Mono-Mono Preemie twins: Katy & Mady our miracle girls...This is their story

my goofballs

2008-04-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well with the exception of Jacob...He's not been in too many photos lately :(

This is Katy wearing Aaron's beanie...she loves this thing silly boy
Aaron playing peek a boo with Landen
sweet girls...Mady left Katy right

I painted their toes...they loved it! Katy kept saying pretty pretty. And when I was done she went and grabbed all her necklaces and purse, and of course the beanie to complete the look.

Did the Groundhog see his shadow or not???

2008-04-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

I must say that I never really pay attention to that groundhog's day stuff of whether or not we will have a delay in spring's arrival...but now that it's the first week in april and I've seen hide nor hair of spring's arrival, I'm just wonderin'! I can't take much more of this cooped up in the house because it's raining, hailing, or snowing stuff for much longer!

There I said my peace...just praying for a little sunshine! For my kids sake...and my sanity!

catching up with photos

2008-04-08T11:36:00.001-07:00

Mady Easter morning (notice she's not wearing anything?) And Katelyn
Boys dying their eggs

Aaron climbed into Landen's pack n play with him to snuggle
A few from our snow day back in early Feb

The girls got their first haircuts a few weeks ago. I had her cut them into cute little bobs...Mady
Here's a good sideview of Katy

There just weren't that many photos to include from the past 2 months. I haven't taken nearly as many as I normally do. Easter's photo shoot ended up being a bust, when I noticed both my camera batteries were dead...way to prepare eh? So this is all for now. But Grandma I promise to be a better blogger!!!

what a bad bad

2008-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

BAD blogger I am! You know I really have no excuse either...well besides the fact that Katy & Mady have hit the terrible 2's in a major way! I think I'm getting too old for the terrible 2's!!! Having 2 at once is frustrating, comical, frustrating, fun, and oh did I say frustrating?! A typical day in the wake of their ploys includes...picking up their dumped baskets of toys a bazillion times. Changing Madelyn's sheets everyday because she will NOT keep her diaper on, and will pee or poop and then it gets all over her bed. Feeding these 2 teeny tiny things all through out the day (they are always hungry or thirsty). Each girl gets at least 2 time outs in the corner per day for hitting, pushing or throwing things at one another. Which brings me to their brawling ways. I think these 2 got more spice than sugar...they are rough ones! They also enjoy pulling everything out of closests, drawers, and cabinets that are not under baby lockdown. Playing in the toilet has been a big hit, as is getting into the garbage, and throwing food from their highchairs. Udressing themselves all day long (keeping clothes on them is an endless battle). And it always amazes me that even though we have 2 of pretty much everything for them, they still fight over toys. All day long! Between the girls and Aaron I am on my toes all day long. And I've also been caring for 2 of Danielle's boys 2 days a week, and also my nephew Landen 2 days a week. So basically life is BUSY with many many children...and my poor poor house is never clean! I don't think I've even taken any photos of my kids all month! I plan on setting up my tripod for a family portrait on Easter Sunday after church. Hope to get at least one good shot of all of us together, since I don't think we've ever had one. Easter is one of my favorite days for taking lots of photos. I am hoping for sunshine for an outside egg hunt, and portrait session.

If I don't post again before this weekend...I hope everyone have a happy Good Friday, and a wonderful Easter!
Blessings!!!

where were we?

2008-02-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on blogging! We had some major internet issues that have finally been resolved by having a tech come out. But now there seems to be so much I need to blog about...and honestly I just don't have the time. So I'm just going to write a bit of a quick update to get all caught up. Probably a bit in a list style format.

The girls are adding more and more to their vocabulary. Katelyn's favorite thing to say is "Mady NO NO Mady!" She's so darned bossy! Mady's favorite thing to say is "Jacob" she actually goes around screaming it at some point everyday.

We've all been sick over the past 2 weeks. Started with Jacob having strep and the stomach flu all at once! It was the sickest that kid has ever been. Then Aaron got the stomach bug, then Mady, and so on until we all ended up having it. Thank God it seems to be over finally! Now it's time to bleach and lysol the heck out of this house!

Katelyn is obsessed with shoes and purses. At the tender age of 2, I can only imagine how much worse it'll be when she's a teenager!

Madelyn is baby Landen's second mommy. Every time he comes over, she NEVER leaves his side. She shares her blankets and binkies and dollies, and everything else she loves with him. She even tries to pick him up! Which is hillarious since he weighs only about 6 lbs less than she does! But she's got the nurturing instinct!

Late last month we got some really good snow fall...which is rare around here. I have some really lovely pictures of all the kids enjoying a snow day that I promise I will share soon!

I have been devouring books lately...reading 3-4 in a week! I forgot over the years how much I LOVE to read. Now I just make time for it...instead of watching tv I read.

Aaron is obsessed with Johnny Cash and Elvis. I've said it before, he's a unique one!

Jacob has been doing very well with his reading...getting new glasses helped. He's flying through his reading lab assignments. We are so proud of him...he's been working hard all year! Everytime he passes to the next level, I take him to the bookstore so he can buy a new book. It's a great reward system that he very much looks forward to.

I joined a gym about 2 weeks ago! Man I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I tried a spinning class with Danielle. She is a machine I tell ya! Cause after an hour of that I seriously thought I would die!!! But she's a great motivator, it's nice to go to the gym with your "in extremely good shape" best friend...it's kind of like having your own personal trainer!!!

The new park opened down the street from our house FINALLY! The kids have been loving walking down there on nice days and playing.

I'm flying out to Sacramento tomorrow for a few days to see my Grandma. We just found out that she has stage 4 lung and brain cancer. I wanted to be able to spend some time with her before things get really bad. My Dad and my Brother are also flying there with me. I'm looking forward to going back there and being in her house and seeing the city I grew up in. It's been a very long time...too long.

Well I think that about sums it up! Now I must go put 2 little princesses down for a nap, clean my house, and start packing for my trip! I promise to post a TON of photos when I come back to make up for a month of no blogging!
PEACE!!!

eye doctor

2008-02-14T23:16:00.000-08:00

The girls had their 6 month check up yesterday with their pediatric opthamologist. This is the first time that he didn't need to dialate their eyes...and what a great visit it was because of that! It made for a much shorter visit, and no holding screaming babies down to get the drops into their eyes. And if I haven't mentioned it before, it is much more torturous for me, because I have a huge eye phobia! It's a miracle I can get through my own eye exams, let alone their's!

So we got pretty good news! Mady's eyes have always been great and they are staying that way...so YAY! And Katy's eyes seem to be holding their own, and not getting any worse. She has a mild case of strabismus and is farsighted, but the issues have not progressed, so that means no glasses for her right now. I was so excited to hear that! We were pretty certain in august at her last appt. that glasses wer inevitable. So this is great news! The visit was our best yet. It's always so nice coming out of one of their Dr. appts with such great news. And it seems to be happening more and more often! Dare I say that they are finally overcoming many of their preemie obstacles?! A happy day indeed!

addressing a few things

2008-01-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to answer a few questions that have popped up a few times.

How do I tell the girls apart? Well lots of people ask how I can tell them apart, and honestly it's not hard for me. To me they actually look very different. There are a few physical differences that are easy to detect...Madelyn has 2 birthmarks, Katelyn is bigger in height and weight (and it is noticeable), Katelyn's voice is loud and strong, while Madelyn is raspy, Katelyn's eyes go cross often, Katelyn's face is longer while Madelyn's is a bit rounder. Most of our close friends and family can detect at least one difference that helps them to tell who's who. But for me I have never mixed them up...though that was a huge fear of mine throughout my pregnancy! Daddy on the other hand does mix them up from time to time, and our boys do it too!!!

Are you a professional photographer? What a great compliment! But no I am not. I have had a love of photography for many years and know a bit beyond the basics. I also have a really great camera, and know how to use it. (it's a canon Drebel) But when all else fails I use picasa to freshen up my really bad photos. It's a great program that is free and very user friendly.

How long did the girls stay in the hospital? This question has come up a few times, and I haven't talked much about their NICU stay on the blog. The girls were born at 27.5 weeks. So that's 12.5 weeks too early! Katelyn was in the NICU for about 10.5 weeks, and Madelyn came home on their due date 12.5 weeks after they were born. Both had a rough first few weeks, with being on and off the vent. Mady ended up having a PDA ligation, which is what caused the damage to her vocal cord. Katelyn had no equipment or feeding tubes when she came home. Madelyn had O2, an apnea monitor, and a feeding tube. All of which she was done within 3 months of coming home!

What is Madelyn's voice like? Her voice is getting stronger and stronger as she gets older, and more mobile. She sounds raspy when she talks, but her voice is getting clearer. She still has a weak cry, but she can definitely be heard. She's come a long way! We work with a therapist twice a month, and Katelyn is also a huge contributor to her progress.

How are the girls appetites? They have pretty typical toddler appetites actually! Madelyn is a bit more picky than Katelyn is. And she eats less of her portions. But I'd say they are doing pretty darn good, and will try just about anything offered to them now. Mady's texture issues aren't so much of an issue anymore, so they both eat pretty much anything now.

I think that about covers it...but if you have a question go ahead and leave a comment so I can answer it.

Also I'd love to give a personal message to Shannon and Angie...I am so happy to have contact with you girls! I still remember like it was yesterday how we all rooted each other on while being hospitalized. It was amazing to have you guys going through it right along with me...that message board was my rock for many many agonizing weeks. I'm so glad we all got our happy ending, and look at all 6 of our kiddos now!!! Such miracles! All going through the terrible 2's together. I still go back from time to time and look at our "hospitalized girls" posts. It was something else what we went through, and no one else understood it like you guys! So glad that we can connect through blogging!

Back ON

2008-01-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

After about a week of no internet, I am so happy to be back in my comfy cyber-world! I don't spend huge amounts of time online or anything, but going without it was like taking away a drug from an addict! haha! Well maybe not quite that bad, but I did miss it! It's been fun to get caught up on emails and all the blogs I read so faithfully. Good times!

And I've got some well check visits to report from yesterday's appointments. We were a little late with the girl's 2 year check ups (should've been back in Nov), but oh well it was nice to take a little break from our pediatrician's office. Of course the break may have not done Madelyn any good, because as soon as we walked into the door of the office she started into hysterics. She warmed a tad when Dr. F came in and started his exams. Of course only to start back in again when it was time for shots. Doc loved seeing them so aware of their surroundings on this visit...so if there is any good in a hysterical 2 year old, I guess that would be it. Katelyn was so brave and only cried during shots. She sat patiently while Dr. F did his exam, and as always asked me about a billion questions. She was very intrigued with the Doc's bubbles that he wears around his neck. It was not quite so traumatic for her like it was for her sis.

And for sizes...

Katelyn 20lbs 8oz 31.5" tall
Madelyn 19lbs 30.5" tall

I think the best part about the visit was that Dr. F did a little chart cleaning session, and cleared out 4 meds that the girls aren't taking any more! He also went over a lot of our previous concerns that they have now grown out of, or have thrived past. It was exciting to revisit those things, and remember how far they've really come. And so wonderful to realize how awesome they are doing! Basically gross motor wise they are pretty typical 2 year olds! Both girls have speech and cognitive delays, with Madelyn's being more on the moderate side. The best part though is that those things can be worked through even if they are moderate to severe. I just loved leaving there yesterday with no huge concerns or worries! For once we didn't talk about anything but positive things and really focused on what they ARE doing, as opposed to what they are NOT doing. It was nice to just accept where they are right now in the moment. This is HUGE for me! I'm telling ya good stuff !

My two princesses

Aaron trying to get Mady's feet (at least I think that's Mady)

Katelyn with her problem eye

glimpses of Christmas

2007-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

I don't have much time for a long post covering all the Christmas festivities...so here's some photos for now.

new glasses and a few favorite photos

2007-12-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

Jacob had his first eye exam a couple days ago, and it turns out he can't see as well as he should. He is farsighted with astigmitism, just like his mama! So here's his new look...short hair with new glasses :) I think he looks so cute!
caught this little beautiful moment last night! Aaron is so sweet to his sissys (most the time anyway) That's Mady he's planting one on.
And a sweet photo I took of Landen sleeping on me a couple weeks ago. Is he not just the sweetest little thing?!
Right before bedtime Ian ended up with both girls on his lap. I got lucky with a great shot of these 2 daddy's girls.
And my favorite of the boys decorating the tree greatly improved with some nice photo editing...love it!

words

2007-12-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I updated about the girls speech and other developments...so thought I'd do this list style. One list for each girl

Katelyn is really chatty. She can repeat/copy quite a few words back to us, and has a growing list of words she uses everyday.

stop
eat
no
all done
baby
nite nite
baba (used for bottle or cup)
bye bye
mama/mommy & dadda
hi
owie (she says owie, no, owie when I want to change her clothes or diaper)
uh oh
mine
shhhh (she loves to sush her siblings)
whoa & weee
taykoo (thank you)
puppy
key (kitty)
bee bee (binky)

I'm sure there are a few more that I am leaving out. We are working on her saying Mady, she is getting good at saying mammy for Mady. And we try to get her to say Jacob & Aaron but she hasn't gotten it yet. Her language skills are developing more and more each day! There's a lot of gibberish that she says that I wish we could understand. She carries on and on sometimes in such a serious way, and nods her head and shrugs her little shoulders while in conversation. She still loves to yell, and scream and is very vocal while protesting to something. She also talks to her babies in the same gibberish, while feeding them babas and carrying them around all over the house. But I think her most favorite activity of all is trying to boss her sissy around. She thinks she's the boss, and yells at her and takes things away from her A LOT! And you can tell by her tone that she's trying to boss her around when they are talking in their own little language. It is very funny to hear them carry on in gibberish to one another, seemingly understanding each other's every word.

So now on to Madelyn. She has made some great speech developments in a pretty short amount of time. She's no longer silent that is for sure! She has gained so much sound, and so much volume to her little raspy voice.

mommy/mama & dada
baba
no
bye
hi
uh oh
whoa
takoo (thank you)
nite

Most of her vocabulary still consists of mostly sounds rather than words. She has become fluent in gibberish, and really tries to make conversation (especially with Katelyn). We really believe that Mady would be even farther behind in her speech if she didn't have her sissy to converse with and teach her things. She has learned many sounds from listening to Katy. Her therapists also believe that Katelyn helps Madelyn with a lot of the developmental issues that we work on. It's actually quite therapeutic to have a twin to play and learn things with! Madelyn's personality has changed a bit over the past few months. She's no longer as quiet and reserved (at least around us). She now has become a bit of a bully, throwing things and hitting people. We are trying to teach her that kind of action is unkind, but it's like talking to...well a 2 year old! She's still very much a baby in so many ways that it really surprised us to see this kind of aggressive (very toddler) behavior. It's obviously a communication thing, and she does it out of frustration. In some small way it's nice to see her kind of fight back and not just take it when Katelyn knocks her over and takes her binky. We are actually working with her therapists to develop a visual type of communication for her. It will consists of pictures of needs and things that she can easily identify and point to, or bring us to communicate. Hopefully that will help her frustration with not being able to tell us what she wants or needs. So we are very excited to have that prepared and ready to implement during her next therapy visit.

