Syndey, Justin, Mama and Sharon, Lisa, and Dad





my first boat ride!!!! ...and look who's driving!?! (cousin Lisa)








with Grandpa Baer and with Syndey and Lisa



So we went to Pittsburgh to visit with RJ's cousins and their kids, and Grandpa Baer. Sharon had a BALL!! She loved the kid cousins and they doted on her and kept her very entertained.
She also went on her very first boat ride. It was a pontoon boat. She really enjoyed it but did not enjoy the life-vest. They don't seem to make then small enough for her so she is pretty uncomfortable in them. But, she was a trooper and had her cousins to entertain her.
We spent time at the Baer farm which is an 80+ acre plot that is just fabulous for hanging out. They have put an acre pond on the property so RJ and I had fun swimming and playing with the rope swing :)
It was a very nice weekend, very nice to see the family and we're so glad Sharon is such a good traveler. Hopefully we'll get up there again when Sharon is a little older and the pond is a little warmer so that she can enjoy looking for frogs etc...
God Bless and love
Jaye, RJ, and Sharon I.

Daredevil!!

See her at the top of the slide?
Now see her in the water at the bottom!


Well, here's our brave girl! Today was her last swimming lesson and she has made great progress. She loves the water and wrapped the teacher totally around her finger. She was by far the smallest and youngest in the class and he just adored her. The teacher offered to take kids down the water slide this week. On Tuesday only one child wanted to do it and then i had Sharon do it (she was great!) . Then today when he offered to take kids again, all of the other kids went, not to be outdone by Sharon who is at least a year younger than all of them! She did it again today and my mom was able to snap some good shots. The only thing Sharon didn't like about the slide was wearing the life-vest. (for any of you who are worried about this whole water slide thing: the teacher took the kids up with him, sat down with them and went down with them. He would hold them up so that they didn't get dunked at the end. I was quite jealous that moms couldn't go!!!)
June is a busy month for us, but i plan to get her signed back up for more lessons after that. It is so nice to see how much she kicks and moves in the water. It must feel so good to her to not be stiff...
This week we are working hard at her sleep issues. The OT has started us on a "listening program" to help get her less sensitive to sounds (she still has a startle reflex that we are trying to help her cope with). She is weaning this week as well which is helping in the sleep department (for her, not for me yet, but that will come!). She's such a trouper and is very smart. She caught on quick to what i was asking of her and has done very well. We're hopeful that she will be able to sleep better, waking up less, allowing her to be more rested during the days.
Our neurologist is moving to Ohio so i've scheduled us an appt. with his replacement. We are sad to see the old one leave since he "wrote the book" on infant stroke (figuratively and literally), but i am actually hoping that maybe the new one will be a little more available??
Last week Sharon had to give blood for a work up. This is something they've wanted to do since she was born and i refused to let them until she was bigger. They just want to make sure that she doesn't have genetic issues that caused her strokes. Having the blood drawn was awful, but i'm glad it's over with. She was a trouper (a screaming trouper, but brave nonetheless) as usual. Unfortunately RJ had to be out of town that day so he got to miss out on the fun, but my mom went to help.
Well, we are off to Pittsburgh to visit with the Baer crew this weekend. Can't wait to have Sharon meet more cousins!!
love and peace
Jaye, RJ, and Sharon I.

okay, so it's apparent that i had some technical issues with posting the photos and captions...couldn't figure out how to fix them. SOrry! HOpefully you can figure it out...they seem to be above the picture they are meant for....
oops....

okay, so it's apparent that i had some technical issues with posting the photos and captions...couldn't figure out how to fix them. SOrry! HOpefully you can figure it out...they seem to be above the picture they are meant for....
oops....

Brushing teeth with Molly

breakfast with Uncle Fred



with the bride to be :) (my cousin Jen)


playing with cousins Gabe and Frederick



Waiting at the airport with Daddy

talking with cousin Gabe



Well, Sharon has been a traveler again. She and I are in my cousin's upcoming wedding and so flew to PA to take part in wedding events (like bridal shower and dress shopping). I am sorry that we didn't get a chance to visit a lot of you while we were there, but i was trying to minimize the stress of travel for Sharon (and myself!) and we were really busy with wedding stuff...
We got to spend some good time with the Pierce crew. Uncle Fred is continuing to impress us, as is Lorrie! Sharon got to hang out with her second cousins and my friend Angela's daughter Molly (who is always generous in allowing us to stay with them, in little Molly's room no less so that Sharon can be surrounded by toddler stuff). Being around children her age is fantastic for her and she just loves it. Anytime we see a person under the age of 5, Sharon will say "hi" and try to get their attention. She came away from the weekend even more engaging than before and has also made some progress this week with her movement. Someone said "well, since she does so well with other children, she should have a little sibling" Ha!
Our newest "fun" has been a trip to the dentist for Sharon. Turns out she doesn't have enamel on her teeth, which we learned from the dentist is common for children who experience trauma at birth. So, she has a chip in one tooth and they are just weak in general. Not much we can do about it at this point, but we'll add the dentist to Sharon's ever-growing list of service providers....Luckily he is a fabulous pediatric dentist who will be a good friend to her i think.
We're going to enjoy a rare weekend at home this weekend (we missed daddy a lot last weekend!) and will continue to work hard to get this girl more mobile. She's a joy and a riot!! Feel free to come and see her :)
love and bless
Jaye, RJ, and Sharon I.

This backpacking is tiring!!!

Not sure how this picture got here but i don't know how to get rid of it either! This is at Namom's (grandma Pierce) birthday party...see the new hair do that Sharon has??

Happy family! We love being outdoors!!

Breaking for lunch on the trail...

So Sharon went on her first backpacking trip. She loved it!!! Not that we're surprised, since she loves being outside and trees are some of her favorite things. We went for 2 nights to Uwharrie National Forest. It was a bit chillier at night than we expected, but she was snug in the tent and really did well. She just had a ball...
Today she had her first swimming lesson. RJ got to take her and said that she did really well, never fussing, and having no problems with the water. He said that she was kicking and moving around in the water like she knew what she was doing. That's what our PT has been saying, that being in the water will help her to move a lot. So, we'll see how these lessons go and if they help loosen her up.
She's had a busy few days!
love to all
Jaye, RJ, and Sharon I.