Dear Charlotte,
You are running around the yard of our new house, talking in complete sentences and saying things that just melt my heart. I still can't believe that you are 21 months old! It really just seems like yesterday you were born and we were making our daily visits to the NICU. As I'm in the throws of practicing for Expressing Motherhood, I'm constantly reminded of your birth. As I say in my performance - Although my birth didn't go as planned, I spent six extra weeks with you. It is something I remind myself of often.
I love the way that you and still snuggle during naps and at bedtime. Although now you are older you ask to snuggle - mommy's big bed and snuggle mommy you say often - how can I resist. I love watching you sing along to some of our favorite songs like "this little light of mine" and "wheels on the bus" and am amazed that you know most of the words. I'm totally impressed that for naps and bedtime you know exactly which books you want me to read and are very decisive about them - "Mommy All in a Day" or "Mommy Down at the Docks" you often say. I wish I could be as decisive as you are : ) Our days are filled with laughing, smiles and letting you constantly know how much I love you. I am SO lucky to have such a beautiful, wonderful, sweet daughter. I love you with all my heart Charlotte.
Love,
Mommy
September 23, 2010
September 7, 2010
Labor Day weekend
This weekend was the first time that John and I had two nights alone without our wonderful daughter Charlotte! We spent the time with friends in both New York City and Philadelphia. On tap for the weekend was a baby shower for Rebecca, wine bar with Amy and Douglas, drinks with Bob, and Ellyn's wedding. It was the first time John and I had in New York City alone since I was pregnant and we spent the time reliving our 20s by staying out until 3am!!!! Sunday morning started with a run in Central Park, followed by brunch at our favorite place - Grey Dog's Coffee and then back into the car for a drive to Philly where we danced the night away with dear friends.
It was lovely to see my Cornell girls that I've known for over 10 years. When we are together it seems like no time has passed - a sign of a true friendship. Happy Wedding to Ellyn and Luke! And a big thanks to my parents and sister for taking Charlotte overnight.
Happy Labor Day!
August 26, 2010
Happy 20 Months
Dear Charlotte,
You are a beautiful toddler. I love watching you sing your favorite songs in the house and car - ba ba black sheep, farmer and the dell and row row row your boat are some of my favorites. You simply amaze me with your command of language. You have already started to form solid sentence structures and are picking up new words daily. Seeing you go from walking to running over the course of the month has been amazing you have this adorable run/skip that is so beautiful to watch. I still enjoy watching you sleep and check on you every night before I go to bed. Watching you explore the world and enjoy the simple joys of life - bubbles specifically lights up my day.
Recently, the past two night, you slept in my bed while we still adjust to being in our new house. And I have flash backs to when you were a newborn and snuggled right next to me.
You are my angel and I love you so much. You give my life purpose and explainable joy.
I love you Charlotte
You are a beautiful toddler. I love watching you sing your favorite songs in the house and car - ba ba black sheep, farmer and the dell and row row row your boat are some of my favorites. You simply amaze me with your command of language. You have already started to form solid sentence structures and are picking up new words daily. Seeing you go from walking to running over the course of the month has been amazing you have this adorable run/skip that is so beautiful to watch. I still enjoy watching you sleep and check on you every night before I go to bed. Watching you explore the world and enjoy the simple joys of life - bubbles specifically lights up my day.
Recently, the past two night, you slept in my bed while we still adjust to being in our new house. And I have flash backs to when you were a newborn and snuggled right next to me.
You are my angel and I love you so much. You give my life purpose and explainable joy.
I love you Charlotte
July 13, 2010
Charlotte's 18 month check up
Here are the stats you have all been waiting for...
weight - 35th percentile
height - 38th percentile
development - moving along perfectly!!
We have come a long way since the NICU ; )
weight - 35th percentile
height - 38th percentile
development - moving along perfectly!!
We have come a long way since the NICU ; )
July 2, 2010
Expressing Motherhood Piece
I was chosen to be a part of the Boston Expressing Motherhood performance this fall. Here is a draft of my piece.
ONE WOMEN’S JOURNEY INTO MOTHERHOOD
On December 10th John and I packed up our bags and moved from Manhattan to Boston. With my due date of January 31st, though, we thought we had plenty of time. At 4:30 a.m. on December 23rd I woke up to use the bathroom, a typical routine for a women in her third trimester of pregnancy. I suddenly felt a gush of water run down my legs – my water broke. Not just a trickle of water (like I had read in my maternity books) but what felt like a quart of water pouring on the floor. This isn’t supposed to be happening I kept thinking over and over again. What did I do wrong? Scampering around my apartment using a bath towel as a maxi pad, we threw together a hospital bag, then blitzed off to have a baby! We moved through check in, triage and into the labor room where I meet my doctor for the second time, ever. At this point I was a mess, crying in between visits from the nursing staff, all of whom were assuring me that there was nothing I could do to prevent this pre-term labor.
I had a plan for how I wanted the delivery to go. Up until now nothing was going how I had envisioned. I wanted a “birth center” type birth; I wanted to move around the room and hallways, bounce on a birthing ball and spend time soaking in the shower. Instead I was hooked up to an IV, administered Petocin, confined to 3 feet from my bed, given an internal fetal monitor, required to use an oxygen mask during delivery and definitely not allowed to use water in the birth! On top of that, I had a team of dedicated doctors in my room: 1 nurse, 1 doctor and 4 NICU doctors who waited for two hours while I delivered Charlotte. My modesty and birth plan was thrown out the window as a circus of doctors swarmed around my room.
She arrives…
At 4:10 p.m., Charlotte Atwood Carr arrived! The doctor quickly handed her to the NICU team. They administer her APGAR, swaddle her, and finally, after 10 minutes, I held my daughter for all of 60 seconds. After a quick photo, the NICU team whisked her away. Ten minutes later, John rushed down stairs to tell my family that Charlotte was born, the doctor finished the post-delivery, the nurses left… and suddenly, I was all alone. No baby, no family, no doctors, no nurses, no NICU team, nobody.
Sitting in the hospital bed alone for 20 minutes felt like eternity. All I wanted to do was rush to the NICU and snatch my daughter from the doctors, but all I could do was wait. A friend once said “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” At that moment, on that day patience was forced upon me.
