August 2004
Hello everyone,
Natalia is now four years old. Another year has
passed and I am happy to say it was wonderful. I
was thrilled to come back to school in September
to tell her teacher that she was now pulling
herself up on everything. The sofa, the chair,
the play pen, and whom ever might be near her.
She appears more alert than ever. While on
vacation I noticed her making her usual AH -AH
-AH sounds...but when I listened more carefully,
I was amazed to hear her singing the tune to
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.--or the ABC song
(they are the same!) We were thrilled!!! She
sings to us daily and brings a smile to everyone
she meets.
Natalia enjoys walking in her walker, being
pushing on her tricycle, rocking on her rocker,
singing songs and wrestling with her brother's
and sister. She loves to kick her legs over her
head and touch her toes to the carpet.
Occasionally she does a complete backward roll
only to land up right in amazement. She has done
two forward roll overs with a great surprised
look as she came back upright! :)
There are moments when she acts very appropriate
for her age... Like--when not wanting to be put
down, she'll grab my hair, or stiffening up so
she doesn't have to go in the car seat or wheel
chair. She likes to whack the syringe while we
are trying to feed her(formula goes flying-UG!-this
is not my favorite trick!!)) The most comical
one is the fantastic leg lifts she kicks when
you are trying to change her diaper. Sometimes
it gets downright annoying, however, she is so
clever, she smiles and laughs as she is being
difficult so it is clear she knows exactly what
she is doing. Sometimes it is hard not to laugh.
For the most part Natalia has had a healthy
year. She has had several ear infections
probably due to swimming, or getting water in
her ears at bath time. A few colds and urine
infections have kept us on our toes, but we are
getting very good and jumping on these symptoms
and we have avoided any hospital visits for over
two years...Having nurses to help with Natalia's
care is a blessing! I couldn't do it without
them. :)
Natalia is still G-tube fed hourly- 2oz of
Pedisure formula. We have avoided another
fundoplication with the hourly feeds and it
seems to be working fine. From time to time we
try to introduce soft foods but she is just not
interested in anything in her mouth unless it is
a toy. We will continue to try from time to time
as she is not a drooler and she can swallow.
Over the summer it appeared that she would get
ear infections right after we tried oral
feeds...with summer and all it was hard to tell
exactly the cause, but we will try oral feeds
again and see if there is a pattern of this new
problem.
When describing Natalia I usually say she is 4
years old, but acts more like a 1 year old. She
is happy just playing on the floor with her
toys, but gives a little cry if she gets too
lonely. She only fusses when she is
uncomfortable or in pain. She doesn't go too far
as she is not crawling. Although she has learned
how to roll and sit up to get to where she wants
in the den. Recently we have noticed that she is
beginning to use her knees and elbows more so
we'll see what the next year will bring.
Most of her medical issues are the same as last
year so refer to the 2003 Birthday letter to see
where she is medically.
Thank you all for your continued prayer. It is
through your PRAYERS, FAITH, HOPE and LOVE that
Natalia is thriving. We continue to TRUST that
God has a special plan for our little angel and
know he will surprise us each day with growth.
God Bless You ALL,
Love,
Stephen, ThereseAnn, Jacqueline, Nicolas, Jacob
and Natalia
Natalia's family celebrating Grandpa & Grandma Miller's 50th
Wedding Anniversary, June 19, 2004. Grandpa & Grandma have 6
grown children,21 grand children & 3 great-grand children.