18 weeks

Juniper had her first scream last Tuesday. She was talking and talking with lots of things she needed to say and in the middle of it all was one big scream! Daddy and Mommy just looked at each other in surprise and then Juni went on a talking. This week she sat time after time folding her hands together and making sure that her fingers lined up just right, one from the left hand, one from the right hand, one from the left hand, one from the right hand; it was so fun to watch her be so specific with her little fingers. On Friday Daddy was looking at his iPhone while holding Juniper and sliding through screens when she decided to reach down and help and slide through the screens herself as she watched in amazement.

17 weeks

Juniper had always hated tummy time since she had to wear her harness, but as of this past week, she is a huge fan! She loves to pull her knees under her and push herself up on her arms and hold her head up. She has always loved standing up in the bathtub, but this past week she has started standing on our laps and the couch and the floor whenever we hold her up. She is catching up faster than fast now that the harness is out of the picture. Today Daddy brought Juni to visit Mommy at work and Juni was so happy to see Mommy, almost as happy as Mommy was to see Juni :) She knew right away who Mommy was, even in her silly uniform. Her voice is getting louder and more adamant than ever. Her personality is really starting to shine through!

16 weeks

Juniper did so great at all of her doctor appointments last Tuesday. Her pediatrician said everything looks great. Obviously she was not a fan of her shots, but she got through it quickly. The hip ultrasound showed everything in place and her orthopedist said her exam was "just like a normal hip exam," and said she could be harness free! She will need to be checked again in a couple months just to be sure everything stays put, but for now she is happy to be active and unrestrained 24 hours a day. The past few weeks she was always wanting to face out and see the world around her, but this past week she has been very cuddly and just melts into us when we hold her. Last Tuesday, after her doctor appointment, we decided to go out to eat for the first time since being home from Nebraska, and even thought we asked 50 questions and looked at the packaging for some of the food, Mommy still ate something that contained soy or dairy which has made Juni quite uncomfortable again. :( Things are slowly getting better again, but we are all frustrated that we pretty much need to eat at home every single meal if we want to be sure we are safe. Juniper loves to sit up (while holding on to Mom or Dad's fingers) and is always trying to sit up on her own.

 

 

15 weeks

Juniper is currently in love with her hands and feet and loves to stick her whole fist in her mouth whenever she can. She has gone from cooing sounds to talk with us to more of a babbling and singing paragraphs at a time. Her sleeping at night, while inconsistent at this point, has gotten longer and longer. Saturday night she slept for 8 hours straight!! Last night was 6 hours for the long sleep, but we are so, so thankful that she has come this far! The soy has worked its way out of our systems now so she is eating and pooping better than ever. Daddy had a training session to present for work on Friday so Mommy got her shift covered and didn't go into work until Sunday. Just like we all knew it would, everything went great while Juni was home with Daddy! She didn't have any problem drinking from the bottle, which she had only done one day over the last three months. Mommy was able to go to work and focus knowing that Daddy had everything under control and she only called one time to check in! :) Tomorrow is a day filled with Doctors. We will see the pediatrician in the morning for her four month check-up, where she will receive more vaccinations, radiology (hip ultrasound) in the early afternoon, and then the orthopedist late afternoon to find out if Juniper will continue to wear her harness 12 hours/day or what the new plan will be. It will be a rough day for little Juniper Opal, so please send lots of love, positive thoughts, prayers, and energy our way!

14 weeks

This week Juniper struggled to adjust back to life at home. She was a trooper at sleeping all around the world, but like her Mommy, felt restless once she was back at home. Thank goodness she was able to wear her summer outfits on vacation because as soon as we got home we were putting her in winter sleepers at night and jackets during the day. It was a chilly couple of days. Things have warmed up a little, but I don't think she'll ever wear too many summer outfits while living in northern California. Last night she fell back into her normal sleeping pattern. Hooray!! We discovered that she does have intolerance to soy as well as dairy. Mommy's friend Crystal brought over some yummy snacks that reminded Mommy that eating dairy/soy free doesn't have to be awful! Juniper is really moving and scooting all over the place now that she has her harness off during the day. Mommy goes back to work part time on Friday of this week. We are all excited for the Daddy-baby bonding time. Mommy is getting very sad about going back to work, but is thankful that Daddy will be the one with Juni and not a babysitter. Now that we are working the dairy/soy out of Juni's system she is able to enjoy life so much more. She swings and lays and plays all day long. The red in her brown hair seems to be coming out more and more, so we are excited to see what happens in the months ahead.

13 weeks 10 pds 3ozs

Juniper has been a super trooper traveler. She met and loved all her cousins this past week and spent lots of quality time with her aunts and uncles and grandparents. Sorry to all those who didn't get a chance to hold her. We have a very small... almost non-existent... network of people in California. She has only had one person visit her twice, not including the family that visited from Nebraska. We take her out all the time, but don't exactly ask strangers at the grocery store or the park to hold her, so we didn't want her being passed around like a hot potato to fifty people all in one day. She looks forward to being a little older when she can be passed around a little more easily and have time with everyone!! She is really starting to slobber and blow bubbles on her lips. She is LOVING only having to wear her harness twelve hours a day. She is becoming more and more playful and talkative as each day passes. In the picnic picture she is in her Baby Bjorn with Daddy under a pillow case to shield her from the sun. :) I know there are SO many good pictures out there of her from this week, but they are all on other people's cameras, so these are the best we have from our camera.

12 (TWELVE?!?!?!??!!!!!!) Weeks

Juniper had a BIG and BUSY week! On Tuesday she had her appointment with the orthopedist and found out her hip is in place! Yay! So, to ensure a positive outcome, she will be in her harness 12 hours/day for the next 4 weeks and then have another check up. Leaving from the Children's Hosiptal parking lot late Tuesday afternoon, we set out on our road trip for Minnesota for our friend Erin's wedding. It was a few long days, but we made it by lunch time on Friday. She loved sleeping in the California King bed with Mommy and Daddy at the hotel. She would turn her head back and forth and just look from Mommy to Daddy to Mommy to Daddy and smile SO big! Once the fun wedding weekend was over we traveled back to Nebraska to spend the week here with our family. Juniper is very excited that she will get to meet all of her cousins who have come from Okinawa, Florida, and Nebraska all in the same week!!

My harness before Daddy straps it all around me.

Mommy and Juniper fell asleep after a long and happy wedding day while Daddy was talking to his friend in the Lobby of the hotel.