Later that evening after about 4 hours, I finally got to see Charlotte. We spent an entire hour with her. It felt like seconds. I believe I’m an eternal optimist, but on that day I couldn’t see any silver lining in the situation. I felt helpless, powerless and empty inside. All I craved was to have my daughter beside me, to hold her, nurse her, touch her soft skin, and watch her chest rise and fall as she slept. Instead she was alone in an incubator bed with a feeding tube in her nose, heart and oxygen probes on her chest and feet and IVs in her tiny hand. Rather than intimate moments between mother and daughter, for two weeks my moments were filled with shiny metal beds, flashing lights, programmed visits and limited skin to skin contact.
The next day I woke up early to the sound of a baby crying in the room next to ours and couldn’t help but feel jealous. Most of the moms on my floor had delivered full term babies and were enjoying the first few days with their first newborns – something I would never get to experience. Later that week, during one of our daily visits, Charlotte’s neighbor, a 2lb baby boy born at 27 weeks passed away. I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief that my 5lb 2oz baby just needed to spend a few weeks in the NICU to grow and I needed to have patience to let her do so.
A year and a half later as I recount my journey into motherhood, I still choke up when I think back to that day. Even now I wish Charlotte’s birth could have gone differently. It has taken me a year to come to terms with everything and finally, I can see a silver lining – I had 6 extra weeks with my daughter. Although it wasn’t on my terms or how I would have liked it to be, nonetheless I did get 6 extra weeks with her and I learned the true meaning of patience along the way.
ONE WOMEN’S JOURNEY INTO MOTHERHOOD
On December 10th John and I packed up our bags and moved from Manhattan to Boston. With my due date of January 31st, though, we thought we had plenty of time. At 4:30 a.m. on December 23rd I woke up to use the bathroom, a typical routine for a women in her third trimester of pregnancy. I suddenly felt a gush of water run down my legs – my water broke. Not just a trickle of water (like I had read in my maternity books) but what felt like a quart of water pouring on the floor. This isn’t supposed to be happening I kept thinking over and over again. What did I do wrong? Scampering around my apartment using a bath towel as a maxi pad, we threw together a hospital bag, then blitzed off to have a baby! We moved through check in, triage and into the labor room where I meet my doctor for the second time, ever. At this point I was a mess, crying in between visits from the nursing staff, all of whom were assuring me that there was nothing I could do to prevent this pre-term labor.
I had a plan for how I wanted the delivery to go. Up until now nothing was going how I had envisioned. I wanted a “birth center” type birth; I wanted to move around the room and hallways, bounce on a birthing ball and spend time soaking in the shower. Instead I was hooked up to an IV, administered Petocin, confined to 3 feet from my bed, given an internal fetal monitor, required to use an oxygen mask during delivery and definitely not allowed to use water in the birth! On top of that, I had a team of dedicated doctors in my room: 1 nurse, 1 doctor and 4 NICU doctors who waited for two hours while I delivered Charlotte. My modesty and birth plan was thrown out the window as a circus of doctors swarmed around my room.
She arrives…
At 4:10 p.m., Charlotte Atwood Carr arrived! The doctor quickly handed her to the NICU team. They administer her APGAR, swaddle her, and finally, after 10 minutes, I held my daughter for all of 60 seconds. After a quick photo, the NICU team whisked her away. Ten minutes later, John rushed down stairs to tell my family that Charlotte was born, the doctor finished the post-delivery, the nurses left… and suddenly, I was all alone. No baby, no family, no doctors, no nurses, no NICU team, nobody.
Sitting in the hospital bed alone for 20 minutes felt like eternity. All I wanted to do was rush to the NICU and snatch my daughter from the doctors, but all I could do was wait. A friend once said “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” At that moment, on that day patience was forced upon me.
Later that evening after about 4 hours, I finally got to see Charlotte. We spent an entire hour with her. It felt like seconds. I believe I’m an eternal optimist, but on that day I couldn’t see any silver lining in the situation. I felt helpless, powerless and empty inside. All I craved was to have my daughter beside me, to hold her, nurse her, touch her soft skin, and watch her chest rise and fall as she slept. Instead she was alone in an incubator bed with a feeding tube in her nose, heart and oxygen probes on her chest and feet and IVs in her tiny hand. Rather than intimate moments between mother and daughter, for two weeks my moments were filled with shiny metal beds, flashing lights, programmed visits and limited skin to skin contact.
The next day I woke up early to the sound of a baby crying in the room next to ours and couldn’t help but feel jealous. Most of the moms on my floor had delivered full term babies and were enjoying the first few days with their first newborns – something I would never get to experience. Later that week, during one of our daily visits, Charlotte’s neighbor, a 2lb baby boy born at 27 weeks passed away. I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief that my 5lb 2oz baby just needed to spend a few weeks in the NICU to grow and I needed to have patience to let her do so.
A year and a half later as I recount my journey into motherhood, I still choke up when I think back to that day. Even now I wish Charlotte’s birth could have gone differently. It has taken me a year to come to terms with everything and finally, I can see a silver lining – I had 6 extra weeks with my daughter. Although it wasn’t on my terms or how I would have liked it to be, nonetheless I did get 6 extra weeks with her and I learned the true meaning of patience along the way.
July 1, 2010
Out of blossom counts
Last week I worked on the farm and did out of blossom counts (OFB) with Cass. Out of Blossom counts determine timing for the application of first cranberry fruit worm sprays. The application can be applied a certain number of days (depending on the cranberry variety) when a bog is determined to be 50% out of bloom/blossom. Here are some pics of the bogs from last week:
June 28, 2010
June 25, 2010
Small Seurat
Charlotte and I enjoyed some creative exploration today with crayons, paint and stickers. Her favorite tool was the "Do a Dot" paint. Charlotte loves to draw circles and this paint wand lets kids make circles easily. Charlotte was learning the art of Pointillism - A techique of painting in which small circles/dots are applied to form an image - associated with the painter Seurat. I would consider her form of Pointillism somewhat abstract!
When John and I traveled to France almost 10 years ago we saw some of Seurat's paintings, which are amazing!
When John and I traveled to France almost 10 years ago we saw some of Seurat's paintings, which are amazing!