We are also working on weaning both girls from the bottle. They are both drinking very well from a sippy cup, so now the only reason for a baba is for comfort. They are now having only 2 per day. One before nap, and one before bedtime. Soon we will cut the naptime one, but I think the bedtime bottles will be the hardest to cut out. They love to snuggle with us right before bed and drink their babas. So we will see how it goes. Binkys are a whole nother story. I'm in no rush to get rid of those things. And I am not ashamed!

MadyKaty

Well that's all I've got for now. Peace!

A bit around our home

2007-12-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to capture some of the little things in our home that are making everything feel very merry & bright around here.

This is just something I made last year with some of my scrapbook supplies. I never framed it last year like I wanted...still haven't picked up a frame for it, so it just hangs on the inside of our front door.
Love this one of the boys, even though the color is horrible (my fault for not fixing my camera settings) defintitely needs some work in Picasa.
Our poor tree is constantly losing it's decor. This has been an ugly battle...so only about the top 1/4 of our tree has any decorations left on it. It has also fallen over once, and has been vertically challenged and just does not want to stand straight in the stand...it pretty much is quite sad looking!

KatelynMadelyn

I picked up those little wooden sleighs at craft warehouse...I painted them and added glitter and rubon words (peace & joy), and now they hold holiday treats.

Our advent calender...the boys love getting their treats everyday as we countdown to Christmas.

Ian also hung lights on the outside of the house and on our hedges...so it's definitely looking festive around here!

Christmas tree hunting & an early Christmas surprise

2007-12-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ian had an unexpected friday off last week, so we decided to head over to Volstedt Farms to get our tree. Last year we did the whole u-cut adventure...you can read about it in our archives from last year. It was an experience that need not be repeated! So we selected a beautiful tree from their nice tented already cut tree section. Took about 5 minutes to pick the tree, they shook all the loose needles for us while we went into their greenhouse for hot cocoa and sugar cookies...I also found some fresh cut mistle toe to hang from our archway. We paid and Ian roped it to the top of the minivan. It was lovely...even more so because we didn't get the double stroller stuck in the mud this year! Another perfect example of why picking a tree in 5 minutes is a must!

These beauties are my Christmas gift from my father-in-law and his wife. They are top of the line LG Trom front loading washer & dryer. They wash 3 times the amount of clothes in one load and use 72% less water and energy!!! For the first time since my grandma was here when I was on bedrest with the twins, I have all of our family's laundry completely DONE!!! Except of course what we are wearing :) They are amazing! I really don't know how I got through life without these before. Words can not express how thankful I am to receive such an extravagant gift that will make life so much EASIER for us!

After a week of decorating our house is beautifully decked out for Christmas! I plan on taking some photos of all the festive decor, and our family photo in front of the tree hopefully tonight, so I can include then in our Christmas cards. Will post some of those in the next day or so! Hope everyone is having a delightful time with all your holiday planning and preparations!

November in photos

2007-12-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Ian was in charge of the turkey this year. We had a lovely dinner with family at my parent's house. Ian did a turkey in a deep fryer this year, and I think it was the best turkey I've ever had! We really missed Ian's mom & Robert and Grandma. MaryAnne and Grandma both had the flu and couldn't make it.
Daddy has his handsfull! With a little help from my sweet cousin Amber
Mady loved aunt Brenda's pumpkin ice cream pie

Katelyn digging into her thanksgiving feast.

I remember these days...trying to grab a quick bite with a newborn.
Great Grandpa meeting his 6th Great Grandchild (at least I think it's 6 now)

And some birthday highlights....

Mady really enjoyed playing in her cake this year. Last year she hated it! She was still extremely sensitive to textures and especially with things on her hands...it was much more a fun happy experience this year.Katelyn really dug in, and especially loved all the sugary frosting!

2007-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm having a hard time uploading photos to blogger...have tried a few times with no luck. Will keep trying through out the day. PEACE!

Is it December already?

2007-12-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

November was such a CRAZY month! It was filled with the normal birthday madness...5 out of 6 birthdays in our house are crammed into one month. And of course Thanksgiving. But to take it to a whole new level of utter craziness, everyone has been sick for most of it all. We have all had it, but the kids just seem to not quite get over it, and then it starts all over again. Just tough colds that are lasting longer than normal. I am praying that we are at the tail end of it now with Aaron being the only one left with the lingering symptoms. So that sums up the reason of my lack of presence on the old blog. Many appologies to all my faithfull readers who thought we died (Jamie) or that we may have fallen off the face of the earth. We are all alive and almost well!

And I promise to make it up by posting an enormous amount of photos from all the birthdays, thanksgivng, and other little happenings that occured the last month. I have around 300 photos to upload from my camera!!! Yes, I still take a ridiculous amount of photos even when we are all down with "the plague" for an entire month!

Being sick did have it's perks...I did read 10 novels over the past month, which is more than I've read in the past few years combined. I guess being ridden to the couch and being so sick of t.v that I could scream, helped me devour some good reads. I also had to cook very few meals, hardly did any housework, and stayed in my pajamas for days on end. Would have been almost heavenly without the severe sinus infection, and complete lack of energy, topped off with caring for all 4 of my sick children. Of course now that I am well again, it's been a real treat to get caught up on all of the lovely things around here that got put on the back burner... An enormous amount of laundry, filthy bathrooms, and the girls room looks like a bomb went off in it. And the Christmas totes from the garage will be broke out this week. So the craziness goes on and on! But despite it all I am feeling quite festive, and am feeling the creative juices begin to flow again. Am really looking forward to doing some holiday projects, and getting everything ready for Christmas. Should be interesting with 2 very active 2 year olds reaking havoc on all the holiday pretties in our home! The tree decorations have a slim chance of survival!

Photos soon...I promise!

Peace

2 Fairy Princesses, Rocky Balboa, and a Backyardigan

2007-11-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

This is what halloween looked like around here. Lots of fun!

Presenting...

2007-10-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Landon Michael Baker
5 lbs 15 oz
18"

These 2

2007-10-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

very special people are having a baby tonight!!! Can't wait to meet my first nephew. I can't believe my little brother is going to be a daddy! It just blows my mind, and makes me happy, tearful, and mostly thankful. Amazing when a new life makes such a big impact in your life, and surprising the unconditional love you can have for a child that is not your own...So exciting!

I will of course post a photo when I can!

Swallow study results

2007-10-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Two fridays ago we headed up to Doernbecher's Children's Hospital for Madelyn's swallow study. It was a whole different experience this time around, because of Madelyn's age, and her awareness of her surroundings. The last time she had a swallow study was around this same time last year...so big difference! She was not at all o.k. with being strapped into a chair and having the equipment all around her. Once she settled in though she was o.k. and we were able to get some good results. And it turns out that Mady is still having some pretty serious aspirations while drinking thin liquids. Just about every swallow is penetrating her lungs! I couldn't believe it, and was so disappointed with myself for thinking everything was o.k. these past few months. I feel awful for flooding her lungs every time I gave her something to drink! So she is back to thickened liquids and will remain on them for at least another year.

After the study, Steve (her speech pathologist) said he is pretty sure by the looks of things that Madelyn will most likely have this as a long term issue. He believes the damage to her vocal cord and surrounding area is too severe and that she will need surgery to correct the problem. We were hoping that with time that her right side would compensate and the issue would correct itself...but Mady's is just too badly damaged. This is what is causing her swallowing disability, and this is what will most likely cause some serious speech issues. We believe that Mady will have a difficult time communicating when she reaches school age because of the weakness of her voice. Which is just one reason why sign language will become even more important for her and for us.

Surgery can be done to correct the issue of aspirating of thin liquids...but of course with surgery there comes more risk. We will eventually have to make the decision of leaving it alone, thus having her deal with this disability for long term...or having a surgery that will correct the flap that does not close when she drinks, and dealing with the risk involved with that. It will not however, correct the vocal weakness. This is something we are considering for a few years down the road. For now we will just continue thickening everything, and working on speech with her therapists.

I am thankful that we caught this before the big cold and flu season, as thickening her fluids will greatly decrease her risk for pneumonia. Her adjustment to having the thickener added again has been a little difficult for her. It's more work for her to drink, and she doesn't care much for the consistency. Now that it's been over a week, she's getting used to it, and is drinking much better.

Here's an obscene amount of pumpkin patch photos

2007-10-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

We had such a lovely time at the pumpkin patch this year! The rain was away long enough for us to have a beautiful sunny fall day...couldn't have been more perfect :]
The boys shooting paintballs at some targets

We got sooooo lost in the corn maze...we ended up having to take a crazed with the maze shortcuts out! I think we would've been in there for hours if we hadn't.
Flying high on the horsey tire swings
Aaron doesn't like swings, but had fun sitting on the horse
Katy and Daddy
Found the perfect pumpkin!

Mady trying to find just the right one
Katelyn loved finding all the littlest squashes and pumpkinswating for the hayride
yummy!!! Katy is teething
Fun on the hay bails
Carving jack-o-lanterns

a fun day at the albany fire stations

2007-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

This past saturday was the annual treasure hunt put on by the Albany fire stations. This was the first year the boys have gone, and they had such a good time. Ian took them to all 5 stations, where they had demonstrations, tours, and got to go on rides in one of the big engines! I sent the camera along with Ian hoping that he'd get a few photos for me, and to my surprise he did a great job!

getting all strapped in for their big ride!

This was a smoke demonstration they did with the kids...teaching them how to crawl under the smoke and to get out safely.
Escaping through a windowThe rescue helicopter was a huge hit!
And touring another large engine!

Remember

2007-10-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Aaron is only 3 (for another month anyways)

He might look big, but he's still a little guy, so try to remember to expect little guy things from him.

That though a sharpie might be permanent you can always touch up the walls he colored on with it.
And the couch cushion can be flipped over.

And that tantrums are a result of him not being able to express his feelings in a "proper" way.

That he genuinely wants to be like his big brother...even by mimicking the almost 8 yr old attitude.

That he's just my little Aarony-do-da

therapy

2007-10-05T11:00:00.001-07:00

Mady had her annual evaluation today for Early Intervention. She has a big eval once a year, with a few smaller ones for setting more goals and seeing which have been met in between. Lots of questions asked about her abilities/inabilities, lots of watching her play and interact in her surroundings. They scored her around 10-12 months on her speech abilities...so her OT will be working a lot with her speech and oral issues. She also scored on the low side for cognitive abilities...not showing that she understands what's going on around her, self help skills, and those kinds of things...so that will be another focus over the next year. She did however do remarkable on her motor skills eval. which is amazing considering when she began the program last year she couldn't sit up, barely could roll over, and had moderate left sided weakness. Her therapists are amazed by all that she can do in that area!!! And her OT is extremely pleased with her eating...She watched Madelyn eat her breakfast and was shocked at how much that little teeny girl can eat! She ate an entire banana one whole eggo waffle and a handfull of craisins!!! Why she won't gain weight I just don't know. We also decided to have another barium swallow study done to check to see if she is aspirating her liquids. I am of course hoping that she's not and we can continue off the thickener for her liquids. Our appt. for that is next friday.

So it was a good evaluation and I am happy that things are moving in the right direction. She's made lots of great progress over the past year, and we have some really great goals to strive for over the next year...including making plans for special education preschool...which we will begin planning in 6 months!!! She will be able to start the program when she turns 3, but they start making plans 6 months prior to make sure she is placed in the right kind of class for her needs. Most likely she will go to a "regular" curriculum preschool, with special education teachers that work with the children on issues on a more individualized basis. We may decide to have Katelyn evaluated at that time to see if there's a chance for her to get into the program with her sis.

It was fun to get a chance to compare her eval from today with the one they did this time last year...so many great changes, and so many goals met. Incredible!

2 sleepy girls

2007-10-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

woke up early in the morning hungry...wanting a baba and breakfast and fell back to sleep as soon as their trays were clean :] They've never both fallen asleep in their highchairs before...once in a while I will find one asleep but here they both are...2 little peas in a pod aren't they?

Mady doesn't like wearing clothes

2007-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is the way I've been finding her in the mornings and when I go in to get her after naptime. A lot of times she can't get all her clothes off...but quite often she does. Even throughout the day she will take off her little pants and try taking off her shirt too! Since the weather has been cooler here lately, she is especially unhappy about wearing longsleeved shirts. Just another one of her funny little quirks!

and I was on a roll too

2007-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've haven't blogged in 2 weeks!!! I was doing so good with posting just about daily for most of september too! The girls are over their viruses now...ended up taking them to the Dr to check out their ears, and take a look at their rashes that took forever to clear up. Doc confirmed that it's just a virus, and he's seen a lot of the same rash on lots of kiddos lately. No ear infections YAY! Aaron came down with the same symptoms minus the rash, but was over it quickly. Now it's business as usual around here. I got a saturday away to go scrapbook with some friends last weekend. Today was Tatum's baby shower, which my mom and I hosted together. It was a fun time! I can not wait till my little nephew arrives. Just a month and a half to go! We also attended Jacob's open house at school...it was hectic, but nice to get a closer look into his school world. Talked with his teacher Mrs. P who we LOVE! Jacob had her for Kindergarten, and she switched over to teaching 2nd grade last year...and we were lucky enough to get her again this year. Also got to chat with both of his reading teachers. Jacob has been struggling with reading, so he gets extra attention in that area every day! And then the kids all got a treat of icecream sundaes in the cafeteria. Aaron really enjoyed being able to go into Jacob's class and looking at all of what Jacob does everyday. He also had fun sitting at his desk, and pretending it was his class!

With basketball starting soon, and Halloween coming up, it's just going to get more and more busy around here! But it's a good kind of busy...and I so love fall! So I leave you with some photos...

The girls had their first oreo cookies and this was the result!

Katy

Mady

Jacob's classroom...Jacob loved showing Aaron aroundAaron sitting at J's deskShowing Dad "Mountain Math"

And I couldn't resist posting this profile shot of my beautiful sister-in-law (to be) That's my nephew in her belly!!!

Peace!

sickies

2007-09-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of time for blogging today, the girls are both sick with colds, and Aaron is still trying to get over his. Both girls have been a bit lathargic today...lots of cuddling with blankies and a bit of t.v. watching. They loved baby einstien thismorning, and I caught the 3 of them sitting on the sofa watching together. It's just about nap time, and I think I'm going to lay down too!

If you can't get enough...

2007-09-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Then here are some more pictures of the girls. I took these thismorning. Been having fun playing with my camera and taking random photos of the kids. Aaron wouldn't cooperate for any photos thismorning...and Jacob was at school, so it's just the girls for this post! Hoping to get some good shots of the boys on a nature walk soon...stay tuned!

