First, we set up the little pool, per Avery's request and both girls dove right in...Cassandra was fully clothed!
 |
| see the little water splashes?! |
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Enjoying Outside
The weather was perfect today so we spent a good chunk of it outside!
First, we set up the little pool, per Avery's request and both girls dove right in...Cassandra was fully clothed!
This girl just cracks me up-she actually kept her shades on the whole time!
Avery had a blast-big change from a few years ago when we couldn't get her near a pool! Now we just have to work on the whole swimming thing!
Cass saying "cheese":
After rest time, we went to feed the ducks! Unfortunately there weren't a lot of them and the ones that were there didn't seem too hungry. I assume with the nice weather they had a lot of visitors today! Avery still had fun feeding them!
We found these little babies too....
It was such a gorgeous day-if only every day were like this!!
First, we set up the little pool, per Avery's request and both girls dove right in...Cassandra was fully clothed!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Chillin'
Dinner
is done and I'm just chillin' in my high chair chowing down on some watermelon that I all of a sudden wanted after I said I was done eating!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
My Back-The Solution
Continuing from my last post about my back problems....
I went to Pace Family Chiropractic for my initial evaluation. She had me fill out a form and then we went downstairs to a room. She asked me a bunch of questions-when my pain started, what I do for a living, etc. Then she asked me a bunch of symptoms to see if I have any of them. Then I lay face down on a special bed and she felt along my spine. She could feel a few vertebrae that she could tell were out of place. Then she did something VERY important-she took an x-ray to confirm everything. (Folks-if you're seeing a chiropractor and they are not x-raying you first, DON'T have them touch you!). She took me upstairs and did my first ever adjustment and I was set to go home. She would see me in a few days to review my findings. Let me tell you, when I left after my first adjustment, it was the best my back has felt in as long as I could remember!
A few days later, I returned and we went over my x-rays. My lower back had something like a 40% increase in curve (basically it's over arched) and my neck had like a 57% decrease in curve (basically my neck is curving the wrong way!). Both of these percentages should be at or below 20%! So there's a lot of work to be done! Luckily I caught this now though because I'm still only in phase 1 of treatment-the worse things get, the higher the phase. Higher phases include things like bone spurs, fused vertebrae, etc....not good. So she set me up on a treatment plan-visiting her twice a week for about 6months then decreasing to once a week for the following 6. And I got the fees for it (insert sticker shock!). She adjusted me again before I left and I had some thinking to do.
I basically decided to keep going forward with treatment. It's a lot of money, but I paid for the year up front (for a hefty discount). With the way my back has been, I just can't live like that. At this point, anything is worth a shot in making my life better so I opted to continue.
So back in January I started going twice a week to her and having adjustments and traction done. The technique she uses is very rare-only one other doc in Rochester does the same technique and no one in the Buffalo area does it at all!! Apparently just adjusting someone isn't going to do much-it's the traction afterwards that re-trains your body/muscles to be in the correct position. I started at 1-2minutes of traction and have worked my way up to 12minutes currently.
I've been going almost 6 months now and do feel better! I will admit, the first month was rough and I did question my decision to keep going. I had a lot of side effects-dizziness, numbness in my arm/leg/foot, back pain in other places that weren't bothering me initially. I know a few others that also see the same doctor and I contacted them and they pretty much all said to give it more time. So I did and all of those things went away.
I had another set of x-rays done just last week...my back curve went from 40% down to around 24% and my neck curve went from 57% down to around 42%...so we're making progress which is great!
My back hasn't had very many spasms either-in the beginning it did but they have gradually decreased in frequency. I haven't had one in a few weeks now! I was also having migraines monthly before I went and I'm happy to say that I haven't had one since February now! Am I pain free? Not totally. My back is still sore a lot-it almost feels "tight" like I need to stretch it out a lot. Sometimes my neck is sore too, but not as much as my back. Now I can almost tell when my back is out of line though which is funny-because I never would have been able to before!
And learning more about chiropractic is very interesting-there are so many other things that can be helped from it which is really amazing-digestion, allergies, asthma, headaches, and even sensory processing issues (ADHD, etc)....it's really interesting! I've also learned that pretty much every person needs adjusting-with how much we use computers these days, it really takes a toll on your neck alignment! So if it's something you've been thinking of checking out, definitely give it a go...just make sure you see the right provider!