June 23, 2010
Happy 18 Months Charlotte
Dear Charlotte,
Happy 18 months! What a beautiful, energetic, fun, talkative and smiley little toddler. in my mind this month marks a change from your baby ways into pure toddler-hood! With all your words, sentences and language skills you amaze me daily; asking for things, completing sentences
"Mommy wake up" is one of the favorite ways your greet me each morning. "Daddy sit down" is also another favorite. This past month you have been able to tell everyone how much you love them with your "I love (pronounced woved) mommy" It is one of the best parts of having a toddler - hearing your voice constantly as you continue to explore the world around you. I still love holding you at night when you wake up scared and rocking with you in the afternoon as you gently fall asleep for a mid-day nap. Playgrounds, parks, beaches and libraries hold wondrous amazement for us both. You are my doll, my love, my absolutely amazing daughter. I love you so very very much.
Love,
Mommy
Happy 18 months! What a beautiful, energetic, fun, talkative and smiley little toddler. in my mind this month marks a change from your baby ways into pure toddler-hood! With all your words, sentences and language skills you amaze me daily; asking for things, completing sentences
"Mommy wake up" is one of the favorite ways your greet me each morning. "Daddy sit down" is also another favorite. This past month you have been able to tell everyone how much you love them with your "I love (pronounced woved) mommy" It is one of the best parts of having a toddler - hearing your voice constantly as you continue to explore the world around you. I still love holding you at night when you wake up scared and rocking with you in the afternoon as you gently fall asleep for a mid-day nap. Playgrounds, parks, beaches and libraries hold wondrous amazement for us both. You are my doll, my love, my absolutely amazing daughter. I love you so very very much.
Love,
Mommy
June 14, 2010
Mini Monet
Charlotte painting at Art Class today! We take creative explorations with Laura. She is a wonderful teacher. Great with toddlers and wonderful at teaching them (and the parents) art techniques!
Check out her blog at: http://creativeroots.squarespace.com
June 9, 2010
Great Find...
I somehow stumbled across this amazing website this week
http://www.mamabargains.com/
Check it out if you love bargins as much as I do! Everyday the site has a new item on sale.
http://www.mamabargains.com/
Check it out if you love bargins as much as I do! Everyday the site has a new item on sale.
June 7, 2010
Happy 17 Months
Dear Charlotte,
A few weeks ago you reached another milestone - you turned 17 months and I still can't believe it!!! My little NICU, premie baby has turned 17 months. You are saying more words than ever and making sentences out of your words. My favorite sentence is
"I wove (love) momma" I makes my heart melt especially since you say it when I least expect it. I love when you put your head on my shoulder and tuck your arm under your little hand in between your chest and mine. Putting you to bed every night is such a wonderful experience. I love reading our stories, rocking and singing our bedtime song while you take your little feet and rub them back and forth as you drift off to sleep something you have done since you were only a few months old. I still check on you every night before I go to bed and sometime I still get choked up watching you sleep thinking back to those first few days when you were all alone in the incubator bed growing strong so you could come home. I rest my hand on your chest feeling the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest as your sleep soundly. Everyday you are teaching me new things about being a mom and I'm growing with you everyday.
I love you so much my little bug!
Love always,
Mom
A few weeks ago you reached another milestone - you turned 17 months and I still can't believe it!!! My little NICU, premie baby has turned 17 months. You are saying more words than ever and making sentences out of your words. My favorite sentence is
"I wove (love) momma" I makes my heart melt especially since you say it when I least expect it. I love when you put your head on my shoulder and tuck your arm under your little hand in between your chest and mine. Putting you to bed every night is such a wonderful experience. I love reading our stories, rocking and singing our bedtime song while you take your little feet and rub them back and forth as you drift off to sleep something you have done since you were only a few months old. I still check on you every night before I go to bed and sometime I still get choked up watching you sleep thinking back to those first few days when you were all alone in the incubator bed growing strong so you could come home. I rest my hand on your chest feeling the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest as your sleep soundly. Everyday you are teaching me new things about being a mom and I'm growing with you everyday.
I love you so much my little bug!
Love always,
Mom
May 20, 2010
Check out LLBean Signature
LLbean signature is a new upscale line for LLBean. I'm an LLbean fanatic and was so pleased to check out the new line
http://www.llbean.com/llbeansignature
http://www.llbean.com/llbeansignature
May 10, 2010
May 4, 2010
Art Class and new words
New words of the week: truck, Nani, Nina, cup, I sit down, up and down, meow, woof woof. We are still saying a lot of "I do" and "I see" followed by some baby babble. I should have a few posts in the coming days with some baby babble.
here are some cute pictures of Charlotte at Art Class at from last week.
April 24, 2010
Happy 16 Months
Dear Charlotte,
My dearest friend Em Nevius started writing monthly notes to her daughter Tye to celebrate milestones each month. I loved the idea and wanted to write you a quick happy 16 months note (actual 16 month birthday was yesterday) to tell you how much you are loved.
I can't believe that a year ago you were only 4 months old and your life after the NICU was still very fresh in my mind. A year later the NICU experience will still haunting has quietly made its way to the back of my mind instead of being front and center. You are a delight and a joy to watch grow and explore the world each and everyday. I love playing with you in the morning, watching you learn to feed yourself cereal and yogurt and reading to you bedtime stories at night. Each day now you are saying new words and slowing you are learning to form sentences - simply amazing. Today you said "door", "tree", "mama's shoe" and my favorite "I see car" I would have to say that "I see" is your first sentence of sorts. Life with you is a blessing and our moments together I will cherish for a lifetime. My favorite moment today was when you asked me to pick you up "up up" you said and then you wrapped your arms around me and rested your head of my shoulder saying "mama mama" followed by a hug. I love you my Charlotte.
Love,
Mom
My dearest friend Em Nevius started writing monthly notes to her daughter Tye to celebrate milestones each month. I loved the idea and wanted to write you a quick happy 16 months note (actual 16 month birthday was yesterday) to tell you how much you are loved.
I can't believe that a year ago you were only 4 months old and your life after the NICU was still very fresh in my mind. A year later the NICU experience will still haunting has quietly made its way to the back of my mind instead of being front and center. You are a delight and a joy to watch grow and explore the world each and everyday. I love playing with you in the morning, watching you learn to feed yourself cereal and yogurt and reading to you bedtime stories at night. Each day now you are saying new words and slowing you are learning to form sentences - simply amazing. Today you said "door", "tree", "mama's shoe" and my favorite "I see car" I would have to say that "I see" is your first sentence of sorts. Life with you is a blessing and our moments together I will cherish for a lifetime. My favorite moment today was when you asked me to pick you up "up up" you said and then you wrapped your arms around me and rested your head of my shoulder saying "mama mama" followed by a hug. I love you my Charlotte.
