here to Ithaca and Syracuse. Next time he comes we hope he can stay longer. Wyatt just started school this last week he is in the ninth grade, so far so good.

We have been busy taking Sophia to doctors appointments. We finally have a handle on the gas but now we find out she has a mild case of acid reflux. The poor baby can't catch a break. We also found out that her surgery to repair her kidneys and bladder is going to be on September 24th in Rochester. The doctors told us not to worry, this is a routine surgery and she will be in the hospital for three days and then should be good. Joe and I are of course worried and are looking forward to when it is over.

Sophia turned six months yesterday which is really hard to believe that it has been six months. Time really does go by really fast. We are trying to capture every moment we possibly can. We found out at her 6 month appointment that she is 6Ibs 8oz. Sophia has started eating food this summer. She loves bananas, pears, apples, peas, beans and squash. She is a little bit of a diva when we don't put the spoon in her mouth fast enough. She has learned how to roll over both ways, it won't be long before she will be crawling and I will need my running shoes to keep up with her. Sophia saw her first Binghamton Mets game, she did very well, she got excited at all the right times! I hope we can get her to see a New York Mets game.

We met up with Kim and Kaitlyn, it was great to see them and the Heller's. I do hope Sophia and Kaitlyn will be friends as they get older. Kim and I are very lucky to have the friendship that we do.

We are planning Sophia's baptism in a couple of weeks. She will be baptised at the Preble Church, where Joe and I were married. I will post pictures to come.

That is all for us now.

It has been a busy month...

So I have not posted in over a month, we have been busy to say the least. Sophia is growing everyday, she is up to 11lbs already. We have been going up to Syracuse for tests for her kidneys. The good news is things have not gotten worse the bad news is things have not gotten better. We recently went to Rochester to discuss with the Dr what is going on. He informed us that her left kidney is draining into the bladder but the tube that carries the urine is getting smaller as it gets to the kidney. The good news is, that she will probably grow out of this. The right side though she has whats called ectopic uretur. Where the uretur empties below the bladder so the urine isn't even going into the bladder. So when she is between nine months and a year old we will have to have her in for surgery. The other good news is that she does not have any pain from this and there are no lasting effects so we are very lucky in that regard.

Sophia turned three months old recently. It is very hard to believe, the time is flying. People tell you that all of the time but it really is flying. I am trying to figure out how to enjoy every moment and how not to forget the little things. She is starting to discover her hands, she will hold her hand in front of her face and move her hand in slow motion. It is really funny to watch. I have to thank Grandma P for some of the new hand discovery, she bought Sophia wrist rattles. Sophia is smiling all of the time, it is the best! She also is starting to make noises more and more. Soon she will start talking, uh oh.

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. My mom came down and we went shopping with Sophia and out to lunch. It was great to spend some time with my mom. Joe also was great, he didn't let me lift a finger that day. He cooked me a great dinner, gave me a beautiful card and gave me a book that I had wanted. I am a very lucky lady!

Wyatt is doing great too! He just finished school for the summer which he is thrilled about. He "graduated" from junior high and is heading into high school in the fall. He has a busy summer to look forward to. He is heading to boy scout camp, he is also visiting his other grandma and grandpa in Utah and Joe and I are looking forward to having him visit all of us this summer. We miss him terribly!

Last week with Mommy...

So over this last week, Sophia spent a lot of time with Mommy b/c I am going back to work as of this Monday. I wish that we were independently wealthy so that I could stay home with her all of the time but that just isn't the way that it is. So off to work Monday morning. The good thing is that I will be working part-time and I will be able to be home a couple days a week. Also Joe and I were able to work our schedule out so we don't need to hire a babysitter, which is an incredible relief.

Sophia went to the Dr this week for a check-up. The doctor said she is doing great! She is now 9 pounds 5 ounces. She got three shots, which she of course did not like. She did really well following the shots though. She slept through the night. Sophia ventured out with Mommy on their own this week for the first time. We both did pretty well, we went to the park and walked around for a little bit. She was exhausted by the time we got home.

Wednesday, she met her boyfriend John for the first time. Aunt Josie and Aunt Johanna came to meet Sophia for the first time. John is Johanna's eight month old son, he is adorable. We had a wonderful visit with them.

Busy Week

So our week started out with Monday being our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Both Joe and I find it hard to believe it has been two years. Joe had to work on Monday so we went out to dinner on Sunday at Olive Garden. Don't worry, Sophie did not stay home alone. She was taken care of very well by Grama and Grampa.
Sophie had a follow up appointment at the Gas Dr...he said "she is perfect". We of course said, "well duh!" He informed us that Sophie's tummy issues were an allergy to milk and soy. So until she is 12 months old we have to make sure that she does not eat or drink anything with soy or milk in the ingridients. The good news is, is that most kids grow out of this by their first birthday. We are crossing our fingers. She has been doing much better now that we know what is going on. We started putting rice cereal in her bottle, which she has loved. Also Mommy and Daddy love it b/c she sleeps more at night...bonus!
We had some more firsts this week. On Thursday she rolled over to her side for the first time. Which means we are going to be moving her out of her bassinet and into her crib. That is exciting and sad at the same time. Also on Thursday she smiled! Now I know what you are all wondering, if it was gas or not. I don't believe it was gas, both Joe and I saw it. She has been up playing during the day a lot more. She loves to follow toys with bright colors.
Sophia tagged along with Mommy to work this week as well. She met all of my co-workers who of course were just oogiling over her. I have to go back to work in a little over a week, I am not looking forward to it at all.

Some Firsts...

So over the weekend Sophie met her cousins. She had a great time! She even met her cousins from Virginia, which she can't wait to start crawling with them. Grama and Grampa continue to fight over holding her...they are setting an egg timer now so neither of them gets more time than the other...oh boy!

Sophie had her first Easter. It was a very relaxed day because the day before she had had such a busy day. The Easter bunny brought some candy and a book. Grama also brought some new outfits and a book along with some candy. Mommy will make the sacrifice and eat her candy until she can.

So today we are going to the gastroenterologist (sp?). Sophie cannot catch a break. She has had diahrrea for a few days and we can't seem to figure out why so hopefully today we will get to the bottom of it.

We bought a new bath for her...she does not like bathtime at all. Any suggestions to make bathtime easier would be greatly appreciated.

And now we begin...

We have decided to create this page for updates on the Simmons family. We will post pictures and write about current adventures. Please visit often.

Sophie is five weeks old today. Unfortunatly she cannot do much partying b/c she is battling her first cold. On Monday we went to Upstate Hospital to get and idea of what is going on with her kindeys and bladder. We met with the doctor after a series of tests. He informed us that Sophie's muscle that carries urine from her kidney to her bladder narrows which means that some of the urine is backing up into the kidney. So unfortunatly she will need surgery, not until she is one or two years old though.

The good news this week is that she is starting to hold her head up longer. She is looking around at everything. Last week we went to Wegmans and she loved it. She was looking around at everything and couldn't get enough of the lights and noises. That's my girl...she loves to shop already.

Last week Wyatt came for spring break, it was a short visit which stunk but it was great to see him. He met his little sister for the first time. He was witness to Sophie's good lungs. We had a little birthday party for him while he was here. He turns fourteen today. We look forward to his visit over the summer!