Madelyn...she was angry about Katy taking away her cup, so she took it out on her dress!

A quiet moment

That's Katelyn with the red cup she swiped from Mady

2007-09-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Katelyn

this doesn't happen very often...both girls sitting side by side long enough for me to get a photo

Madelyn trying to figure out how to get down

eye candy

2007-09-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is for all my scrapbooking friends. Some of my more recent artwork. Oh how I love to play with photos and words and paper and glue!!! click on the collage to get a better view :)

Discovery

2007-09-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

We went on a little adventure on thursday. Jacob was at school, and the 3 little ones and I decided to go for a nice walk and followed a trail through the wetlands next to our subdivision. During this walk we discovered the trail leads straight to a park that we've never been to. We spent 2 hours at this little tiny park...it was so nice and quiet, and secluded. We were the only ones there, and I used the opportunity to do a nice photo shoot. Hope you enjoy the photos...I think they turned out so beautiful, so had to share many of my favororites with you all!
Mady trying to give Katy a little push
On the meri-go-round...you don't see these at parks very often anymore
Aaron sittin in the swing...he doesn't much like the swinging motion, but likes to sit and have a gentle push every so often

Katelyn loving the swing
Madelyn tasting a large piece of bark
Something on her hands? You can see the brown birthmark on her right hand very clearly...it keeps growing with her hand. It's one of 2 birthmarks she has...Katelyn has none!

Got Aaron to pose somewhat in front of all this beautiful folliage during our walk Katy with a blackberry stained face

the girls loved the meri-go-round
trying to pick a dandelion
Mady loved the sound of her hands banging on the metal...it entertained her for quite some time
pushing the tire swing

yummy! lots of blackberry bushes along the way

Aaron waiting for us to catch up...he loved running ahead, and would stop and wait for us when he noticed he was a little to far ahead WEEEEEE!
Lovin it!
Katelyn trying to get the hang of walking in the bark chips

a little on the girls

2007-09-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Mady...reaching for me to pick her up not sure what Katy was looking at
this is one of their favorite things to do now...they can both get up on the couch!
The last few weeks Katelyn has learned even more new words! Just today I heard her say diaper and mine! I knew she'd be the first one to use the word MINE ;-) She's also been saying nite-nite...which sounds more like nye-nye...so cute! She's also become very vocal when things don't go her way! She is loud, and can throw a good tantrum with the best of them. One of her favorite toys right now is a rocking horse (actually it's a caterpillar) and if Mady is on it, she will literally throw her down! If Mady puts up a fight (which she usually does), then it ends in Katy screaming! Mady usually plays on the little rocking horse, so I think Katelyn just thinks the caterpillar is HERS!

Mady has been wanting to go everywhere with me. If she sees me heading to the door with my purse she runs to the door expecting to go too. If I say "no Mady it's not your turn for bye-bye", she cries in this heartbroken sort of way. So needless to say, she's won a few times and gets to run to the grocery store or something with just mommy :-]

Well, the girls are done with their lunch, so now it's bottles and almost nap time!!!

Peace

Hello, Hello

2007-09-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how many visitors our blog receives. I know we have a lot of great faithfull readers who check in with us often. We also get lots of people that pop in while researching information about monoamniotic twins and or preemie realted issues. The whole reason I named this blog mono-mono preemie twins: Katy & Mady, is so that people can find us while they are looking for information. I wanted to share our stroy with others who are needing support. I also wanted to share with our family & friends what our family life was like. I only wish that I had started it much sooner. But now our little blog is over a year old. We've had nearly 16,000 visitors (the site counter is wrong now, since I changed the blog format). So I'd love to have a section here where everyone who visits us can sign a guestbook and say hello! I'd love to be able to show Katelyn & Madelyn (& the boys too), that so many people cared about them, and took time to smile with us, and worry with us, and be there for us. So please take a second and tell us hello, who you are, and how you found us. I'd also love to know how long you've been reading about our crazy adventures!!! Just click on "comments" below this post and type us a greeting. You don't have to have a blogger account to post a comment! And thank you to everyone for your support, thoughts, and prayers...it has meant a lot to all of us!

This boy

2007-09-07T00:16:00.000-07:00

This boy had a very bad day today. This boy had a day of pain and of suffering. This boy had a severe migraine today.

It started out with a bit of an upset tummy and a mild headache. It ended with vomiting and severe headpain, a trip to the urgent care clinic, and crying in agony of any little noise that made the pain so much worse. This is something new for him, something that I hope he'll never have to go through again. Something that I recognized from the tears in his eyes and the whimper of even the sound of a whisper. I am praying that this will not become a chronic occurance for him, though with a family history of migraines that just may not be. It was extremely hard watching him go through it, knowing full well exactly what he's feeling. There was nothing I could do to comfort him...no touch of comfort, no soft kisses, no consoling with mommy's words, no medicine at home that would help this kind of thing...Nothing. He was given some pain medication with codiene, it helped him rest and relax. It also made him vomit. He has never been so eager to be in a dark quiet room to just sleep...and so he does, and so he rests.

Just a day

2007-09-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a full day around here. Chaotic, and at times difficult. I've been watching my friend's children a few days a week, so at times I just feel like Im being pulled in too many directions. Having 5 kids in the house all 4 and under is a challenge (it was 7 kids total until this week)!!!

I try to keep them all busy with some fun activities during the day, usually coloring or a game or playing outside. But there are times when they watch a movie or a show. And so I put on an Elmo movie, and this is what happened...

These 3 little ones watched almost an entire Elmo dvd together. Katy & Mady have just started to take notice when the t.v is on...they'll stare at it for a short bit here & there, but they LOVED Elmo! I mean what toddler doesn't right?
Ummm o.k. how sweet is this?! I just can't believe I had my camera in my hand and ready! He's a sweet little guy, and loves the "baby girls". And just to give you all a reference of size, he's only 3.5 months older than the twins!

And then there was this...Mady has her days of being super sensitive to basically everything. It has to do with her getting overwhelmed and overstimulated. When she gets like this she litterally climbs on me and stays there for however long it takes her to feel o.k. again. It was well over an hour maybe even 2 this time before she would even consider being put down. It's not just an I want my mommy kind of thing, it's an I NEED my mommy to feel safe and secure. And so I got this shot from my lap, so please exuse the blurry head chopped off shot. I just thought it captured "us"

A nice end of Summer vacation

2007-09-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

We had a nice last weekend of summer vacation which included a visit from my Grandparents. They loved visiting with the kids, and joined us for our last visit to the wading pool. It was fun watching my Grandpa chasing after the girls. He even chased them into the pool. The girls were extra adventurous, and had us all running in different directions. They were also into everyone's bags of food, and goodies. I had forgotten to pack snacks, so when they saw everyone else eating they decided to help themselves! All of our kind friends shared their goodies and they enjoyed getting into everything!!!

Madelyn is usually pretty timid, and has to warm up to the idea of going in the cold water, but this time she headed right in without hesitation.My Grandma with 4 out of her 5 Great-Grandchildren
Having a laugh with Katelyn

Grandpa Chasing Katy into the pool Katelyn found a new friend, and played in the faucet with her for quite some time.
Aaron always loves the water. He ended up spending equal time between the pool, and the playground.
After another chase of Katelyn running off

Happy Back To School Day!!!

2007-09-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Jacob was semi-excited to go back to school. It was rough for him to get up and going thismorning, but once he did he seemed ready, and anxious. Aunt Tatum came over to sit with the babies while I took Jacob to school. Aaron wanted to come along too and check out Jacob's class. Walking him in and getting him settled into his class made me feel like it's all going by too fast! It seems like so little time has passed since we did that for the very first time in Kindergarten. Now he's in 2nd grade already!!! The first day is always a little rough, not just on him, but on me too. It will be nice to get settled back into a routine again, and so nice watching him learn and grow through another year of school. He settled into class with much more ease this year. Not as nervous, or apprehensive. He was o.k. when it was time for us to go, and get started in class. Happy to see so many familiar faces in his class...and even happier that he knows his teacher and knows what to expect from her. Can't wait to hear all about his first day when we go pick him up!

And just because I don't want to leave out a photo of the girls...here they are at breakfast thismorning.

august photos

2007-08-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Turns out I took horrible photos in august. I didn't pick up my camera very often, and when I did I didn't get very good shots. Oh well...here are some of the few good ones I got. Enjoy!

Jacob was watching "The Mimzy" and during one of the sad scenes I caught him with this sad face...he's such a sensitive little man!
Aaron & Mady driving the big yellow school bus
Katelyn having a moment
Madelyn playing...everything but her is in focus

And Madelyn having a moment

Twirlin' with Dad...he's almost too big for this :( sigh
Aaron waiting for the show to begin at the Art & Air Festival

Grainy but pretty still...at the festival And at last the night glow
Can't believe how big Katy looks in this photo...it's an illusion really!

My two girls!
Mady zoning out while playing right before it was time for jammies and bed
He's gotten so many new freckles this summer!
Baby Cakes! (Katy)

strabismus

2007-08-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked just what the heck Katelyn's eye condition is. Most people have heard of lazy eye or eyes crossing but haven't heard the term strabismus before. So I wanted to leave a link here to let those who are wondering read a little more about it. So click here if you are so inclined.

eyes

2007-08-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Finally had our long awaited appt with Dr. Wheeler (the girl's eye doc) yesterday. It was a routine appt that we have to do every 6 months because of their extreme prematurity. I was in a way dreading this appt. because Katelyn has had some issues with crossing her eyes, the right one is especially bad. It has gotten progressively worse over time. Dr. Wheeler said she has strabismus and is farsighted. Most little ones are farsighted at their age...so not a huge deal there. Her's is a bit on the moderate side, so we are hoping that it will decrease over time and not get worse. As far as the stabismus goes, he decided not to do anything at this point, and see how it's doing at her next appt. The crossing is due to muscle issues, and can be fixed with either wearing glasses (what we are hoping will work) or eye surgery to repair the muscle that causes the crossing. If it goes untreated it can cause the eyes to not work together effeciently, and can lead to very poor vision problems. Not to mention it looks awful when her eyes are crossed. So we are praying that the issue will resolve in the next 6 months until her appt in feb.

Madelyn checked out great, with just a smidge of farshightedness! She will be seen in feb as well, since she's still at high risk.

This is a minor issue, compared to many other preemies born at the same gestation. But I am still upset that she may have to go through surgery, and most definitely will need glasses at such a young age. We will see what happens from here. Just one more reminder of their rough beginnings in this world, and how much risk there is for these little girls developing issues from their prematurity.

I know all that extra omega 3 I took helped in having their eyes be as healthy as they are. It could be so much worse. But I know through God's grace, everything that happened during my pregnancy happened because of him. He helped me to prepare for their extremely early arrival, and has carried us through since.

I promise to post new pictures soon...my battery is charging on my camera so I can upload them tonight.

Peace!

chit chat

2007-08-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

These babies are finally starting to say some real words! Can you believe that?! It is so cute to see them communicate with one another (all gibberish) and with us. The babbling sounds that have made up their entire vocabulary, has just recently turned into words that we can understand. It's AMAZING!!!

words that Katelyn can say:
daddy
mommy/mama
shoe (she and Mady both love to carry around shoes)
out
ba ba (for bottle)
hi (she repeats this over and over until you acknowledge her)
bye (sometimes bye bye)
ut (what, when you call her name)
book

words that Madelyn can say:
dada
mommy/mama
takoo (thank you)
bye
ba bee (bottle) if she's crying whe she says it, it sounds more like baaa beeeeee

Katelyn is especially quite chatty. She loves to talk on the phone and will pretend with remotes or anything else that she thinks will make a suitable conversation device. She also sings to herself, it's so cute! Katy also loves to squeal and yell a lot! Mady is still on the quiet side and I think it's in her personality to be more reserved. She definitely has issues with her voice still, and probably will always sound raspy. She has come so far with her vocal abbilities, and will start speech therapy in the fall. Today she was crying so hard when I got them up from their nap that her eyes were so red and puffy (that's a lot of crying) and I didn't even hear her. I felt so bad!

We can tell who will be the mischief maker already and it's gonna be miss Katelyn! She loves to take things away from Madelyn. She has earned the new nickname swiper because of it. Also when we tell her no no she looks at us and smiles and turns right back to trouble making. She is a fiesty girl for sure. Madelyn is her opposite, and will bring me things she shouldn't have, wether it be crumbs or what have you. She also will run to me when she hears me calling for her. And if we tell her no no she stops what she's doing and comes over to us to be held. Madelyn is a huge mama's girl and follows me around the house all day. If I put the baby gate up to keep them out of the kitchen while I'm cleaning, Mady just stands there at the gate watching me until I'm finished and can pick her up. Not crying or anything just there, watching all I do. She went through a phase of crying everytime I left the room. She still does it sometimes, but is getting better about having me out of her sight. But if I leave the room and close the door where she can not come in, then she really gets upset!

Madelyn has been dubbed the binky nazi...she hoards them, usually having one in her mouth and one in her hand as often as possible. She has grown accustomed to having Katelyn take them away from her quite frequently, so has decided to keep a spare close by at all times! But of course we always seem to lose them anyway when it's bedtime and both babies NEED their binkies!!!

Katelyn has learned how to throw fits and will literally throw herself on the floor kicking and screaming. Of course her throwing herself down, is more like a gentle easing herself down, since she wouldn't want to hurt herself. She takes after her mama with a big ole' temper, and an attitude to match! But she is so loving and sweet, and when she looks at me with her big blue eyes it just melts my heart.

Both girls are still taking their milk from bottles, and I see no need to change that anytime soon. They are both extremely small even for their adjusted age, and need a fair amount of milk for their daily nutrition. Katelyn has just gotten the hang of a sippy cup, so will drink juice and water out of her cup. Madelyn loves to hold and try to dump her sippy cup contents, but has not mastered the drinking aspect of it yet. But she is heading in the right direction, showing interest and chewing on the spout. Some really great news is that Mady is now free to drink her fluids without thick-it added! This has been a long time coming, and I am sooooo happy that she is aspirating so little, and is free to drink regular milk, juice, and water!!! We started a gradual weaning process, taking a little out at a time...and she did great! It's been about 2 weeks now without any thick-it at all!

Small doesn't even begin to describe these girls...they are tiny! We are hoping for big girl carseats by the time their 2nd birthday rolls around in nov. They are still so small they can fit in the infant seats that are rear facing. They have to be 20lbs to be able to switch over to a front facing carseat. They have about 2.5-3lbs to go! They are wearing 12 month size in clothes even though they are 21 months old (18 adjusted), and can still wear 9 month clothes even. They also both wear a size 2 shoe! That is about the size of an average 3 month old!!! They are just teeny-tiny. But so perfect and beautiful...and huge compared to the 2lbs they were born at.