Love,
Mom
April 20, 2010
Pillow mountain
Charlotte loves when I stack pillows next to the couch so she can climb and play on the mountain of pillows. Here is a short video of Charlotte playing on the pillow mountain.
April 18, 2010
Arts and Crafts on a rainy sunday afternoon
Char and I loved spending the rainy afternoon doing a few arts and crafts. The biggest hit was the stickers (as you can see from the pics)
Charlotte continues to add words to her vocabulary. The most recent include:
- I Do
- Yes
- Please
- Hurray
- Oink
- ouch (she is teething so her mouth hurts)
Other recent developments include: Going to bed on her own with her books in the crib, helping me put laundry into the washer; walking everywhere!!!
April 12, 2010
Life's A Beach!
Our first trip to Piney Point beach club for the season with Nani (CC's grandmother) and Nina (CC's great-grandmother) 4 generations enjoying an early season at the beach club!
Here is where Piney Point beach is: http://tiny.cc/cyg3c
Here is where Piney Point beach is: http://tiny.cc/cyg3c
April 5, 2010
Dad is featured in the Boston Globe's article on Prostate Cancer
Check it out:
In the search for cancer drugs, mice get new role
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/04/05/mice_get_new_role_in_search_for_cancer_drugs/?page=full
Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi has begun an experiment that could radically change the way new cancer drugs are tested: Not far from where his colleagues give trial treatments to patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, he’s giving the same regimen to mice.
Normally, mice are test subjects for drugs long before they make it into the clinic. Animal models of disease are important to better understand cancer and to determine which of myriad compounds are safe and promising enough to be tried in people.
But in the new work, funded with a $4.2 million economic stimulus grant from the National Cancer Institute, mice are receiving treatment in tandem with humans, in the hope that what is learned at the bedside can be integrated with results from the lab bench to speed up and streamline the development of cancer drugs.
The novel strategy is an attempt to address a bottleneck that has emerged in the cancer drug pipeline because of a proliferation of drugs in development.
“There are 800-plus drugs in the pharmaceutical pipeline, and . . . we already don’t have enough people going into clinical trials to begin with,’’ said Cheryl Marks, associate director in the division of cancer biology at the National Cancer Institute. “Our traditional clinical trial structure . . . is simply not serving us very well.’’
The realization that clinical trials may need a new approach stems from research in recent years that has revealed the tremendous complexity of the disease.
Cancers found in one organ — breast, prostate, or lung, for example — can actually be multiple diseases, with different underlying genetic causes. So scientists are developing targeted therapies that fight cancer by blocking or interfering with specific molecules involved in tumor growth, a shift from the old approach of using one-size-fits-all chemotherapy.
There are about 850 cancer drugs in clinical development, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, a 70 percent increase in three years.
With so many options, it’s often not clear to clinicians which drug — or combination of drugs — will work best for which types of patients. And there are not enough patients, time, or money to find out. That’s where the mice come in.
Mice can be engineered to carry one or more faulty genes known to cause human cancers, and in the pilot project, various human prostate- and lung-cancer gene mutations are being inserted into mice. Those animals are given identical treatments to people in clinical trials, like a shadow group of patients. Pandolfi and collaborators from the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center hope the mice, with simpler genetics than the humans, will reveal more about what is happening in the patients.
For example, if a drug fails in six of the mice but works in one with a particular genetic mutation, it could help scientists better understand which patients it might work for. By going back and forth between the genetic information from the mice and the patients, researchers could design the next stage of a clinical trial to test only the subset of patients they expect to respond.
If the mice develop resistance to the treatment, as often happens in cancer, researchers can begin to look for combinations of drugs that might be useful that could help inform future clinical trials.
“The real goal of our effort is to understand why one patient responded and why the other didn’t, so that then the next round of trials, we give the drug only to that patient who will respond,’’ said Pandolfi, director of the cancer genetics program at Beth Israel Deaconess.
In addition to the stimulus grant, he has also received a five-year, $3.75 million grant to create a blueprint for how to best use these co-clinical trials.
Pandolfi first used this strategy 15 years ago on rare acute promyelocytic leukemia. By using genetically engineered mice, he and others were able to understand how different forms of the disease responded to treatment. They used mice to identify experimental combinations of drugs that might work. By alternating back and forth between the clinic and the lab, the strategy turned a once-fatal cancer into a treatable disease.
Dr. Derek Raghavan, director of the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said that moving back and forth from a human clinical trial to look at genetically engineered mouse models is one interesting approach to the bigger problem of refining and improving the design of clinical trials. In bladder cancer, Raghavan plans to use a model created by taking patient tissue and putting it into a mouse to better determine the sequence and combination in which drugs should be given.
“I would say there’s a bunch of people around the country who are all sitting back and saying, ‘The model is kind of broken,’ ’’ Raghavan said. “We don’t have enough patients going into clinical trials; we have to be smarter about how to work up the first stages of clinical research.’’
One of the patients whose treatment is being mirrored through Pandolfi’s experiment is Ben Gilmore, a 62-year-old civil engineer from Rochester. Gilmore has aggressive prostate cancer and has been coming to Boston regularly for treatment, including chemotherapy, hormones, and a drug called Avastin, which is already approved for other cancers.
Not far from the ninth-floor doctor’s office where Gilmore goes for treatment, groups of mice are going through the same regimen.
“Whatever I participate in is obviously going to be another step along the road to finding the best approach to treating cancer,’’ Gilmore said.
For doctors and scientists, there is hope that the combination of data from Gilmore and from dozens of mice might give them critical clues.
If Pandolfi “comes up and tells us while we’re doing the trial a particular group of patients is more likely to respond to a drug, we can think about the trial differently and go after more of those patients,’’ said Dr. Glenn Bubley, Gilmore’s doctor and director of the genitourinary medical oncology program at Beth Israel Deaconess.
“The thing about the animal, you can kind of do nine trials at once . . . so that in this decade we can start making faster progress.’’
In the search for cancer drugs, mice get new role
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/04/05/mice_get_new_role_in_search_for_cancer_drugs/?page=full
Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi has begun an experiment that could radically change the way new cancer drugs are tested: Not far from where his colleagues give trial treatments to patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, he’s giving the same regimen to mice.