I went to Pace Family Chiropractic for my initial evaluation. She had me fill out a form and then we went downstairs to a room. She asked me a bunch of questions-when my pain started, what I do for a living, etc. Then she asked me a bunch of symptoms to see if I have any of them. Then I lay face down on a special bed and she felt along my spine. She could feel a few vertebrae that she could tell were out of place. Then she did something VERY important-she took an x-ray to confirm everything. (Folks-if you're seeing a chiropractor and they are not x-raying you first, DON'T have them touch you!). She took me upstairs and did my first ever adjustment and I was set to go home. She would see me in a few days to review my findings. Let me tell you, when I left after my first adjustment, it was the best my back has felt in as long as I could remember!
A few days later, I returned and we went over my x-rays. My lower back had something like a 40% increase in curve (basically it's over arched) and my neck had like a 57% decrease in curve (basically my neck is curving the wrong way!). Both of these percentages should be at or below 20%! So there's a lot of work to be done! Luckily I caught this now though because I'm still only in phase 1 of treatment-the worse things get, the higher the phase. Higher phases include things like bone spurs, fused vertebrae, etc....not good. So she set me up on a treatment plan-visiting her twice a week for about 6months then decreasing to once a week for the following 6. And I got the fees for it (insert sticker shock!). She adjusted me again before I left and I had some thinking to do.
I basically decided to keep going forward with treatment. It's a lot of money, but I paid for the year up front (for a hefty discount). With the way my back has been, I just can't live like that. At this point, anything is worth a shot in making my life better so I opted to continue.
So back in January I started going twice a week to her and having adjustments and traction done. The technique she uses is very rare-only one other doc in Rochester does the same technique and no one in the Buffalo area does it at all!! Apparently just adjusting someone isn't going to do much-it's the traction afterwards that re-trains your body/muscles to be in the correct position. I started at 1-2minutes of traction and have worked my way up to 12minutes currently.
I've been going almost 6 months now and do feel better! I will admit, the first month was rough and I did question my decision to keep going. I had a lot of side effects-dizziness, numbness in my arm/leg/foot, back pain in other places that weren't bothering me initially. I know a few others that also see the same doctor and I contacted them and they pretty much all said to give it more time. So I did and all of those things went away.
I had another set of x-rays done just last week...my back curve went from 40% down to around 24% and my neck curve went from 57% down to around 42%...so we're making progress which is great!
My back hasn't had very many spasms either-in the beginning it did but they have gradually decreased in frequency. I haven't had one in a few weeks now! I was also having migraines monthly before I went and I'm happy to say that I haven't had one since February now! Am I pain free? Not totally. My back is still sore a lot-it almost feels "tight" like I need to stretch it out a lot. Sometimes my neck is sore too, but not as much as my back. Now I can almost tell when my back is out of line though which is funny-because I never would have been able to before!
And learning more about chiropractic is very interesting-there are so many other things that can be helped from it which is really amazing-digestion, allergies, asthma, headaches, and even sensory processing issues (ADHD, etc)....it's really interesting! I've also learned that pretty much every person needs adjusting-with how much we use computers these days, it really takes a toll on your neck alignment! So if it's something you've been thinking of checking out, definitely give it a go...just make sure you see the right provider!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
My Back-The Problem
I think I mentioned awhile ago that I would write on here about my back issues and then never did. And it didn't cross my mind until a few days ago. So, here it is!
Let's rewind the clocks back to when Avery was 18mos old (Dec 2010 roughly). I went to put her down in her crib for her nap and had the worst breath-taking pain in my back ever. I refer to it as my back "giving out" on me for lack of a better term. It's hard to describe what it feels like-sort of like a muscle spasm that lasts several seconds but in those several seconds you can't move and it literally takes your breath away.
Anyways, that first time sort of sparked the problem. It would happen sporadically and it would be at random times. I could be lifting, twisting, or just sitting in a chair and it would happen. It was never a consistent movement that would make it hurt. At first it would happen every few months. Just once or twice in a day and then I'd be fine for a few months again.
In March 2011 I had a physical with my physician and mentioned it to him. He just gave me some back exercises to do and said I probably pulled a muscle. The back exercises didn't really do much and I was still having spasms every few months.
Throughout my pregnancy with Cassandra, it would still happen here and there. A few months after she was born, things got worse. I'd say that summer the spasms became much more frequent. Instead of having a few months of reprieve, I would have a few weeks, sometimes only a few days. And instead of it happening once a day, it would be up to 10 times a day. It seemed to get more frequent as the months went by.
In December 2012 I had a few days where it happened several times a day for several days in a row. I ended up calling my physician again and saw him just for that reason. I told him the back exercises weren't helping and he felt around but didn't really feel anything. He said I could try a massage therapist or a chiropractor if I wanted or I could do muscle relaxers. I really didn't want to take pills if I didn't have to and of course while the massage would be great, it's not covered by insurance. So I thought I'd try a chiropractor to see what they had to say.