Both babies have eye doc appts coming up in a week. We've been waiting a long time for this appt, since we will find out how bad Katelyn's eyes are. She crosses her right eye still very frequently, and is a bit on the clumsy side, so we think she may need glasses. We were hoping to hold off on corrective lenses until she was at least pre-school aged...but we will see. I'll let ya all know how it turns out. I'm pretty sure Madelyn's vision is good, she doesn't have crossing issues, and seems to see great!

So that's a bit on what is going on in babyland around here! I'm looking forward to fall (it's my favorite season), and am enjoying every bit of all my kiddos.

So I will leave you with a random quote from Aaron: "Mom I'm not mad or anything, but it is just reeeeally boring around here today"

Peace!

woe is me

2007-07-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just when you think things are kinda bad...something disasterous happens! Everyone who knows me, knows I HATE my minivan. But now that it's completely out of commission, I feel the word hate was a bit hasty on my part. I now of course LOVE and miss it, and am deeply sorry for all the hurt I've caused by my cursing it so! Ian & I have the worst of luck with vehicles...actually I do not believe in luck, but if we didn't have bad luck we'd have no luck at all. The transmission has gone out in our beautiful lovely ever so missed minivan! Sadly since we drive an older minivan the repairs are going to cost more than what the van is probably actually worth. But we gave the mechanic the go ahead to fix it anyway, because we are in no way able to buy and make payments on a new/er van. We own the one we have and don't have to worry about a car payment every month...so that alone is worth making the needed repairs. But until the van is fixed I am carless and miserable...stuck in the middle of summer with 4 kids, who are itching to get to the swimming pool, and parks, and all the other fun summertime activities they are missing out on. And in turn are making my life even more crazy from their absolute need for stimulation outside of our home, and their definite boredome! Hopefully in 2 weeks we will have our love home.

Summer Highlights

2007-07-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

We've been having such a fun relaxed summer! Just wanted to share some of the good times we've had. enjoy!

Katy
The boys during our little fondue party
Katelyn trying to push Madelyn around
Deciding she wants to go for a ride too!
Mady carrying around aunt Taitum's water cup (it's almost as big as she is)

Aaron enjoying BB-Q on the 4th
Jeremy (my brother) with Mady Taitum with Katelyn
My mama and Katelyn going for a walk
Dad and Katy eating yummy BB-Q

Jacob watching the awesome fireworks that Ian and my brother put on

Two of my favorite people :)
AHHHHHH the wonder
Our beautiful family
So cool!

At Foster Lake

Aaron LOVED the water...we had to drag him out when it was time to go
Chillin

Splashin around

Our trip to the beach

The kids loved playing in the waves
And playing in the sand!
Katy admiring her beachcombing find
Taking a break

Madelyn eating sand (yummy)!

killer waves dude!
Mady running from the tide

Digging a ginormous hole

hanging in the backyard

Ian made a fire pit so the boys could roast marshmellows and hotdogs...it's been a big hit!
Our 5th child
Aaron piloting a rocketship
Jacob was co-pilot

lots of photos

2007-06-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Madelyn making her kissy face
She loves having something in each hand Katelyn playing with Mady's dress...enjoying a milk break

A little blurry, but Katy looks so cute

Katelyn walking with Aaron's big train the next 2 are kind of blurry of Katy walking

The boys loving summer!

The boys played football with my dad on father's day

Daddy's girl (Katy)

Father's day with my dad and brother

Pretty Katelyn
Daddy & Katy
Father daughter dance times 2!
Pretty Mady

Latest news from the pediatrician

2007-06-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to give an update on the girls since early last week, after they visited their pediatrician. Both girls came down with an icky cold which lasted all week last week, and this week has just been busy. They are both feeling normal again with the exception of Katelyn cutting 4 new teeth at the moment. That hasn't been too bad though, I just give her tylenol and some baby oragel when needed.

So here's what the doc had to say,

Katelyn: 17lbs 4oz

I can't remember the length but I do know that Katy is 1/2" taller than Mady is. Dr. F recommended that she have her eyes checked again soon since her right eye seems to cross pretty frequently. She also seems to have an issue with balance which could also be linked to vision problems. He also talked with her nuerologist and they agreed to try weaning Katy off the topimax. She's been taking it for her nuerological movement disorder which was causing all the muscle spasams in her face. So far the weaning is going good, and her spells have not increased. I am hoping she has outgrown this issue, and will be totally of the meds within a few weeks if all goes well. He assessed their skills as he does at every well check appt. Katy is delayed in both gross-motor & speach. No big news there! So far she has not caught up to other toddlers in the same age group is basically all that means. But she's making progress in her own time, which is totally acceptable. Dr. F felt really good about the progress she's made since their last visit. He also said he was PLEASED with her growth!!! That word has never come out of his mouth in regards to the growth of either baby! So he gave us the go ahead to take her off of formula and switch to whole milk. So far the switch has gone well for her. So all in all the report is good for little Katy. She's babbling more and more and can say hi, mama, dada, book, & uh-oh. And she's walking around more and more!

Madelyn: 16lbs 12 oz.

Mady is still smaller than Katelyn, but has turned into a pretty good eater. All the months and months of working with therapists have really paid off! She still needs her liquids thickened for aspiration into the lungs. Dr. F also was also comfortable with switching Mady to whole milk too. So far so good with that. Dr. F is still concerned with Madelyn's sensory issues, and the fact that she's developed a major case of anxiety disorder doesn't help with that problem. She wouldn't let him exam her without completely having a meltdown! He also said Mady is developmentally delayed in gross motor and speach (again nothing new). She doesn't really say any real words yet, but does say mom & dada, and she tries to say book. She loves books! It's her favorite thing to look at, and will bring them to me all day so she can look and point at the pictures. Madelyn is really starting to master her walking skills. It's like half and half now between how much she crawls & walks. She has excellent balance and strength! She's also become quite sassy, and we can tell she understands what no no means. She thinks it's a game to do something naughty and we'll say no no Mady and she just starts giggling! I can already tell Ian & I are going to be a little bit on the push-over side with the 2 of them when it comes to discipline. They are just so tiny and cute, I can't imagine punishing them. I think the best news about Mady is that her reflux is doing soooo much better! I told Dr. F that I think she's ready to be taken of the reglan. He did not hesitate and said definitely. It was a drug he didn't like perscribing anyway, and one that we didn't feel comfortable with having her on for long term. So I stopped giving it to her immediately and so far so good! She will just continue taking prevacid which is fine.

So that's about all the news I have to report right now. Everything is going well, and the girls are still tiny, but are doing so great! We are truely blessed!!!

been playing with my camera

2007-05-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ready-Set-Bumbo

2007-05-22T16:10:00.001-07:00

Hillarious!!!

I knew it wouldn't be long

2007-05-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Before Katelyn started walking too! She just took her very first steps thismorning while Mady's therapist was visiting. I was just stunned that she took several steps before falling, like she's been walking for weeks now or something. I will try to snap some pictures today to post later. I can't wait for Ian to come home from work today and see both babies up and walking. AMAZING!!!

WALKING!!!

2007-05-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to capture Mady walking with my camera. So here she is! A few are a little blurry, but these are the best I got.

Here I am again!

2007-05-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Wow 2 posts in one day... Incredible I know! But with things settling down (my work has officially closed it's doors...insert sobbing smiley here), and everyone's staying well, I guess I have a little more time to blog. I should of course be spending time folding the 4 loads of laundry piled on my loveseat, but as I always say laundry will always be there tomorrow. I mean it's never really done now is it? Even when you think it done, I just take a look at all the clothes the 6 of my family members are wearing and remind myself that it's a losing battle.

In baby news, Madelyn is now an official walker!!! She has really started to take more and more steps. Really just today as a matter of fact is when I noticed that she's really trying it out more and more. She still crawls as her main mode of transportation (that girl can crawl at lightening speed), but I know it's just a matter of days before crawling is a thing of the past! And hopefully Katelyn will see how cool it is to walk, and that crawling is for babies, and she'll want to do what all the cool kids are doing and walk too! She's close, she just needs to lose the fear. Katelyn has started walking while pushing her push-n-ride toy, and does really well. She goes until she runs into something, and then either gets frustrated because she can't go any further, OR she'll back up (that's right I said back up) and turn it the other direction to keep on going! So I KNOW she CAN walk, SHE just has to know she can walk! I mean the girl's got skills with her backwards walking and all!

Since the weather is changing to nice warmer temperatures I've been getting the girls a few things here and there for their summer wardrobe. I got some stuff 12 months and some stuff 9 months. The 9 month stuff fits them really good, and the 12 month stuff is just starting to fit. I've had the best luck with target's clothes for them in the 12 month size...so far all the stuff I've gotten there in the bigger size is fitting pretty darn good! I'm really reluctant to buy much in the 9 month size because if they grow even a little bit it'll be too small!

So I mentioned the other day that Madelyn has turned into a mama's girl. It's amazing the transformation that has taken place with our realationship. Before she was sick, she could pretty much take me or leave me. She didn't like to be held pretty much ever, and when she did it was for very brief periods. But now man! it's like we have this connection that honestly I think got broken while she was in the NICU for 3 months. I know she was tiny and kind of incoherent, but I really think her NICU stay had a hand in shaping the baby she is. She was the one who really struggled the most, and because of all she endured, I think she developed a bit of a tough exterior. But don't get me wrong she hasn't lost any of her fiestyness! But now she loves to be held a bit more (not cuddled just held), and comes up to me to be picked up, she lays her head in my lap, gives me kisses, and just really shows much more affection than she ever did before! She's even said mama a few times lately! (she really struggles to say the ma sound) She wants to be with me and follows me around the house. It just makes me happy in a way that I can't even describe.

One of Katelyn's cute new things is to pretend that she's talking on the phone. She talks with remotes, her binky, blocks, her hand, pretty much anything that she thinks is a suitable phone. she'll hold it up to her ear and just start jabbering away! She's definitely her mama's daughter. I see a play phone in her future very soon! Another not so cute thing that she's been doing is playing in the toilet water! Anytime anyone leaves the bathroom door open she sneaks in there to play in the toilet. It grosses me out!!! Now I'd think Mady would be the one doing something this mischivous, but Mady's sensory issues slow her down a bit when it comes to sticking her hands in cold toilet water.

Mady has shown signs of having SID (sensory integration dysfunction) It's been talked about with her therapists, and we just continue to play a lot of sensory kind of games with her to help her through it. Right now her major sensory issues have to do with touch and sounds. She's sensitive to touch on her face and feet, but her hands are the worst. SID is a disorder similar to autism. It's a disorder that causes difficulties with processing information from all of the senses; vision, hearing, touch, and taste. It's much more common for very low birth weight preemies to have SID, but since Mady is in Early Intervention we are very optomistic that her issues can be overcome!

Well, that's all for now. I'm off to bed :)

random photos

2007-05-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Jacob picked out this funny disguise from the dollar store a couple weeks ago. The boys got a big kick out of wearing it and trying to fool us! Aaron looks so silly :p
He's growing up so fast!!! Missing 3 teeth...He's rich from all the Tooth Fairy visits lately.
Mady's cute grin! I love how she even smiles with her eyes.
Katelyn glued to the t.v. She loves watching the Backyardigan's with Aaron This was also the first time I got pigtails in Katelyn's hair. Still haven't been able to do them in Mady's.

Mowhawk girls...it's never too early to have a little rock n roll style!
Katy still glued to t.v. This is a classic Katelyn face. She's always got her lips kind of puckered like that. Practicing for when she becomes a runway model already!
Jacob feeding Mady
The best shot out of like 50 from Easter of all 4 kids
Jacob in his disguise

Mady playing peek-a-boo
Doesn't Katelyn look so beautiful in this photo? Love how her eyes are all lit up
Katelyn loves to pretend to talk on anything that she thinks makes a suitable phone. this time it was Jacob's video now. wonder where she learned that from? ;)

We are all still alive...

2007-05-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's been forever since I posted anything on this blog. But in my defense things have been extremely busy for the entire month of april!!! That with my new addiction to myspace has not been good for this poor neglected blog.

So I guess it's time for a big 'ole update eh? I guess I'll do this list style, since it's easier to cover most topics that way...

1. Everyone is healthy after what was the worst sickness month of the year, including RSV for both Katelyn & Madelyn (Mady ended up in the hospital for 5 days on O2)

2. Katy & Mady are still tiny little girls...Mady is still only 15 lbs and Katy is probably close to 17 lbs. It is not upsetting me as much as it used to that they are extremely small even for their adjusted age. I think because A: They'd probably be petite anyway even if they were full term and B: They are improving greatly on their food intake. Mady still eats like a bird, but at least she's eating! Even textured stuff!!! And Katelyn has a very good appetite and can eat twice as much as little Mady.

3. Madelyn has turned into a bit of a mommy's girl since her stay at the hospital where she was on me 24/7 for 5 days straight. She actually wants to be held a lot now...go figure!

4. Madelyn is going to be the first to walk!!! She actually took her first few steps tonight!!! Katelyn isn't brave enough to do anything of the sort as of yet, even though I know she's ready, she's much too timid. But she is getting more brave by letting go when she's standing. Mady can stand up all by herself now without pulling up on something!!! It's the craziest thing to see this tiny little girl have so much strength!

5. Jacob has lost both of his top 2 teeth and 1 at the bottom...So he's looking like a toothless wonder right now. He's changing so much, really turning into a big kid...it's killing me and making me happy all at the same time!

6. Aaron still makes me want to laugh, rip my hair out, and hug him all at the same time! He's eccentric, and wild, and so sweet. He's given me a run for my money these past several weeks. And I am totally excited for him because he finally learned how to pedal on his trike!
YAY DUDE!!! He's been playing outside a bunch, blowing bubbles, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. Fun times! I can't wait for summertime playdates at the pool.

7. Ian & I get to go to Las Vegas in June for a few nights. We are totally excited, neither of us have ever been...it's gonna be awesome!

8. Our dog has turned into a huge disobedient (but good with the kids) brat! He thinks it's o.k. to jump on people, and does horrible on a leash for walks. But he's a sweetie, and we love him! Ian is looking into obedient books or classes for him.

9. I am going to be an Auntie for the very first time in November. My brother and his girlfriend told us they are expecting!!! I am so freaking excited to have a new baby in the family and for the first time it's not be that's having it!!!

10. The Scrap Yard where I've worked for nearly 3 years is closing on May 12th. I am extremely sad about it. I love that place and all the friendships I've made there. It's been a very special time in my life to be a part of it, and I will miss it dearly.

11. Mady's voice is getting much stronger. I think she'll always have a raspy voice, but it'll give her charachter, and when she's older she might sound like Kathleen Turner or have some wonderful soulfull singer's voice or something like that...gotta think on the bright side right?