Normally, mice are test subjects for drugs long before they make it into the clinic. Animal models of disease are important to better understand cancer and to determine which of myriad compounds are safe and promising enough to be tried in people.
But in the new work, funded with a $4.2 million economic stimulus grant from the National Cancer Institute, mice are receiving treatment in tandem with humans, in the hope that what is learned at the bedside can be integrated with results from the lab bench to speed up and streamline the development of cancer drugs.
The novel strategy is an attempt to address a bottleneck that has emerged in the cancer drug pipeline because of a proliferation of drugs in development.
“There are 800-plus drugs in the pharmaceutical pipeline, and . . . we already don’t have enough people going into clinical trials to begin with,’’ said Cheryl Marks, associate director in the division of cancer biology at the National Cancer Institute. “Our traditional clinical trial structure . . . is simply not serving us very well.’’
The realization that clinical trials may need a new approach stems from research in recent years that has revealed the tremendous complexity of the disease.
Cancers found in one organ — breast, prostate, or lung, for example — can actually be multiple diseases, with different underlying genetic causes. So scientists are developing targeted therapies that fight cancer by blocking or interfering with specific molecules involved in tumor growth, a shift from the old approach of using one-size-fits-all chemotherapy.
There are about 850 cancer drugs in clinical development, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, a 70 percent increase in three years.
With so many options, it’s often not clear to clinicians which drug — or combination of drugs — will work best for which types of patients. And there are not enough patients, time, or money to find out. That’s where the mice come in.
Mice can be engineered to carry one or more faulty genes known to cause human cancers, and in the pilot project, various human prostate- and lung-cancer gene mutations are being inserted into mice. Those animals are given identical treatments to people in clinical trials, like a shadow group of patients. Pandolfi and collaborators from the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center hope the mice, with simpler genetics than the humans, will reveal more about what is happening in the patients.
For example, if a drug fails in six of the mice but works in one with a particular genetic mutation, it could help scientists better understand which patients it might work for. By going back and forth between the genetic information from the mice and the patients, researchers could design the next stage of a clinical trial to test only the subset of patients they expect to respond.
If the mice develop resistance to the treatment, as often happens in cancer, researchers can begin to look for combinations of drugs that might be useful that could help inform future clinical trials.
“The real goal of our effort is to understand why one patient responded and why the other didn’t, so that then the next round of trials, we give the drug only to that patient who will respond,’’ said Pandolfi, director of the cancer genetics program at Beth Israel Deaconess.
In addition to the stimulus grant, he has also received a five-year, $3.75 million grant to create a blueprint for how to best use these co-clinical trials.
Pandolfi first used this strategy 15 years ago on rare acute promyelocytic leukemia. By using genetically engineered mice, he and others were able to understand how different forms of the disease responded to treatment. They used mice to identify experimental combinations of drugs that might work. By alternating back and forth between the clinic and the lab, the strategy turned a once-fatal cancer into a treatable disease.
Dr. Derek Raghavan, director of the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said that moving back and forth from a human clinical trial to look at genetically engineered mouse models is one interesting approach to the bigger problem of refining and improving the design of clinical trials. In bladder cancer, Raghavan plans to use a model created by taking patient tissue and putting it into a mouse to better determine the sequence and combination in which drugs should be given.
“I would say there’s a bunch of people around the country who are all sitting back and saying, ‘The model is kind of broken,’ ’’ Raghavan said. “We don’t have enough patients going into clinical trials; we have to be smarter about how to work up the first stages of clinical research.’’
One of the patients whose treatment is being mirrored through Pandolfi’s experiment is Ben Gilmore, a 62-year-old civil engineer from Rochester. Gilmore has aggressive prostate cancer and has been coming to Boston regularly for treatment, including chemotherapy, hormones, and a drug called Avastin, which is already approved for other cancers.
Not far from the ninth-floor doctor’s office where Gilmore goes for treatment, groups of mice are going through the same regimen.
“Whatever I participate in is obviously going to be another step along the road to finding the best approach to treating cancer,’’ Gilmore said.
For doctors and scientists, there is hope that the combination of data from Gilmore and from dozens of mice might give them critical clues.
If Pandolfi “comes up and tells us while we’re doing the trial a particular group of patients is more likely to respond to a drug, we can think about the trial differently and go after more of those patients,’’ said Dr. Glenn Bubley, Gilmore’s doctor and director of the genitourinary medical oncology program at Beth Israel Deaconess.
“The thing about the animal, you can kind of do nine trials at once . . . so that in this decade we can start making faster progress.’’
March 31, 2010
Bedtime
There are tons of books available on the subject of infant sleep, sleep training and techniques. The Sears method, the Feber method, Cry-it-out or not-to-cry-it-out are just the tip of the iceberg. There are also hundreds of articles on the subject. As many new moms realize some of the first questions that people will ask involve how well your newborn is sleeping as if that is the only real good measure of how successful you are as a new parent. Well I'm in the minority when it comes to sleep - I couldn't even conceive of doing any sort of sleep training until Charlotte was about 10 months old. Charlotte wasn't a great sleeper and well I at most times I didn't really care. I think my feelings are a result from the countless days and weeks Charlotte spent in the NICU during those first critical weeks as a newborn.
Sure I did try the cry-it-out method a couple of times and gave it up when I realized that the technique just didn't work for Charlotte. It was at that time that it hit me - Charlotte is a unique individual - obviously! But when you are a new parent caught up in the books and techniques sometimes, it is hard to realize that each baby and child are individuals and what works for one child may or may not work for another. Charlotte now sleeps through the night and has done so since she was 10 months old.
How I put her to bed is probably different from most - I don't put her in her crib awake and walk out of the room to let her fall asleep alone, I rock her, sing to her and once she is drowsy, I gently put her into her crib and continue to hum or sing to her with my hand gently placed on her stomach or back (depending on how she decides to get into her sleep position!) and watch as she drifts off to sleep. My method is by no means quick or easy, but for me, it is the most beautiful way to end our day, as I gently feel her chest rise and fall as her breathing gets slower.
Sleeping and sleep training can be so stressful for parents and it was for me until I realized that I needed to create a routine that worked for us : )
Good night sweet Charlotte!