A few people I know go to the same practice, Pace Family Chiropractic. I gave them a call and was glad that I didn't need a referral or anything to be seen which was great. And they got me in within a week of calling (I was fearing for a new consult I'd be waiting months like I did for my allergist). I'll admit, I was a little nervous/anxious about the whole thing, but figured it was worth a shot!
Stay tuned for my first appointment and progress!
Let's rewind the clocks back to when Avery was 18mos old (Dec 2010 roughly). I went to put her down in her crib for her nap and had the worst breath-taking pain in my back ever. I refer to it as my back "giving out" on me for lack of a better term. It's hard to describe what it feels like-sort of like a muscle spasm that lasts several seconds but in those several seconds you can't move and it literally takes your breath away.
Anyways, that first time sort of sparked the problem. It would happen sporadically and it would be at random times. I could be lifting, twisting, or just sitting in a chair and it would happen. It was never a consistent movement that would make it hurt. At first it would happen every few months. Just once or twice in a day and then I'd be fine for a few months again.
In March 2011 I had a physical with my physician and mentioned it to him. He just gave me some back exercises to do and said I probably pulled a muscle. The back exercises didn't really do much and I was still having spasms every few months.
Throughout my pregnancy with Cassandra, it would still happen here and there. A few months after she was born, things got worse. I'd say that summer the spasms became much more frequent. Instead of having a few months of reprieve, I would have a few weeks, sometimes only a few days. And instead of it happening once a day, it would be up to 10 times a day. It seemed to get more frequent as the months went by.
In December 2012 I had a few days where it happened several times a day for several days in a row. I ended up calling my physician again and saw him just for that reason. I told him the back exercises weren't helping and he felt around but didn't really feel anything. He said I could try a massage therapist or a chiropractor if I wanted or I could do muscle relaxers. I really didn't want to take pills if I didn't have to and of course while the massage would be great, it's not covered by insurance. So I thought I'd try a chiropractor to see what they had to say.
A few people I know go to the same practice, Pace Family Chiropractic. I gave them a call and was glad that I didn't need a referral or anything to be seen which was great. And they got me in within a week of calling (I was fearing for a new consult I'd be waiting months like I did for my allergist). I'll admit, I was a little nervous/anxious about the whole thing, but figured it was worth a shot!
Stay tuned for my first appointment and progress!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Walk?
A question we hear a lot these days is "walk?"
Cassandra will come up to you, hold our her hand and say "walk?"...she wants you to hold her hand and walk with her.
Yesterday, Avery wanted to be the walking aide...melts my heart!
Cassandra will come up to you, hold our her hand and say "walk?"...she wants you to hold her hand and walk with her.
Yesterday, Avery wanted to be the walking aide...melts my heart!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend
The unofficial start of summer is here and gone...Memorial Day!
Saturday we went and checked out a new Wegman's that opened up near us. It was our old store we shopped at when we lived in our other house. It closed shortly after we moved and they completely knocked it down and started over. It turned out really nice! Other than that, we just hung out and enjoyed the day.
Sunday we went to Buffalo for a visit. We started at my Dad's house and stayed there about 2 hours. Then we went to my Mom's. My Aunt and Uncle stopped by and cousin Taylor came over to play with Avery (which she loved!).
My Mom got the girls a new kitchen to play with and they had a blast playing with it!
Cassandra has become quite the walker over the holiday weekend. She's definitely taking more steps now and is on her way to being a walker!
Monday we relaxed during the day then went to Gabe's parents' house for a cookout after Cassandra napped. The girls donned their red, white and blue for the festivities:
Saturday we went and checked out a new Wegman's that opened up near us. It was our old store we shopped at when we lived in our other house. It closed shortly after we moved and they completely knocked it down and started over. It turned out really nice! Other than that, we just hung out and enjoyed the day.
Sunday we went to Buffalo for a visit. We started at my Dad's house and stayed there about 2 hours. Then we went to my Mom's. My Aunt and Uncle stopped by and cousin Taylor came over to play with Avery (which she loved!).
My Mom got the girls a new kitchen to play with and they had a blast playing with it!
Happy Memorial Day!!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Sixteen Months Old!
Yesterday Cassandra turned 16 months old!
The little peanut is still in 9 or 12 month clothing! I'd say she's leaning more towards 12 months now, but some of those pants still drag on the floor!
Knock on wood, she's still a great sleeper! She very, very rarely wakes up overnight. In fact, I can't remember the last time we had to go in there to settle her down. (Of course the night I wrote this, she woke up crying on and off for a half hour!) She's still doing an afternoon nap...usually around 2 hours or so which is pretty good.