12. Katelyn is convinced that we can all understand her baby gibberish, and has lenghty conversations with anyone who'll listen. Especially with Mady...I swear they have this secret twin language going on, and are plotting something mischivious!

13. Speaking of twin things, Katelyn and Madelyn were holding hands while in their highchairs having dinner tonight. And I caught Madelyn passing Katy some of her food! Seriously she was, it's no wonder she doesn't gain any weight! She's making Katy eat her dinner too!!!

14. Madelyn's favorite toy is a plastic hammer. She carries it around all day, and even sleeps with it. She bangs everything with it, so I'm pretty convinced that she's going to become a drummer. It brings her much delight to make as much noise as possible with it.

I know there's much more to talk about, but it's after 1:00 a.m. so I am going to bed. Will put up some photos and any other must talk about stuff soon. Tomorrow maybe.

Peace!

Our amazing weekend getaway!

2007-03-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Photos

2007-03-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Mady left Katy right
Katelyn

Madelyn

photos as promised

2007-03-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

This was my attempt at getting a shot of the boys with Rocky. And you can see just how well that turned out.
Our moose, I mean puppy.

This is a rare sight, Aaron doesn't nap much anymore these days.

2007-03-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

No, we did not get another puppy. We puppy sat for my brother over night, and this is how I found Jacob and little Rocky when I was going to bed. And yes my brother named his puppy Rocky too. As long as he doesn't name any children he might some day have the same as our kids names, it's cool!
Katelyn modeling Grandpa's shades. You can kind of see the teeth she's cutting on the top. Yeah, that's been REAL fun!
My 2 beauties!
Mady getting Grandpa's nose.
A normal feeding for the girls. I really do kind of wish they could hold their own bottles.

2007-03-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post. Everything is still pretty much the same with all of us. We're all staying healthy. YAY!!! But we're still being cautious because rsv season is not over yet. I can't wait for Spring to be here. The warmer weather and some sunshine will be so nice. Maybe we'll even, dare I say, venture out more!

So the babies are changing a lot these days. They are so curious and adventurous. Their favorite thing to do is get into the drawer where I keep all the diapers and baby wipes and pull everything out. They're no longer content to play in their excersaucers. That's like baby jail to them now! Both Katy & Mady are cruising around the furniture very well now. I know the day where they start walking is going to sneak up on us, and then we're really in trouble!
I'm also very HAPPY to report that Katelyn is finally sleeping through the night!!! So 15 months of interrupted sleep is a thing of the past! YAY!!!

Madelyn still continues to do very well in her therapies. We are currently working on the "milk" sign, and some sensory stuff. Mady is not doing the signs yet, but it seems that she understands their meaning. She's probably going to start seeing a speech therapist a few times a month. We have a meeting with the ST in 2 weeks where she'll kind of evaluate her speech and determine how delayed she is.

In other news, I've decided to add a few extra days a month to my work schedule. I am currently only working saturdays, but am going to be working a few thursdays a month as well. I'm excited about it, and my best friend Danielle and I have worked out some daycare trade.

Other than that, the boys are doing very good. Aaron is going through a bit of a frustrating phase right now. He wants (and expects) me to know the answer to everything he asks. Sometimes he asks things that make absolutely no sense to us, but to him it probably makes perfect sense. If I don't have an answer and say I don't know, or give him an answer that he doesn't like he has a bit of a fit! And he is becoming more and more of a Mommy's boy. Which I must say that I love. He's always been very independant, no time for cuddles, never cared if I left the house. But now he always wants to cuddle, sit in my lap, go everywhere I go. When I come home from work he tells me how much he missed me...it's kind of nice!

Jacob is working very hard on his reading. Ian & I got a hooked on phonics program to help him out, and WOW what a turn around it's been already. He is eager to read now, and enjoys it. It's so awesome to see your kid want to learn and really enjoy learning. He always has loved learning, but with this reading thing, it was really interfering with all of that. He's such a smart kid, and we're so proud of him.

That's about it for now. I've got some fresh pictures to share. My camera battery (and backup battery) is dead, so check for them soon! PEACE!

Me @ work

2007-02-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Karen Russell came to teach again at the store where I work (The Scrap Yard). It was fun to hang out with her, and be there during her class. I'm glad to have gotten to know her in the past few months, which made having her here, even more fun this time!

I am so lucky to be able to work where I do. I meet the nicest people, and get to be a bigger part of this incredible hobby which I LOVE! I enjoy it when people share their stories with me. Some are sad and tragic, but most are just wonderful bits of their lives, which I think is so important to preserve. That's why I do what I do...Scrapbook!

latest photos

2007-02-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

Trying scrambled eggs for the very first time. Katyelyn (above) woofed them down.

Ian tying on Jacob's new belt at his testing.

Mady loves the rocking horse. She's able to hold on all by herself now. She even tries to rock back and forth.

Thought I'd post a list of what the kids are up to...

2007-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Jacob: He just passed his test in taekwondo to become a comoflauge belt. It is his 6th belt! Daddy thinks he'll be earning his black belt by the end of the year. Jacob's been back into martial arts for the past 2 months after taking a year off when I had the twins. He is loving being back in it. I think he enjoys it more and gets more out of it now that he's a little older. It's really helped improve his self confidence by 1000%. Which is what we were hoping for. He's been playing outside a ton lately (we've had great weather), and going to play at his friend's houses that are nearby. School is going o.k. He is still struggling with his reading, so Ian and I are going to buy a hooked on phonics program to help him along. He's really great at math, and problem solving, and he is one of the best behaved kids in his class!

Aaron: He's been cracking us up lately! He's been saying the funniest things. The other day I asked him which baby was sitting next to him, and his reply "ours" I asked him what her name was he said "baby girl" Then he looked at her real good and said "which Mady is that?, Oh that's cable butt" (aka Mady May McMabel Butt). He also still tells us Merry Christmas every night when we tuck him in. And his nightly prayers HAVE to include "and please God help me to remember to go peepee and poopoo in the potty amen" Aaron is still in love with his trains and plays with them daily. His favorite movie right now is The Polar Express, which is a welcome change from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And the biggest news of all is that he is almost fully potty trained!!! Still has an occassional accident, and needs to wear a pull up to bed. Man is this a wonderful thing! He just told me he was ready, and he's been doing fantastic!!!

Katelyn: Katy has turned into a little charachter. She's been very social lately, and loves to have conversations. She will point and then look at us very seriously and say something in baby gibberish and wait for our reply. She has also picked up the "more" sign. And will do it over and over while she's eating. She also does the sign for "eat" but usually does it when she wants her binky not food. She loves her taggy blanket and carries it around and snuggles it to her face. She's also started cruising around the furniture, and is getting more and more adventurous in her mobility. She's also cutting her upper eye teeth right now, which is gonna look a little funny since she doesn't even have the top front teeth yet. She's doing very well with the introduction of some table foods and loves to eat cheerios, scrambled eggs, rice with veggies mixed in and icecream.

Madelyn: She's filling out quite a bit and is actually fuller looking in the face than Katy is now. Her eating habits have improved, though she is still texture sensitive and doesn't like any lumps in her food. She hasn't quite mastered cheerios yet, but will play with them and throw them from her tray, occassionally putting one her mouth to explore. She is also beginning to cruise around the furniture and takes little side steps while holding on to the couch. She crawls at lightening speed when she sees something that she wants. She continues to make progress with her voice and speech. Her vocabulary consists of dada baba and sometimes mama. Her voice can go from very soft to very raspy tones. She really likes making sounds and LOVES clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. We imitate her sounds back to her, so that she learns the foundation of having a conversation. Her therapies have been slowed down a little and she is not receiving any physical therapy anymore. She sees two therapists bi-weekly now instead of one or two people per week. Mady is a little sweetie and is always happy and smiling!

I've got some recent photos that are still in my camera, so hopefully I'll get them uploaded soon to share! I've been sick the past 5 days with the same cold everyone else had. We've all been taking extra vitamins to help boost our immune systems. After a full month of sickness, I am really hoping that we all get and stay well.

Prayer request

2007-02-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Please say a prayer for some friends of ours... Jen & Nick (my brother's best friends) just found out yesterday that the baby girl she was pregnant with died in utero. Jen was about 6.5 months pregnant and went in for a routine ultrasound where they discovered something was wrong with the baby.

They tried to give the baby a blood transfusion in utero (their only hope of saving her), and it failed. Jen will be delivering the baby this evening via c-section. Please pray for them during this extremely difficult time.

needed a dose of cuteness

2007-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Mady left Katy right...cute huh? And I didn't even pose them like that!Our little snow fall
Mady May McMabel
Katelyn
Aaron looking out at the snow
Thought a dose of cuteness would be nice, since lately it's been lots of doses of crankiness and sickness and medications, and being stuck at home...blah blah blah blah blah!!!

So there's the latest photos of all the kiddos. We got a very light dusting of snow the other week, the boys had fun playing in it for about 5 minutes. I kept freaking out about them stepping in snow covered dog poop! They don't have any boots, so they had to wear their normal shoes. So I ruined all the fun with my poop paranoia.

Today was miserable around here. Katelyn's cold is moving into her chest, so if she continues to sound the way she did today we'll be heading back to the peed tomorrow. Madelyn is full of snot again, so now starts round 2 for her. Aaron's just been pretty moody, so when he starts getting like that I know his tylenol is wearing off.

O.K. I had every intention of making this a whine free post, but I just can't do it! But I'll stop now before I really get going. Time for some hot cocoa and some down time.

Just a quick little post

2007-01-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: So the appt at the peed's office was a bit crazy. Jacob's school called @ 1:45 saying he was sick and needed to be picked up. He was not sick at all, just didn't want to be at school for the last hour and a half. I was a bit furious at him to say the least. From the school we went straight to the peed's office to check in a bit early hoping they'd get us in a bit sooner. They did not. They were completely swamped, seems every child in our town is sick at this moment in time. So all 4 kids and I sat in the waiting room, which was soooo not fun at all. Katelyn was extremely fussy, then Mady started in since there must be something to cry about after all. Aaron was very clingy and wanted to be on my lap the entire time we were there. And Jacob sat sulking, since he just found out that he is grounded from basically everything for playing hookie for the 3rd time in a month.

As far as the visit went, Aaron went first and low and behold the poor kid has double ear infections (AGAIN). Other than that he checked out o.k. Katelyn does not have RSV (thank God), but does have an ear infection in her right ear, and conjunctivitis (also known as pink eye) in both eyes. Since Aaron and Katelyn didn't fair so well, the Doc decided to check out Mady's ears too, just to be safe. She thankfully got a clean bill of health. Since pink eye is pretty contagious the peed we saw gave me an extra refill on the eye ointment so I could give it to Mady if she comes down with it. Can I just say SWEET! Because if she does come down with it, I obviously will know exactly what it looks like, and that's one less extremely painful (on me) trip to the peed.

And that's that!

Katelyn is sick still (or again). It seemed like it was going away and she was on the mend, but then yesterday she woke up all sick again, and today her eyes are so puffy and spewing ickyness. She looks very pitiful and so I am taking her to the peed today. I even settled for a different doc, since ours is booked until tomorrow. Hate that! Anyway I'm a little freaked out that it may be RSV. The girls are not getting synagis this year, so I'm a little bit spazzed out about it!

On the other hand Madelyn is feeling better, and is only coughing a bit (could be reflux related). All the kids have the lingering cough from their colds still though.

Well, wish us luck at the peed today. Our appt is at 2:45, so I'll update when we get back!

Multiples in the womb

2007-01-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share this program from the National Geographic Channel. It's called multiples inside the womb. It shows real life pictures/video of multiples in the womb and 4d imaging. I really wanted to point it out because they do a portion on momo twins, which is what Katy & Mady's gestation was. It will be airing on Thursday at 5:00 pm PT on the national geographic channel. So if any of you are interested in seeing all of what momo twins have to go through in the womb, and the battle they face from the very beginning, I highly recommend watching this program. I've not seen it yet, but am looking forward to watching it.

In all of the countless ultrasounds we had done, we really got to see quite a bit of their development. There were times when they were so tangled up that you couldn't tell what limb belonged to what baby. Their cords became so tangled and knotted that it resembles a big ball of yarn. They had dopplers done on their cords daily after I was admitted to the hospital for constant monitoring. I remember minutes after they were born, my peri came and showed me the ball of mess that they had created while swimming around eachother for those 27 weeks. It was horrifying to see what could've happened. There were SO MANY knots. I was so thankful I had received such great care and they were able to catch their cord accident in time. A cord accident if you don't know is when the cords are knotted and pulled so tightly that it cuts off the flow of blood and oxygen to one or both babies. In this case both babies heart rates were in jeopardy, but Katelyn's was plummeting. I cannot even express in words the fear that completely overcame me.

Now in retrospect I feel completely blessed and so incredibley thankful to God for taking care of my sweet girls. We have had such an amazing outcome. Unfortunately that is not always the case. We have both our girls with us, and so many lose one or both babies. The rarity of this type of identical twin pregnancy is a good thing. It is the second rarest type of twin conception after conjoined twins. It is something that is not supposed to happen. All which happens just because the egg splits later than it's supposed to. In momo twins it splits after the 9th day of fertilization. In conjoined twins it splits after day 12. Noramally in identical twins the egg splits at about the 4th day after fertilazation!

Anyway I just wanted to share a little bit about momo twins with you all, and to really bring some light to how unique and miraculous these babies are. Of course I think all babies are unique and miraculous. But seeing my babies battle for the chance just to be born makes me thank the Lord that they won that battle. That they are here, and happy and healthy. So much to be thankful for...So very blessed.

On the mend

2007-01-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

Watching Baby Einstein. These photos were taken about a week or so ago, before they got sick. Katelyn always claps (last photo) when it's over, and it goes back to the menu screen, where it plays her favorite mozart peice. It's her favorite part of the whole dvd. I could probably just leave it on that menu screen and she'd be happy!

The girls seem to be on the mend from their nasty cold viruses. They are starting to act like their old selves again, and we actually left the house yesterday! HOORAY!!! They are once again sleeping and eating pretty darn good (sort of). Madelyn is still coughing a bit, and has some post nasal drip, so her appetite isn't quite back to normal yet.

Katelyn continues to wake up every night for a bottle. I can't complain though, I'm glad she's taking those extra calories. She's been laughing a lot today (which is rare), and acting silly.

Madelyn turned into a cuddle bug while she was sick, which is SO NOT HER! But yesterday and today she's back to her normal go-go-go self.

And some VERY BIG EXCITING NEWS...Madelyn said MAMA for the first time yesterday!!! And she said it in the sweetest softest voice (not raspy like she normally is), so CUTE! Of course I got all teary eyed like I always do whenever she amazes me with her vocal capabilities. Just awesome that girl is!