Sure I did try the cry-it-out method a couple of times and gave it up when I realized that the technique just didn't work for Charlotte. It was at that time that it hit me - Charlotte is a unique individual - obviously! But when you are a new parent caught up in the books and techniques sometimes, it is hard to realize that each baby and child are individuals and what works for one child may or may not work for another. Charlotte now sleeps through the night and has done so since she was 10 months old.
How I put her to bed is probably different from most - I don't put her in her crib awake and walk out of the room to let her fall asleep alone, I rock her, sing to her and once she is drowsy, I gently put her into her crib and continue to hum or sing to her with my hand gently placed on her stomach or back (depending on how she decides to get into her sleep position!) and watch as she drifts off to sleep. My method is by no means quick or easy, but for me, it is the most beautiful way to end our day, as I gently feel her chest rise and fall as her breathing gets slower.
Sleeping and sleep training can be so stressful for parents and it was for me until I realized that I needed to create a routine that worked for us : )
Good night sweet Charlotte!
March 30, 2010
March 28, 2010
The Cast is off!
It is official. Charlotte's cast came off on Friday. We are so excited and so is Charlotte. We met another family in the waiting room at Children's Hospital, who daughter, Haley was also in a cast from a similar injury. After 3 weeks in her cast, Haley needed to have another cast put on for two more week. During her slide accident, she sustained a clear break in her tibia. Charlotte lucky didn't have a distinct break on her initial X-ray but from the follow up X-ray on Friday, new bone growth around her tibia indicated that there was most likely some type of fracture.
Charlotte wasted no time on Friday night trying to stand and cruise. She even took a few steps on her own, but we don't expect her to be walking for a few more weeks from now.
Today we tried to balance her time with active play in the living room with her toys and doing some less active play - helping me bake cookies, playing with water toys and measuring cups to give her legs some rest.
We are so thankful for her recovery : )
Charlotte wasted no time on Friday night trying to stand and cruise. She even took a few steps on her own, but we don't expect her to be walking for a few more weeks from now.
Today we tried to balance her time with active play in the living room with her toys and doing some less active play - helping me bake cookies, playing with water toys and measuring cups to give her legs some rest.
We are so thankful for her recovery : )
March 24, 2010
Potty training
We have not yet embarked on potty training and most likely won't for a few more months to come. I came across this article and had quite a chuckle. It is a cute read about a Dad's experience with pottery training....
Mission Accomplished
By David Waag It is our third visit to the bathroom in as many hours. And like the two previous visits, we are leaving mission unaccomplished. The mission is for Stella, my two and half year old daughter, to go poop. Not a big deal except that we are in the Houston airport without Mom and with a six-hour-layover between flights.
I'm not suggesting that if Mom were around it would be any easier or that I am not capable of handling the situation. Oh contraire, we have been safely out of diapers for several months, I am a seasoned traveler, and Stella is a real trooper when it comes to planes, trains, and traveling. So, when my wife suggested that she travel to Costa Rica a week earlier than Stella and me in order to take a Spanish language class, I thought, sure it would be a fun adventure for Stella and me to travel without Mom from our home in Oregon down to Costa Rica for a break from winter.
Our predawn departure from home went just as planned as we boarded the first of two flights en route to Costa Rica. The flight itself was uneventful as both my daughter and I slept nearly the entire ride to Houston. The next leg of the journey was, in my mind, the most uncertain piece of the adventure, a six hour layover in the Houston airport before our second flight. No problem, I thought. I'll pack a few key books and travel toys and we are sure to have a great time exploring the airport. I was looking forward to the experience.
As we exit the bathroom yet again without success, I realize that I neglected to factor the public toilet scenario into my planning. I am new at parenting, but potty training went very well and at 2 years and 7 months, Stella was diaper free and had been for months. Public toilets still posed a challenge as they do not offer the familiarity of one's home turf but we were making progress on this front too. At least I thought we were.
In hindsight, my first mistake was going to the classic large airport bathroom. It did not take long to realize that this did not go over well. Essentially, as soon as Stella heard the loud voosh associated with the flushing of a commercial toilet she decided she did not want to have anything to do with such a loud contraption. To make matters worse, the toilets were auto flush, which in the eyes of a two and half year old made the situation that much more unpredictable.
Upon leaving the bathroom, poop mission unsuccessful, I decided to use our time in the airport to source a more family friendly toilet. Sure enough, with a little effort I found a bathroom dedicated to family use, single room, lockable door, changing table, one toilet, much less intimidating than the stadium sized men's room of our first attempt.
I wait until Stella suggests she is ready to use the toilet and head straight for the family bathroom confident that this will solve the intimidation factor of our previous attempt. No such luck. The Family bathroom still featured a scary auto flush toilet and despite her obvious need to go poop, she manages to hold out again.
The latest visit results in some slightly soiled undies. Feeling ever so prepared, I have a backup pair and just in case (given the privacy of the family restroom) I wash out the first pair and dry them under the hand dryer so I still have a backup pair. Although somewhat concerned about her holding it in yet again, we leave the bathroom and resume exploring and reading books.
This scenario replays itself hourly while we bide our time waiting for our flight. As nature calls, Stella with a look of desperation, expresses the need to go poop, we head to the bathroom, and each time she sees the fancy automatic flush toilet, she loses here enthusiasm. Not a big deal the first time or even the second time, but pushing five hours of close calls and holding tight, the situation is getting more desperate. I have washed and dried undies several times now but we have yet to really go poop.
Eventually it is time for our flight to board and still we have yet to complete our poop mission. I listen for our row to be called when, with a look of true desperation, Stella says she has to go, now. Fortunately, the family bathroom is nearby. We make a beeline for the toilet. Again, once in the bathroom, she refuses to go. Here we stand in the bathroom, desperate child, desperate parent, and a plane that is boarding without us. It may sound unorthodox but with visions of missing our plane, I have a flash of genius. When we were potty training we would often squat and pee in the yard. I suggest if she could poop on the floor she would not need to use the toilet. She agrees. Quickly, I put several paper towels on the floor, she assumes her squat over the towels, and the mission is accomplished. I wrap up the paper towels toss them in the toilet, wash up, and with two very relieved smiles, we are the last to board the plane for Costa Rica.
Mission Accomplished
By David Waag It is our third visit to the bathroom in as many hours. And like the two previous visits, we are leaving mission unaccomplished. The mission is for Stella, my two and half year old daughter, to go poop. Not a big deal except that we are in the Houston airport without Mom and with a six-hour-layover between flights.
