Developmental Update

Fi’s NICU developmental follow-up went very well. I picked her up at school and we went directly to the hospital, where we had lunch in the cafeteria. I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and carrots, and Fi brought her challah from class. After lunch, we signed in and then waited for our appointment. We were seen by Daneen, who was Fi’s Occupational Therapist in the NICU. For some reason, even though Fi only sees Daneen once a year, she loves her and reacts very positively toward her. We think it is because she remembers Daneen’s voice from her very early days. Fi did everything she was supposed to and then some, and Daneen said she is doing things that are very age appropriate for a three year old and even some things that are good for a four year old. We have some things to work on with Fi, like holding a pen or pencil properly (which is not something she really needs to be doing right now, but if we want to work anything, that is something we can do). Fi was measured and is now 36 inches tall. Dr. Van Houten, the neonatalogist, gave us his stamp of approval and several times mentioned how cute Fi is. The appointment was over very quickly because Fi did everything she was supposed to right away, so we went upstairs to the NICU to show some of her old nurses how big she is getting.

In other news, I made lemon bars for the first time. John got Family Circle magazine in the mail for some weird reason, and it was accompanied by a sample of allrecipes.com leaflet with recipes for lemony things. I decided to try the lemon bars because they seemed easy enough. I used three Myer lemons that my mom gave me from her tree, and let me tell you, they were heavenly.

I can’t believe how delicious they were! I wasn’t even sure they were going to work. The directions said to cut butter into flour until it was the consistency of pie dough. I’ve never made pie. I don’t know what that looks like. The closest I came to anything like this were my many failed attempts at home-made biscuits. I wasn’t confident. But they were amazing! I used a European style butter that I buy at the butcher’s and the crust was light and flaky, yet oh so tasty. The pan was a 9x13. I cut out a few to give my parents and we took the rest to my friend’s house for dessert. There were none left at the end of the day. Now I’m waiting on more lemons so I can make them again. Here is the recipe for anyone interested:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Pie-Bars/Detail.aspx

I used the zest from all three lemons.

Fi Helped me with dinner tonight:

 

Please pardon the PJs.

There is so much that Fi is doing and saying these days, I lose track of it all. She is becoming a regular conversationalist and very helpful whether it’s cooking, cleaning, or helping at the supermarket.

I love this girl soooooo much!