We've been having some icky weather, lots of freezing rain and ice. Jacob's been home from school for 4 days now since it was a holiday weekend, and there may not be school tomorrow either. the boys have been watching movies, and built lots of block towers (which the babies so kindly knock down every time). They also have been making forts with their blankets on Aaron's bottom bunk. Good times! But they've been nitpicking about everything to one another and causing me a few mild manic moments! I think we'll do some arts & crafts if there's no school tomorrow. Keeping them busy, and distracted from wanting to pummel eachother is key to staying sane!

Peace

I guess I didn't knock HARD enough...

2007-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

in my previous post about the girls staying healthy. Because they are now both sick with colds. VERY VERY runny noses, and lots of coughs. All of this resulting in two very unhappy little babies, who won't eat much or sleep for any long period of time. So far no fevers.

I'm nervous to see how they handle their first colds. Katelyn's had a bit of a stuffy nose before, but nothing like this. And did I mention Mady is teething?! The next few days are going to be brutal!!!

Can't wait...

2007-01-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

To receive this gift that I ordered for myself with some of my birthday money. I ordered the "my favorite outfit" pallette. Toting around my very large digital slr camera won't be so bad anymore! Maybe I'll remember to take it with me when I go places too. I am always accidentally leaving it behind.

A sad day

2007-01-06T00:22:00.000-08:00

"In the arms of the angel, fly away from here
you're in the arms of the angel, may you find
some comfort here" Sarah Mclachlan

Goodbye sweet Emily

Every micro preemie's parents nightmare has come for this family. Please keep them in your prayers.

I can't imagine what they are going through right now. All those fears and emotions that were there when our girls were in the battle came flooding back. We are truely blessed. I feel so much pain for this family that I know only through their blog and our preemie support group. My tears, prayers and thoughts are with you.

Big girls

2007-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Don't they look so cute with their little pony tails sticking straight up?!

These two have been doing so much BIG girl stuff lately. They are pretty much at the same level of milestones now! Which is absolutely amazing to me. Remember not too long ago when I dreaded the phrase "catch up", thinking that Madelyn would never be able to catch up to Katelyn's milestones. Wondering constantly what was wrong with her, if she had cerebral palsy, will she ever eat? Well I can finally say that I can breathe a little easier when it comes to Miss Mady. She is showing us what she's really made of. She's spunky, and energetic. She is a determined baby! She's worked VERY hard at everything she's learned to do. It definitely didn't just happen over night. She has worked with so many therapists since August to get to where she is now! She is AMAZING!!!

She is eating much better, though she is still very sensitive to textures. She eats the Gerber stage 2 baby foods pretty well. And she's now eating about 6-7 oz of formula in each bottle. We are still fortifying her bottles with extra calories, and adding the thickener to it. She sucks it down like an old pro now! She is also getting better about not waiting until she is half starved to eat anything. Which means that her system is maturing. She finally gets the signal from her brain that she's getting hungry and is able to handle a whole feeding at once. She's much more mellow about feeding time now because of it. It doesn't feel like an exhausting battle for her anymore. And her size show it! She's just as big as Katelyn is now. I'm not sure the exact weights, we haven't had a weight check since the last time I reported.

As far as gross motor skills, Mady is surpassing all of our expectations. When she first started therapies back in August we sat down with her therapists and set out goals that we'd like her to achieve. They generally like to see kids striving towards accomplishing their goals and hitting them at 6 months from the start of the program. Madelyn has accomplished probably about 90% of her goals in this area already! In fact she's doing so well, that we are probably going to discontinue her physical therapy next month. She's learned to sit, get into and out of sitting position, pull herself up to stand, sit back down, crawl well (without dragging her legs), hold objects well with both hands, interact with toys (cause & effect.. though this is on going), clap, babble with her cute little voice that's getting stronger and stronger! She says baba and dada.

She's just about caught up to her adjusted age of 10.5 months. With the exception of self care skills (like holding a bottle), speech, and some cognitive stuff. She will also still be getting therapies for her sensory issues. I just can't believe how far she's come! She plays with her sissy, and loves to try to steal her binky, toys, blankie or anything else she has for that matter. She's fiesty! It's very cute to watch them interact. You can tell that Katelyn is the older one. That one minute makes a big difference. Mady follows Katy around the house. Wherever Katelyn is, Madelyn is. She wants to do everything like her big sissy!

Katelyn is saying more and more sounds! Just the other night she started repeating mama a lot. Now it's her favorite thing to say. I LOVE hearing her say it! She can also repeat hi! She loves to give kisses, nice big open mouth wet ones. She loves to play peek a boo by pulling her blankie up to her face and popping her head up, then I say peek a boo and she giggles or smiles so big! She also loves to be held and snuggled. She'd be happy to just be held all day long. Where as Mady is much more go go go all the time. She doesn't have time to be held! Katelyn now protests being put down, and crawls up to me and puts her arms up, if I don't pick her up she'll start to cry. It's so stinkin cute I just can't resist. She also protests to having things taken away from her now. She's definitely getting a mind of her own.

Katy loves to eat in her highchair. She loves food, and is doing great with textures. She can eat diced peaches or pairs, cereal puffs, and other lumpy stuff. She likes to try what we're having. She's eaten spegghetti, bread, rice, mashed potatoes, and other stuff from our plates. There's only a few things so far that she won't eat.

She is still having her episodes, though the topimax helps tremendously. I accidentally skipped a dose a couple weeks ago, and she was having one right after another pretty bad. We know that she is defintately benefiting from being on that medication. She will be seeing her nuerologist again soon for a follow up and meds check, which reminds me I need to get something scheduled soon.

The babies are staying healthy so far this cold/flu season. (knock on wood) The boys have had a few colds already, and are actually sick right now. I hope that all of our handwashing, and lysoling is helping to keep them healthy. I feel a bit under the weather today. Really hoping it doesn't end up a sinus infection.

And today is my 30th birthday! Just another day in domestic bliss around here! (said with a tiny bit of sarcasam)

Peace!

some more favs from the holidays

2007-01-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

a few holiday pics

2007-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

Jacob lacing up his new heelys.
Aaron's gianormous train set from the big guy!
Katy tried really hard to rip open the packages. One we got them open all she cared about was the paper and ribbons though.
Here's the twins with one of my beautiful cousins. Melina is so great with the babies, she can always get them to calm down and go to sleep in her arms. She's a natural. (Katy left Mady right)

Madelyn Christmas morning. She was not at all interested in opening gifts. But she really loved the bows. She didn't like me putting them on her head too much though.

2007-01-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy! As I'm sure it is for most people around the holidays. We had such a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas eve with Ian's Dad & Stepmom. She always makes delicous food, and we visit and eat and exchange gifts. It was a great visit even though I ended up with a migraine.

Christmas day was really cool. It's the first year since we've been married that we got to stay home and chill. The kids got to really take time to enjoy their gifts and relax. We hosted a BIG Christmas dinner here at our house. My Mom, Dad and cousins came around 2:00 to help me cook and visit. Then everyone else showed around 4:00. Lots of good food, and good company and great gifts!

Jacob's favorite gifts: Heelys (the shoes with wheels in the heels), star wars video games, and his new fuzion scooter (which was very hard for Santa to find)

Aaron's favorite gifts: Imaginarium train table set (from Santa), GeoTrax train set (from Uncle Jeremy), Thomas Train stuff (from Grandpa Reg)...do you see a theme here?! He's been yelling out "all aboard" very loudly since Christmas.

The girls got some cute outfits and a giant school bus play structure thing that Santa brought. They also got some board books, and some weeble wobble stuff, and too much other stuff that I can't think of right now. They didn't get the whole Christmas thing yet this year, and were definitely more into playing with all the sparkling bows and ripping the wrapping paper than anything else.

Ian was off from work from the 22nd till today. We really didn't do much of anything during our Christmas break. The babies had no appointments of any kind! So we just stayed around the house a lot.

New Year's eve was low key too. We were invited to a small kid friendly party, but we opted to stay home, eat a bunch of junk food and play "Life" the Sponge Bob edition that I got especially for that night. The boys made it till around 10:30, then fell asleep watching a movie in bed. Ian and I watched the ball drop, and headed to bed shortly after. We are so boring!!! We didn't even drink champagne!

I am looking forward to some normalcy in 2007! Less tears and sorrows and more joy and happiness. The babies are doing great! Staying healthy (knock on wood), and the only thing I'm not looking forward to is turning 30! Yes this year should be a good one. I'm not going to miss 2006, I'm glad it's over!

So now it's back to reality. Back to work for Ian, and school for Jacob (well almost, he came home early with a sore throat today). And Mady has 2 therapists from EI coming later today. They will be very pleased to see all that she's learned in the past 3 weeks! I will post more on both babies and some pictures later (probably tonight).

For now I must go play nurse to my sick 7 year old, and feed a hungry toddler. The girls are taking their nap, so hopefully I'll get some chores done! wishful thinking.

Peace!

just sharing something fun

2006-12-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

Calls from Santa Claus

http://www.SantaCallingYou.com

Tag I'm It!

2006-12-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my friend Jaime. So here's my answers...

1. Three things that scare me: Heights (this includes flying), War, My children dying.

2. Three people that make me laugh: Aaron, Danielle, Kati

3. Three things I love: Alone time with my hubby, getting time to be creative, Getting out with friends

4. Three things I hate: My acne that won't go away even though I'm almost 30! Doing our finances, my van

5. Three things I don't understand: How to stay organized, Politics, HTML (it's like learning a second language)

6. Three things on my desk right now: My coffee mug, a spare battery to my digital camera, 2 printers

7. Three things I'm doing right now: Listening to Jack Johnson, Drinking coffee, Listening to Aaron count the coins he got from his piggy bank

8. Three things I want to do before I die: See my kids happy with their own families, Go back to school, Travel

9. Three things I can do: Change a diaper in about 5 seconds, Make jewelry, Bow making (hairbows)

10. Three things I can't do: Keep up on my housework, Sew well, read fast

11. Three things I think you should listen to: Ben Harper, Your children, Truth

12. Three things I think you should never listen to: Disrespectful people, Profanity, Tabloids

13. Three things I'd like to learn: Photoshop, More about photography, A second language

14. Three favorite foods: pizza, chocolate, salad

15. Three beverages I drink regularly: Coffee, Dr Pepper, Water

16. Three shows I watched as a kid: The Cosby show, Little house on the prairie, Smurfs (all the same as Jaime)

17. Three people I am tagging: Kristina Liz Shannon

And just because I thought my house wasn't already a ZOO!!!

2006-12-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

I decided to surprise Ian with a puppy for Christmas! The surprise was foiled when he found all the information from the breeder written on a peice of paper that I forgot to hide. So he found out the day before the puppy arrived. He's 10 weeks old, and he's a pure labradore retreiver. His mama was a black lab, and his daddy yellow lab, so he's got some very unique markings on his feet. He also has small patches of yellow on one ear, and his chest. He's is so cute, and proving to be a very good dog already! He's a quick learner and is already sitting on command (most times), learning to stay, and is getting used to being outside. We are letting him be inside/outside, but mostly he'll be an outdoor dog. Ian is very excited to get him trained, and teach him lots of tricks. He's great with all the kids, and very gentle with the babies. Ian named him Rocky and he's quickly learning his name.

So that makes 2 parents, 4 kids, 2 cats, and one puppy! Boy we really do live in a zoo!!! Anyone want to come over?!

The Hall Family Christmas Tree

2006-12-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

The hunt for the perfect tree

2006-12-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Katelyn: "What in the heck are we doing out here in the cold anyway"?

Notice the wheels caked in mud! And Katelyn without a sock or shoe! One of her Robeez fell off, but I searched until I found it. I was not leaving without it, they are a brand new pair and not cheap either!!!
Madelyn: "Are you kidding me? We're stuck in the mud!? O.K. I'm going to start crying at any second!"
The boys enjoying the wagon ride to the tree fields.

This year we thought it'd be fun to go to a you cut tree farm to get our tree. This is the first year we've actually been tree hunting as a family. At our old house our landlord who was also our neighbor owned a huge Christmas tree farm. He'd deliver us a beautiful noble fir every year for FREE! But now that we aren't there anymore, we had to go it alone this year. It was so much fun, and quite an experience. We went to Vollstedt Family Farm to get our tree. It is so festive there. They take you on Wagon rides out to the fields of trees, give you a saw and let you loose. When you've chosen and cut your tree, you get to wait in a nice warming shed for the next wagon to pick you up. So Cool!

The boys had a blast! The babies not so much. They weren't up for the cold bumpy stroller ride or for getting stuck in the mud. Yes that's right we got our nice beautiful double Graco stroller stuck in the mud! We really should've known better we live in Oregon after all, the state of never ending rain! We eventually had to abandon the stroller in the mud and carry the babies. Once we found our tree, which took some time as I am a very picky tree hunter, Ian (and the boys) cut it down while I went back to get the babies back in the stroller. We heard many comments like "that stroller needs 4 wheel drive" and "wow are they all your's" of course too many "you guys sure have your hands full" to count! But it was fun, and we all just enjoyed it and laughed at ourselves. And it was all worth it as you can see, we did end up with the perfect tree! It's not a noble (those puppies are expensive) like we normally get, but it's BIG and full and beautiful!

Poor Ian had to haul it back to the warming shed all by himself (all 9 ft of it) since I was pushing the mud caked stroller! What an adventure!!! Surely one we'll never forget!

12 month check up and more!

2006-12-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

The babies had their 12 month check up today. Normally it's just shots at 12 months, but their Pediatrician wanted to do a visit as well to discuss meds, and any concerns.

We are upping Mady's dose of reglan since she's started coughing and wheezing a lot again. She coughs really bad at night. Hopefully a stronger dose will help. Other than that we are keeping everything else the same. He was so pleased to see the huge amounts of progress Mady has made in the past 6 weeks. The therapies she's receiving is helping her tremendously!!! I know I've mentioned before that she sees 4 therapists who work with her on a variety of things. These people have been wonderful! Without their services, and the techniques they've taught me...well I'd still be a basket case worried sick about her lack of progress. I am not exaggerating when I say that people are AMAZED at how far she's come. All the hard work she's done is starting to show, and you can see it in her eyes how delighted she is to be able to DO some of the things that Katy's been doing for months! She's such a happy girl, when she smiles her whole face lights up. You can see the smile in her eyes. And I am so happy to report that Mady giggled 2 nights ago for the first time! I've never heard her laugh, but could tell that she'd laugh on the inside. She could just never get the sound out. Jacob was making funny faces at her, and out came a laugh that sounds very similar to her cry. But it was the sweetest sound! I teared up and picked her up and just hugged her. Of course I told Jacob to repeat the sillyness that got her laughing, but she hasn't done it since. Another fun thing Mady has figured out to do as of last night, CLAPPING! She's been doing it all day today. So cute!