I'm not suggesting that if Mom were around it would be any easier or that I am not capable of handling the situation. Oh contraire, we have been safely out of diapers for several months, I am a seasoned traveler, and Stella is a real trooper when it comes to planes, trains, and traveling. So, when my wife suggested that she travel to Costa Rica a week earlier than Stella and me in order to take a Spanish language class, I thought, sure it would be a fun adventure for Stella and me to travel without Mom from our home in Oregon down to Costa Rica for a break from winter.
Our predawn departure from home went just as planned as we boarded the first of two flights en route to Costa Rica. The flight itself was uneventful as both my daughter and I slept nearly the entire ride to Houston. The next leg of the journey was, in my mind, the most uncertain piece of the adventure, a six hour layover in the Houston airport before our second flight. No problem, I thought. I'll pack a few key books and travel toys and we are sure to have a great time exploring the airport. I was looking forward to the experience.
As we exit the bathroom yet again without success, I realize that I neglected to factor the public toilet scenario into my planning. I am new at parenting, but potty training went very well and at 2 years and 7 months, Stella was diaper free and had been for months. Public toilets still posed a challenge as they do not offer the familiarity of one's home turf but we were making progress on this front too. At least I thought we were.
In hindsight, my first mistake was going to the classic large airport bathroom. It did not take long to realize that this did not go over well. Essentially, as soon as Stella heard the loud voosh associated with the flushing of a commercial toilet she decided she did not want to have anything to do with such a loud contraption. To make matters worse, the toilets were auto flush, which in the eyes of a two and half year old made the situation that much more unpredictable.
Upon leaving the bathroom, poop mission unsuccessful, I decided to use our time in the airport to source a more family friendly toilet. Sure enough, with a little effort I found a bathroom dedicated to family use, single room, lockable door, changing table, one toilet, much less intimidating than the stadium sized men's room of our first attempt.
I wait until Stella suggests she is ready to use the toilet and head straight for the family bathroom confident that this will solve the intimidation factor of our previous attempt. No such luck. The Family bathroom still featured a scary auto flush toilet and despite her obvious need to go poop, she manages to hold out again.
The latest visit results in some slightly soiled undies. Feeling ever so prepared, I have a backup pair and just in case (given the privacy of the family restroom) I wash out the first pair and dry them under the hand dryer so I still have a backup pair. Although somewhat concerned about her holding it in yet again, we leave the bathroom and resume exploring and reading books.
This scenario replays itself hourly while we bide our time waiting for our flight. As nature calls, Stella with a look of desperation, expresses the need to go poop, we head to the bathroom, and each time she sees the fancy automatic flush toilet, she loses here enthusiasm. Not a big deal the first time or even the second time, but pushing five hours of close calls and holding tight, the situation is getting more desperate. I have washed and dried undies several times now but we have yet to really go poop.
Eventually it is time for our flight to board and still we have yet to complete our poop mission. I listen for our row to be called when, with a look of true desperation, Stella says she has to go, now. Fortunately, the family bathroom is nearby. We make a beeline for the toilet. Again, once in the bathroom, she refuses to go. Here we stand in the bathroom, desperate child, desperate parent, and a plane that is boarding without us. It may sound unorthodox but with visions of missing our plane, I have a flash of genius. When we were potty training we would often squat and pee in the yard. I suggest if she could poop on the floor she would not need to use the toilet. She agrees. Quickly, I put several paper towels on the floor, she assumes her squat over the towels, and the mission is accomplished. I wrap up the paper towels toss them in the toilet, wash up, and with two very relieved smiles, we are the last to board the plane for Costa Rica.
Spring at last
Last week charlotte and I played outside my mom and dad's house. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and she had a great time despite having her cast.
March 15, 2010
March 14, 2010
Dear Charlotte,
You amaze me each and every day with your zest and passion for life. I love watching you grow and am amazed and how well you are doing with your cast. I'm so sorry I put in you a situation, which seemed harmless, that caused you so much pain. Years from now I know you won't even remember this even though I can't stop thinking about how I wish I didn't go to the playground or didn't take you down the slide with me. You are an amazingly strong toddler and I love you very much.
Love,
Mom
You amaze me each and every day with your zest and passion for life. I love watching you grow and am amazed and how well you are doing with your cast. I'm so sorry I put in you a situation, which seemed harmless, that caused you so much pain. Years from now I know you won't even remember this even though I can't stop thinking about how I wish I didn't go to the playground or didn't take you down the slide with me. You are an amazingly strong toddler and I love you very much.
Love,
Mom
March 12, 2010
Worst Day
My worst fear was realized this morning when the doctor at Children's Hospital came into our room after reviewing Charlotte's X-ray again and said "I think I see something that could we a very small hairline fracture" It didn't show up on Wednesday night when we had the X ray because it was so slight the doctor had to enlarge the X ray significantly to see it. The location where she saw the hairline was in the same place that Charlotte has pain - right above the ankle on her shin. And then came the bombshell - Charlotte will be in a cast for the next two weeks (gasp). In any other situation and if Charlotte was older, I would have taken this in stride - she is a child and at times she will get hurt. But since she is only 14 months and just this week (the day before the accident I might add) decided to start walking the news of the cast was more than I could handle and I started to cry.
Charlotte was laughing and playing with Baby Emma (her doll) and I all I could do was let the tears roll down my cheek.
Up to this point I prayed that she had a minor sprain of sorts but this morning when she again refused to put any weight on her right leg, in my heart I knew something wasn't quite right. The news of the cast was the final straw in a series of unpleasant and worrisome news that started in '08 with Dad finding out he had cancer; mom getting sick; grandfather passing away; John's grandmother passing away; Charlotte's premature birth; john getting laid off; my brother-in-law getting surgery and that is just the real big stuff. As it started to sink in that my 14 month old daughter would have a cast for two weeks I just felt like I had lost hope - the flame of my eternal optimism was extinguished. Because I am the reason she is in this situation to begin with - I took her to the playground; I put on "the big girl rubber sole shoes; I took her down the slide with me.... As I reflect tonight on this week, I can't help but feel a sense of loss and for the first time it is really hard to see the silver lining in this situation.
Details on the cast...