We are officially done nursing! We stopped about 3 days after she turned 15 months old. She basically wasn't drinking from a bottle at all anymore and was nursing for such a short time at bedtime that I don't even think she was getting much out of it. The weekend we ended, there was going to be a few nights I couldn't nurse her so I just figured it would be a good time to call it quits since I wouldn't be there to nurse her. And all went smoothly. She has never asked for it or anything-it's like she has no memory of it. And surprisingly I didn't even cry! I think I was just at peace with the whole thing. We both just knew it was time.
Cassandra is a great eater. Sister loves her food, that's for sure (even though she's skinny as all heck!)! There's nothing new I can think of that she's tried this month. Some of her favorite foods lately-bananas, cheese, avocado, blueberries (and most fruits), pasta.
New words this month include: "boo boo", "cado" (avocado), "Hi doggie", "Hi Jer Jer", "pizza", "dinner", "diaper", "hello", "noise", "pasta", "bagel", "nonut" (doughnut), "daydee" (Daisy), "e a go" (here ya go), "walk", "chair", "yogurt", "lights", "nak" (snack), "Danda" (Cassandra). She also has signed "kitty" and "love".
Cass is still working on the whole walking thing. She now will only hold one hand when she walks with us. And all of a sudden she has this determination to walk. I swear overnight she decided that she can walk (and she can't) and she just stands up and takes off....and will fall flat on her face after about 2 steps. She'll also crawl up to us and say "walk??" and hold out her hand...she wants you to put out your hand and walk with her. It's all she wants to do now!
Cassandra is now up to 11 teeth. We have the canines left and one more up front before 2 year molars. She has started waving by opening and closing her hand-it's adorable!
I was trying to get a full shot of her in this outfit because it's so cute (here's Avery in the same outfit!) but it was really hard getting her to "pose" for me. I told her to say cheese and this is what I got!
And our usual pics...
My faves:
I just was looking at Avery's 16 month pics, and she's looking at this exact book! I didn't even realize it until now so no, it wasn't planned!!
Good shot of the teeth:
Pretty girl!
Of course Avery had to jump in for a few photos as well!
Flashback! Avery at 16 months old!
The little peanut is still in 9 or 12 month clothing! I'd say she's leaning more towards 12 months now, but some of those pants still drag on the floor!
Knock on wood, she's still a great sleeper! She very, very rarely wakes up overnight. In fact, I can't remember the last time we had to go in there to settle her down. (Of course the night I wrote this, she woke up crying on and off for a half hour!) She's still doing an afternoon nap...usually around 2 hours or so which is pretty good.
We are officially done nursing! We stopped about 3 days after she turned 15 months old. She basically wasn't drinking from a bottle at all anymore and was nursing for such a short time at bedtime that I don't even think she was getting much out of it. The weekend we ended, there was going to be a few nights I couldn't nurse her so I just figured it would be a good time to call it quits since I wouldn't be there to nurse her. And all went smoothly. She has never asked for it or anything-it's like she has no memory of it. And surprisingly I didn't even cry! I think I was just at peace with the whole thing. We both just knew it was time.
Cassandra is a great eater. Sister loves her food, that's for sure (even though she's skinny as all heck!)! There's nothing new I can think of that she's tried this month. Some of her favorite foods lately-bananas, cheese, avocado, blueberries (and most fruits), pasta.
New words this month include: "boo boo", "cado" (avocado), "Hi doggie", "Hi Jer Jer", "pizza", "dinner", "diaper", "hello", "noise", "pasta", "bagel", "nonut" (doughnut), "daydee" (Daisy), "e a go" (here ya go), "walk", "chair", "yogurt", "lights", "nak" (snack), "Danda" (Cassandra). She also has signed "kitty" and "love".
Cass is still working on the whole walking thing. She now will only hold one hand when she walks with us. And all of a sudden she has this determination to walk. I swear overnight she decided that she can walk (and she can't) and she just stands up and takes off....and will fall flat on her face after about 2 steps. She'll also crawl up to us and say "walk??" and hold out her hand...she wants you to put out your hand and walk with her. It's all she wants to do now!
Cassandra is now up to 11 teeth. We have the canines left and one more up front before 2 year molars. She has started waving by opening and closing her hand-it's adorable!
I was trying to get a full shot of her in this outfit because it's so cute (here's Avery in the same outfit!) but it was really hard getting her to "pose" for me. I told her to say cheese and this is what I got!
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| no idea what she's doing! |
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| randomly doing "so big!" |
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| Showing her tongue |
 |
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| Giving kisses |
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| Tickling Cassandra |
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| Sister hugs! |
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