O.K so ready for the BIG Mady news?! She weighs 15 lbs!!! I was so shocked and in disbelief I made the nurse weigh her again to be sure. The girl gained 1.5 lbs since her last weigh in about 6 or 7 weeks ago! That's her biggest gain ever. We actually saw a spike UP on her growth chart! I'm telling you, her therapists along with our determination and her hard work equal VERY GOOD THINGS!!! Her new nickname is beef cake. I'm praying that she continues in this upward direction. She is awesome!

I talked to Dr. F about Katelyn's episodes. I've seen more of the starring to the left, and some brief blank outs, her muscle spasams aren't very noticable but I can see them every once in a while. His recommendation was to see the pediatric nuerologist again to see if we should be concerned. It could be that she needs a higher dose of topimax. He also checked out Katelyn's eyes since we've noticed her crossing her left eye, and not tracking well with it. He said he didn't notice it, but it'd be a good idea to see her pedi opthamologist. And we will have to go to Portland for that. Katelyn's weight wasn't a very big gain. She weighed in at 15lbs 3oz. We expected it to be around 16lbs. Dr. F said it's not a big deal, but we'll watch it closely to make sure it's not a trend. I can't believe my girls are within 3oz of eachother. They haven't been this close in weight since they were first born...2oz apart. I think Katelyn subconsiously decided to slow down a bit to allow Mady to catch up! She really loves her sissy!

Katelyn has added lalala to her babbling, and has sad mama once! I try to get her to say it but it's always dada! NO FAIR!!! Of course she doesn't know what the heck she's saying, but I just want to hear it. Katy has also demonstrated that she has the unique talent of rolling her tongue like her big brother Jacob. She does it a lot too, that and lalala, and clapping! As for the standing up I reported 2 posts ago, she hasn't done it since! She did it a few times for like 2 days and now nothing. But both girls can get into a sitting position all on their own now! Considering Madelyn just learned to sit unassisted a couple weeks ago, I'd say she's becoming a bit of an over-achiever!

I have become addicted to Robeez shoes. I can't help myself, they are just so stinkin cute! And they stay on! I put them on and try as they might the girls can't get them off. Finally shoes that stay on babies feet! So if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift idea for the girls, they'd love some in the 6-12 month size. They are also recommended by our Occupational and Physical therpaists!

The taggies blankets and plush toys we got them for their B-day have been a big hit. The girls love to snuggle them, and they are the perfect size.

This weekend we're gearing up for Christmas. I'm so excited to go get our tree. Ian will hang the lights on the house hopefully on Saturday. It's our first Christmas in this house, and I'm really excited to get it decorated. We have no Christmas shopping done, but that's no big surpise! We always procrastinate. Hopefully we can get some done this weekend. Should be fun!

Hopefully I won't go so long till my next post! Peace!

a few photos from the girls' party

2006-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Katy was happy to taste the cake. Neither of the girls really liked the cake. But they played in it, and got really messy!
Mady didn't really like the whole birthday cake experience. She started freaking out as soon as she got it all over her hands and arms. This is her defensive pose. She holds her arms up and fists her hands...It's part of the whole "I don't like things touching my hands" thing. "Especially if it sticks to me"

Singing the happy birthday song was a huge hit with Mady! She knew we were singing to her, and she loved it!

Everyone gathered in the living room to watch the dvd of the girls' first year. It was beautiful to see their journey and watch how far they've come!

One more thing

2006-11-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

I finally found what we are going to give the babies for their birthday. I've been looking for something special, and not toys because they'll get lots from other people, and for Christmas. I found these:

http://www.taggies.com/cgi-bin/estore/show_entry?index=3

I think they'll be a hit, since neither girls have a "special" blankie, and they are both at that stage where they form attatchments to objects. For Jacob it was his blankies, and Aaron it was his binky. Katy & Mady both love to snuggle a blanket, so I'm really excited about these! And I found a shop in Corvallis that carries them so I don't have to order them. They also have plush toys, and lots of other neat stuff so I'm going to pick up a bunch of different things for Christmas too!

mish mash of stuff

2006-11-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

Madelyn, you can't tell but she was doing her "army" crawling. Playing the guitar he got for his birthday from Mommy & Daddy
Katelyn
3 years old!
girl talk
My new favorite photo

I have been a bad blogger lately. I have no excuse really, it's been the same amount of busy around here. I guess it's just a crazy month, and with it getting dark out at an obscenely early hour now, I feel out of energy a lot earlier. Hopefully I'll get used to the season change soon!

Anyway...Aaron's birthday party was very fun. We just had family and my best friend Danielle, and her kiddos. It was intimate, and so not stressful. He loved having a party all about him. This was actually the first time he's ever had a birthday party. His favorite part was everyone singing happy birthday. He happily sang along to himself, and knew to blow the candles out. Everyone got him such nice gifts. He's already talking about next year's birthday!

The girls are doing great lately. Both girls are really starting to eat solids well. Mady is starting to look a little filled out. I don't have a weight on them yet, but we have an appt next week. I'm hoping to see a big gain from her. She's still not big on the bottle, she does o.k. as long as she's REALLY hungry.

Mady has been doing well in her therapies. She has 4 therapists working with her, so she's got someone at least once a week. I think it's really helping her meet some milestones that she was way behind on just a month ago. I mean just about a month to 6 weeks ago she could barely roll over both ways. Now she's doing that, comando crawling, and sitting. She still is pretty wobbley, and leans way forward, but she's getting so strong! Her therapists have noticed that Mady is very stimulus sensitive. She does not like having her hands touch at all (which makes the signing we are trying to teach her very difficult), and she shakes her head a lot. Her PT wants us to discourage the headshaking, but I'm not sure about it. She thinks she does it to cope with her surroundings when she's overwhelmed. She gave me some ideas to get her to stop doing it, but I don't think it's hurting her, so I'm really not worried about it. I will try to distract her and soothe her, but that's it. We've also been working on balance on an excersise ball at mighty oaks. She does not like it one bit! She stiffens up while on the ball, and while they are working with her in other ways. She doesn't like the way they push her, and make her work. After an hour there, she is always worn out, and will fall asleep on the way home. Obviously her hard work is paying off though, so we will keep pushing her.

Katelyn started sleeping through the night, and did so for over a week. Then the last 2 nights she's woke up for food. She may be hitting a growth spurt, because she's been eating a lot during the day as well. Katy has been so playful, and fun lately. She loves to sign "more" by clapping her hands after a bite. I don't know if she's actually picking up on the sign or if she just likes clapping her hands. But she claps at everything, so it could be both. She's still a drama queen, and loves being held, and lots of attention. But she's also getting a bit more independant. Katelyn started pulling herself up to her knees a couple weeks ago, and on Monday she pulled herself all the way up to STAND!!! I was sitting chatting with Leslie, (Mady's OT) when I just looked over at her and she was standing at the large toy basket I have in the living room. She can't figure out how to get back down, and since she's not quite balanced enough yet, she falls quickly. I'm hoping to catch a picture of her standing soon. I just can't believe how big she's getting! We are going to be having Katy's eyes checked again soon. She's been crossing her left eye a lot, and it doesn't track with her right eye the same. Ian and I have noticed it, but when 2 of Mady's therapists pointed it out when they were here this week, we took it more seriously. So hopefully we can get with someone local, and not have to drive to Portland to see her eye doc there. He's always booked for like 4 months or more. Last time her eyes were checked was August I believe, and she had some moderate farsightedness. But they said as far as her eyes crossing, and working together she seemed fine. So this is a surprise to see her have eye issues.

I'm excited about their birthday party this weekend. We are just having a small party at home. I was wanting to plan a big bash for them, but with it being cold and flu season I dedided that wasn't in their best interest. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. I think partly because they've only been home with us for 9 months and not the full year. All those feelings, and emotions during the "rollercoaster" we were on are so fresh still. It's been such a crazy year filled with so many highs and lows. I will post more about their birth and experiences later when I have all my thoughts together.

That's all I've got for now...Peace!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY AARON

2006-11-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Aaron
Happy birthday to you!!!

Can't believe my little Bug-A-Boo is 3 years old! I love the little dude he's becoming. And that he's finally become a mama's boy. He's been a challenge to raise, but I love every minute of it! He's my wild child, my rock & roller, the one who makes me want to pull my hair out, and scoop him up in my arms and hold him there forever all at the same time. So much personality, so much energy. I see a lot of passion in him. Lots of love, and so much potential to become someone REALLY GREAT! He's got an old soul in him. I see so much of me in his eyes.

Love you baby! Happy birthday.

VOTE

2006-11-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

It's election day...Do you know where your ballot is? I'm not a very political person, but this election day feels different. Lots at stake, so just remember to take time out and GO VOTE! Here in Oregon it's through the mail, so don't forget to drop off your ballot today if it hasn't been mailed.

November = "The month of Hall's"

2006-11-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Love these new photos of the girls. They are so sweet, and really interacting with one another. I really love the stage they're in right now. They're starting to explore, and have become interested in everything around them. They love trying to imitate sounds, and when we play patty cake. They play with their toys and look for things to play with. They've also started becoming very interested in what the other has. Mady always seems to want whatever Katy has, and will take it from her. She's always taking her binky, even if she already has one of her own, she thinks Katy's looks better.

If you didn't notice in one of the photos above, Madelyn is starting to sit unsupported! She leans forward to help support herself and keep balanced. But she's getting really good at not flopping over. Some other HUGE news, is that Mady has started CRAWLING!!! I am so amazed at her progress. She crawls by pulling herself with her arms and pushing herself off with her feet. It's so cool to watch her go, and so awesome that she's figured out how to keep up with her sis! I know that she's determined to keep up with Katy and THAT is her motivation.

Feedings are going a bit better too. She still takes the same amount of formula, but her reflux is much better controlled since upping her dose of prevacid, and adding reglan. I really think that is one of the reasons why we've seen her make such a huge amount of progress with her motor skills too. Now that she's not in pain, I think she can make progress. She also eats 1 full container of stage 1 baby food per day, and we are trying to increase that to 2 containers to add calories to her diet. I think we'll add some solids to our morning feeding. She's still more petite than Katelyn, and the weight difference is noticeable, but she's started filling out a bit, and doesn't look so sickly to me anymore.

In Katelyn news, she has started sleeping through the night at least a couple times per week. I'm so ready for that! Katy is also cutting her first tooth. It poked it's way through her gum last weekend. She's been tolerating it pretty well, and just gets crabby at night, and off and on through the day I can tell it's bothering her. She's also starting to practice pulling herself up, and she can get up to her knees.

We are now in the countdown for our 5 November birthdays. Aaron's is the 7th, and we are celebrating this sunday. Then they baby's 1st birthday is on the 18th. Jacob's 7th is the 26th, and Ian's is the 29th!!! They should rename November "The month of Hall's". I think God was playing a trick on me to give us all of our children in Novemeber. It's just weird! So it's going to be a pretty crazy month! Acutally a pretty crazy couple of months since it's also Thanksgiving this month, and then all the Christmas festivities next month! INSANE!

I didn't plan it this way, but Katelyn is on the right side of all the photos above!

Peace!

A year ago...

2006-10-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I was headed to a hospital 75 miles away to be hopsitalized for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was 24 weeks pregnant and our goal was to reach 32 weeks. I prayed I'd make it the whole 8 weeks there so that I could have 2 healthy babies. I was devastated to leave my family, my sweet boys who didn't fully understand that Mommy would not be home for a LONG time. Ian was afraid, and overwhelmed. I know he didn't want to leave me there. Knowing that this was it, the day we had been hoping we'd make it to, and dreading all at the same time. We both knew that when we all left that hospital together again our lives would never be the same. We would leave either with our two babies, with one baby, or with no babies.

I was SO VERY AFRAID, an emotional wreck, but DETERMINED to do what was best for the two sweet girls growing inside me. Everyday knowing that they could hurt eachother while in the womb, possibly leading to a fatality of one or both babies was almost too much to bare. Every move they made, every kick, every hiccup I would wonder, pray, hope that they didn't get too wrapped up around eachother, that they didn't just pull their already knotted umbilical cords tighter, too tight. Being in the hospital would alleviate some of those constant fears. I knew I'd be monitored closely, that's why I was there after all to save my babies. The sacrafices we made then seem so trivial and small now one year later, yet it still feels so fresh, so raw. Like it only happened weeks ago not a YEAR ago.

And of course I didn't make it the entire 8 weeks in the hospital, though while I was there, living that moment, it felt like eternity. I made it just 3 weeks. And had I not been hospitalized and monitored so closely our girls would not be here today. Their cord accident was detected, their heart rates too low, and they were delivered. 12 weeks before they should've come into this world. But they were alive, and so BEAUTIFUL! God gave us the miracle we prayed for.

This year on Halloween we will be trick or treating, and handing out candy with ALL of our children. No fear, just fun, just us as a family.

She likes it...She REALLY likes it!

2006-10-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Madelyn ate her first full container of baby food! It was sweet potatoes, and she loved them. No gagging, no spitting it out, she ate them, and did such a good job. I couldn't believe that when I kept offering her bites she just kept opening, (willingly) and ate. Now we've tried sweet potatoes lots of times, and she'd eat them, but she's never eaten this well. She's actually doing better with solids than Katelyn! It's funny because K does so well with her bottles, & Mady is starting to do better with solids. They are complete opposites. I'm just so excited, this is a breakthrough people!!! I really hope she keeps it up and starts enjoying food. YAY MADY!!!

YUMMMMY!

Random picutres & baby news

2006-10-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Just some random pictures from the past week or two.

Katelyn having her first teething biscuit. Actually it was a baby cookie which I now know is different from a teething biscuit. She gagged horribly on it. It was way too soft for her.

Some brotherly love. Aaron hangin with Mady, watching blue's clues.

I don't know when it happened exactly but I've turned into Mom. Not mommy, not mama. And I get this look now with the MA-OM. Nice!

They've started fighting over toys. It's cute for now, but I know it's just a matter of time when it turns to screaming, and hair pulling!

So the well checks went well last week. It took about 2 hrs with their pediatrician and the nurse to get through it. But Dr. F is great about taking all the time we need. He never rushes us, in fact he took Mady out for a walk around the the clinic, and in his office for a bit. I love that he really LOVES the kids he works with. I'm so glad we've found that kind of Dr. that we will always have a great relationship with, and we trust.

Anyway...the girls wieghed in at 14 lbs 12 oz. for Katelyn, and 13lbs 10 oz. for Madelyn. Not so good for either one, especially not Mady. She's still not going up, but more to the side on her growth curve. But it was a gain so we'll take what we can get! Doc said Katelyn slowed a bit on her gaining too, but over all she's going in the right direction which is up on the curve.

They also both got their first flu shots, and checked out pretty well. We decided to up Mady's dose of prevacid (for her reflux) and also start her on a small dose of reglan. Hopefully this combo will help control her reflux better. It's gotten a bit out of control again. If this doesn't work we will discuss surgery to correct the problem. I guess we should know if it's working or not within a few weeks. She isn't vomiting as much, but is coughing, wheezing, and gagging a whole lot. We can tell it's causing her discomfort. Poor little thing.