First of all it looks like a big person cast. It is a boot cast that encompasses her foot and extends all the way to the thigh (pics to come tomorrow). For the next two weeks I'll have a count down to the "cast off" party. And update regularly on our daily events with cast starting with tonight:
- Charlotte was pretty fussy (and I don't blame her one bit) so we did an early bath around 5:45. We got a great cast - a waterproof cast - yes gone are the days when you couldn't get near water in a cast. Charlotte can take a bath, go swimming and as the brochure says do 'hydrotherapy'. I think we'll just stick to bath time. I wanted to do everything possible to have some sense of normalcy during these next two weeks and a water proof cast will help us do that!
I appreciate all the support, phone calls, emails, facebook comments - thanks so much.
Charlotte was laughing and playing with Baby Emma (her doll) and I all I could do was let the tears roll down my cheek.
Up to this point I prayed that she had a minor sprain of sorts but this morning when she again refused to put any weight on her right leg, in my heart I knew something wasn't quite right. The news of the cast was the final straw in a series of unpleasant and worrisome news that started in '08 with Dad finding out he had cancer; mom getting sick; grandfather passing away; John's grandmother passing away; Charlotte's premature birth; john getting laid off; my brother-in-law getting surgery and that is just the real big stuff. As it started to sink in that my 14 month old daughter would have a cast for two weeks I just felt like I had lost hope - the flame of my eternal optimism was extinguished. Because I am the reason she is in this situation to begin with - I took her to the playground; I put on "the big girl rubber sole shoes; I took her down the slide with me.... As I reflect tonight on this week, I can't help but feel a sense of loss and for the first time it is really hard to see the silver lining in this situation.
Details on the cast...
First of all it looks like a big person cast. It is a boot cast that encompasses her foot and extends all the way to the thigh (pics to come tomorrow). For the next two weeks I'll have a count down to the "cast off" party. And update regularly on our daily events with cast starting with tonight:
- Charlotte was pretty fussy (and I don't blame her one bit) so we did an early bath around 5:45. We got a great cast - a waterproof cast - yes gone are the days when you couldn't get near water in a cast. Charlotte can take a bath, go swimming and as the brochure says do 'hydrotherapy'. I think we'll just stick to bath time. I wanted to do everything possible to have some sense of normalcy during these next two weeks and a water proof cast will help us do that!
I appreciate all the support, phone calls, emails, facebook comments - thanks so much.
March 10, 2010
Slippery afternoon
I decided to let Charlotte play with her water toys before lunch, something that we have done many many times. I fill my Le Creuset pan with an inch of water, put in some of her favorite bath toys and presto she has water play. Generally, she delights in taking the toys out of the water throwing them back in, splashing, laughing and enjoying herself. Today she decided to try and throw her toys in the water from a standing position - not a good idea when there is a very slippery floor surrounding the pan - she fell, hit her head/eyebrow on the side of pan - not pleasant for mom or daughter.
After a few minutes of crying and making sure that her eye was ok (and it was) I concluded that if we decide to partake in water play again we should use a plastic bowl! Even if it mean that she is able to tip the bowl over much easier at least if she falls on it she won't get hurt.
After a few minutes of crying and making sure that her eye was ok (and it was) I concluded that if we decide to partake in water play again we should use a plastic bowl! Even if it mean that she is able to tip the bowl over much easier at least if she falls on it she won't get hurt.
March 9, 2010
New season new look
So I've decide to update the look of our blog again because I was feeling the urge to have my blog reflect the beautiful spring season!
I've just finished reading "Good Night Moon" and put Charlotte to bed after a lullaby and kiss on the head. Her tummy is filled with wheel shaped pasta, peach yogurt, apple and grapes. All in all a great end to a wonderful day.
The past two days have been filled with fun activities. I worked the morning of yesterday and today (sigh) and then came home to play with Charlotte, which is the best part of my day. Yesterday we had our Sprouts class in Boston and today we went to another Sprouts makeup class because we've missed a couple this semester. Our big activity at class was having the kids play with play dough. Charlotte enjoyed the activity, but had more fun playing on the indoor slide!
Finally after 14 months she is walking!!! I walked at 11 months so I was hoping that my daughter would follow in my footsteps and be an early walker, but instead she is on the late side! She walked across the playground today, which is a huge milestone. She is also talking, which could be the reason behind the delayed walking. I can't imagine how difficult it would be do learn both at the same time. Her latest words are: Baby, Dog, Apple, Up, Tick Tock (for clock), Baa Baa (sheep), Moo (cow), and Down. Her favorite word is Tick Tock followed by baby.
More tomorrow...
I've just finished reading "Good Night Moon" and put Charlotte to bed after a lullaby and kiss on the head. Her tummy is filled with wheel shaped pasta, peach yogurt, apple and grapes. All in all a great end to a wonderful day.
The past two days have been filled with fun activities. I worked the morning of yesterday and today (sigh) and then came home to play with Charlotte, which is the best part of my day. Yesterday we had our Sprouts class in Boston and today we went to another Sprouts makeup class because we've missed a couple this semester. Our big activity at class was having the kids play with play dough. Charlotte enjoyed the activity, but had more fun playing on the indoor slide!
Finally after 14 months she is walking!!! I walked at 11 months so I was hoping that my daughter would follow in my footsteps and be an early walker, but instead she is on the late side! She walked across the playground today, which is a huge milestone. She is also talking, which could be the reason behind the delayed walking. I can't imagine how difficult it would be do learn both at the same time. Her latest words are: Baby, Dog, Apple, Up, Tick Tock (for clock), Baa Baa (sheep), Moo (cow), and Down. Her favorite word is Tick Tock followed by baby.
More tomorrow...
March 2, 2010
February 19, 2010
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February 18, 2010
Water play
What a day we had...played at the gym in the morning while mom worked out on the treadmill : ) Charlotte practiced walking around the gym while onlookers cheered her on; made a trip into Harvard Squre to have lunch with John; took Macie on a walk and....enjoyed an afternoon activity of water play inside. I love water play - charlotte loves water play it is a win-win. We put out a plastic table cloth, filled a bowl with a bit of water and her favorite bath toys and as you can see from the pics below she enjoyed it! My favorite moment was when she decided to stick her boot in the bowl and then cried because her toes and leg were soaked ; ) Water play ended with Charlotte in her diaper and onsie and most of the water all over the table cloth - All in all a success : )
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