Let's see what else...Mady's therapies are going well. She had PT yesterday, and got very tired out after 45 minutes. The sessions are supposed to go for an hour, but the last 15 minutes we just let her play, or I held her while the PT & I talked. I'm happy to report that she's now rolling both ways! Her PT was so happy to see her in action. We also worked on sitting techniques, and tried to get her to put wieght on her legs. She's showing some progress with sitting with minimal support, and she stays up for a short time, so long as she has support at her hips. Her OT (occupational therpaist) is coming on Friday. She's the one that is working with her feedings. Then it's therapy at Mighty Oaks for speech, which is for feeding and to begin signing, and get her working at making more noise. She's really trying hard with making sounds. She even said bababa a few times! Mostly it's lots of cooing, and raspberry noises. So CUTE!!! It's so awesome to hear her voice. For so long she was totally silent, not even able to cry. Now to hear her little squeeks, and frog like sounds, it's like music to my ears.

Thanks to everyone who gave me info on the baby signing. Thanks a ton to my awesome Grandpa, who is taking sign language and gave me this wonderful link http://www.lifeprint.com/ there's so much information there, and so I thought I'd share it. There's a link there for 100 first baby signs. So cool! Can't wait to get started.

I had a wonderful weekend and was able to work at my old job during a class with Ms. Karen Russell http://karenrussell.typepad.com/ Well, it's not really my old job since I DO still work there, just not like before. Now it's just every other weekend. And for those of you who don't know me, yes I'm a scrapbooker and that used to be my job. I managed a wonderful scrapbook store, and got to know my creative side in a whole new way. Not your typical scrapbooker here, more an artist that loves to play with paper glue, and pictures!

Peace!

Guess who learned how to crawl?!

2006-10-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here she is on the move! Katelyn learned how to crawl. It's been about a week now, and boy can she move. She first started out pulling herself with her arms (army style), and within 2 days she started being able to stay up on her knees. She's getting fast too. She can now be found in any room in the house at any point in time. I guess it's time to invest in some baby gates. Honestly I didn't think she'd get this down before her first birthday. She is just so determined, and she learns so fast. She loves her new freedom, and will crawl to the kitchen, or down the hall just because she CAN!

GOOFBALLS

2006-10-07T00:43:00.000-07:00

These boys are the biggest goofballs, Jacob's cheesiest grin! And notice Aaron with the toilet paper roll microphone in the background singing along to Johnny Cash! Is it weird that our 2 year old's favorite song is "burning ring of fire"?

just some more blah blah blah

2006-10-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

What's this 2 smiles at the same time?!!!

Ummm, does this look even the slightest bit cofortable? Notice Katelyn trying to steal her toy.
You'd think they'd be used to the camera by now, I mean I take pictures just about daily. "Mommy's turned into a freak again, what's that weird thing hanging off her face?"
Just thought I'd post some cute pictures of the girls, and a little update. Things are going pretty good around here. Still very busy, I think that will never change but I'd like to hope that it will get normal busy instead of crazy! Madelyn had her first session at mighty oaks children's therapy center. We met 2 new therapists, and they did another evaluation on her. It was nothing formal, just their own eval that they do for new patients. They saw her development everywhere from 0-3 months and some scattered skills in the 3-6 months range. I'm getting more used to hearing this, since this is her 3rd evaluation since august. I really liked these therapists, they were very thorough in their questions and obsevations. They are going to be seeing her every 2 weeks to begin with, since she is having OT through early intervention every week, and PT once a month, they don't want to overwhelm her. The speech therapist is going to start teaching her sign language pretty much right away. They said the sooner we start the better, and it is best to get the whole family involved. Katelyn will be learning it right along with Mady, and the rest of us will be taught through what I learn from the therapist. We also plan on getting some books, or dvds to help (if anyone knows of any good recommendations please let me know). Mady pretty much has a double wammy when it comes to speech. She is most delayed in her language skills (still is just barely cooing), and she also has the paralyzed vocal cord, making it difficult to make noise. Sign language will help her initially, and in the future if her voice never gets strong. The therapists also brought up the fact that it seems peculiar that she has left sided weakness in her extremities, and left sided vocal paralysis. Other therapists have mentioned this as well before. They asked if she'd ever had a brain scan or imaging done to rule out a nuerological problem like cerebral palsy (she has not). This of course got me going again thinking that she may have it. But overall they said since she has minor tonal issues it would probably be best to wait and see how the therapies work for her, then see where she's at in a few months. Whatever, I hate the phrase wait and see, but again it's something I'm totally getting used to hearing.

In Katelyn news, she's getting soooooo close to crawling. She's up on her knees a lot, and is trying so hard to figure out how to get herself to go. She can actually push off just a bit, which is giving her the desire to try even more, and even harder. It's going to be very very soon! She hasn't cut any teeth, so I don't know what's going on there. I really think she is teething, and has good days and bad days. Feedings have not been great with her, she won't take as much in her bottle, and is still completely refusing solids. I'm starting to worry that she really will never eat solids! We have the most success with bananas, and I can only dip the spoon in them, if she has any more than that on the spoon she throws up. She definitely has an oral aversion there, so we're trying some techniques that we've learned for Mady in her therapies, so hopefully Katy will benefit too, from some of what we do with Mady. I won't even get started on Mady's feedings. I am afraid to have her weighed next week, there is just no way she's gained adequate weight with what she eats. We'll see though, she may surprise me.

Well so much for a quick update! I guess I had more to report than I thought. Stay tuned, there's well check visits to report about next week! Hopefully I'll have something interesting to talk about when the day comes where there's no Dr. and therapy appts to fill my posts up with.

Bring on the teething

2006-10-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

Katelyn is teething. I am sure of it. She's been very very fussy today, and not eating a lot at once, just chewing on the nipple after a few ounces or so. She is currently fussing in her crib right now as a matter of fact. It's going to be a long night, and a long how ever long it takes for her teeth to come through. I'm sure Mady will be close behind on this milestone as well. I say bring it on! At least it's "normal baby stuff", I'm sure I'll be eating those words when both girls are screaming all night long. And so it begins, teething with 2 babies this time! Time for some motrin and some cuddling to get her back to sleep and comfy, and maybe a glass of wine for me! Wish me luck, as this new adventure begins!

Update..........(FINALLY)

2006-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

So much has happened with the girls over the past two weeks. We've had so many appointments, it's really been busy around here! The first news is that we heard back from our pediatrician about Katelyn's possible seizures. He said that he was pretty sure that they were seizures, so he sent us to OHSU for an appt. with a nuerologist. I took her last wednesday (along with our tape of the episodes), and they checked her out, and did an EEG. She looked so funny with all those wires sticking out of her head! She didn't like it at first and kept trying to get it all off, but after they wrapped her head with some bandages she was o.k. During her EEG she only did the weird siezure thing 2 times! During her EEG the Dr. reviewed the tape, and had to consult with 2 other nuerologists. They at first thought that the activity was a seizure disorder, but the EEG came back normal, so then they all started scratching their heads again. And can I just say when you have 3 nuerologists standing over your baby scratching their heads, it's SOOOOO NOT COMFORTING!!! They pretty much said we still aren't exactly sure what is going on with her, and they gave me a couple of possible diagnosis.

1: Is they think it could be an aura that one might experience before a migraine. Most people that experience an aura get a change in vision. Like distorted vision, seeing colored rings, or bright flashes. So I'm not convinced this is what it is, as she has upwards of 100 of these episodes a day!, and it's not vision related.

2: It could be a nuerological movement disorder called dystonia. It is the 3rd most common movement disorder after parkinsons disease. It can affect any muscles in the body, and causes them to stiffen up and spasam. They've not seen it in a baby as young as Katelyn is, so there is just little information out there, on babies who have this disorder.

They gave us a script for Topimax which is an anti-seizure/anti-migraine med. which she has to take daily. She has been on it for 4 days now, and I can definitely see a difference in her episodes. She's still having them, BUT they are occuring less frequently, and don't seem as extreme. So does that mean she was indeed having migraines, or that she is having seizures??? I DON'T KNOW!!! I'm still not entirely convinced that the activity is not seizures. During my own research I have read that absence seizures can be very tricky to diagnose, and may take several EEG's to show up. All I do know is that I'm glad they seem to be coming under control. We will be following up with Dr. F, the girls Ped. and depending on what he says, we may get another EEG. We also found out, that Katelyn had 2 hematomas (sp?) on her brain during her last head ultrasound in the NICU. I was furious that we were not told this information. They only told us that her ventricles were enlarged, and they needed to do a follow up after discharge. We had the follow up within a month of her coming home, and it looked to be normalizing again. So that's what's going on with Katelyn's episodes. Still no concrete diagnosis, and still lots of frustration for us.

The other big new concerns Madelyn. She has just started receiving her EI therpaies, which has consisted of OT & PT. They come out to our home for each visit, which is so cool! I can lay Aaron down for his nap, and Katy too, then the focus is on Mady where it should be. The PT didn't do much with her during their first visit, because the OT took up most of the time regarding her feeding issues. She spent 2 hours with Madelyn, and gave me lots of tips on how to get her feeding better. We've tried most of them, and so far no luck on that end, but it's still early so I'm very hopeful that she'll come around. We also have set up weekly feeding clinic appointments with an OT & ST. Those will be every thursday starting today. I'm excited, and apprehensive about the therapies. I'm so hopeful that she'll start making progress, but very fearful of the possibility that she won't and will have to have a G-tube. So Mady is pretty much in therapy mode right now. It's been crazy with so many therapies, and Dr. appts around here lately. Not to mention that RSV season is coming. So scary!!! They'll be given the monthly doses of synagis (sp?) incurring more trips to the ped. And we will be in lock down mode again this winter. Visitors only if no cold symptoms, and MUST WASH THEIR HANDS. Now that Jacob's in school full time it's scary how many germs he could be bringing home. Oh the joys of preemie parenting!

Now time for the fun stuff! The girls are learning so much. They continue to amaze us everyday!

Lets start with Mady: She is coming along with her motor skills. She's finally learned to pivot while playing on her tummy. She can go in a full circle! Of course the little stinker will only go to her right side (again showing preference to her right & weakness on her left). But she's really taking off, with her rolling and pivoting skills! She is cooing a bit more, and making razzing sounds. Very cute little raspy noises. She practices making her voice high & low pitched. So the OT said her skills are coming along the 4 months mark in language now. She still can not laugh, but smiles so big you know she wants to. She has started sleeping through the night on most nights, because she doesn't like to eat. I would wake her up after Katelyn but she just started refusing more and more, so now I just let her sleep. She is very playful and smiley all the time. She loves to shake her head back & forth (like no no). I think she likes the headrush she gets from it! And that about covers it for Miss Mady May!

Katelyn: Katy continues to roll & pivot very well. She can get pretty much get anywhere she wants to go by log rolling and pivoting. She's sitting well with minimal support, and with no support for about a minute or so then she flops over. She's getting very strong, and loves to jump while standing on our laps. She is eating bottles very well, but hasn't come around to solids yet, which by the way is very difficult since both girls have to be spoon fed their meds. She has added a lot more sounds to her vocabulary and can say dadada, & gagaga. She's become a good babbler. She still doesn't laugh consistantly, but has a handfull of times at Jacob. (Maybe we just aren't that funny to her). She does not sleep through the night and wakes up once to twice per night for a bottle. Her favorite thing to do is play on the floor where she has more freedom to move. She doesn't really like her snuggley chair as much anymore. She is a very good baby, and it's been so fun with her lately watching her play and interact.

cuteness...update soon!

2006-09-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Katelyn just hangin out. She is getting so big! 14 lbs 8 oz at their last weigh in. Getting smiles from her on camera is a rare occassion . I don't thin she likes the camera, she'll automatically stop smiling or whatever cute thing she's doing, and just stare at me like I'm some sort of freak.
I really love this one of Katy. She is getting so good at picking things up off the floor. I'm contantly checking to make sure all the little stuff is picked up, because she'll find it, and put it in her mouth.
Madelyn and HER kitten. We have adopted 3 cats, a momma and her 2 kittens that Ian found at his work. This little kitten adopted Mady. He loves her, and always snuggles up right by her. And if she's sleeping in her room, he often lays by the door waiting for her. It's so cute! Maybe they both hit it off so well because they're both the runts of the litter.
This is my new favorite picture of Madelyn. It really shows off her personality well. Too bad it's a little out of focus.

I'll post a more detailed update later tonight when I have more time. I have so much to report about the last 2 weeks.

Madelyn's EI evaluation & other news

2006-09-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Today we had Madelyn evaluated by a team from Early Intervention (EI), which is through the school district. It's essentially special education for children under 5 years old. They believe that treating issues EARLY in developmentally delayed children, or kids with other handicaps is better than the "wait & see" mantality that was used in years past. Since this is a service through the school district it is free to any child who qualifies. In order to qualify for services, the child has to show delays in 2 or more areas. They did a test similar to the Baley Scale Test that was used at OHSU. This test scored Madelyn a little better than the Baley Scale, she scored a bit better on this test for her motor skills, but still low on the congnitive skills. Her scores showed a delay in every area, so she qualifies for therapies. The issues that the Occupational Therapist (OT) & the Physical Therpaist (PT) saw are some weakness on her left side with a preference for using her right hand, poor trunk control, & weakness in both legs. All these things we already knew, and are glad to have someone validate the concerns we've been seeing, and we're really excited that something pro-active will be done about her issues. Madelyn will be getting OT & PT a few times per month, and then Speach will be thrown in when needed. The good news is that she's starting to make some progress on the things that she was WAY behind on back in early August. She's started making a bit more noise, and she's even started pivoting a bit while playing on her tummy. She still has quite a bit of work ahead of her to be able to "catch up", but we are very optomistic that she will with therapies.

In other news, both babies have their first head colds. It started last week with Aaron having some congestion with a bit of a cough. On Sunday the girls started with the runny noses, and today they had a bit of a cough. So far the worst part has been when they wake up with very crusty noses, and that Katelyn is fussy. Madelyn seems to be her same ole' happy girl self. Katelyn was extremely grouchy tonight, and screamed for about an hour non stop. She wanted to be held, but she was really stiff, and couldn't get comfy. She screamed in my arms for an hour before I finally just had to let her cry it out in her bed for the first time. It only took her 8 minutes to fall asleep, and all 8 of those minutes she was screaming while I watched the clock. It killed me not to go in & pick her up, but it worked. We'll see how the night goes. Hopefully she'll be able to sleep well.

The girls are now also sleeping in seperate cribs. Their first night was last night and they did very well. They love having a whole bed to themselves, and actually slept a lot better. Now I'm thinking, why didn't we do this sooner?!

Jacob has lost his 2nd baby tooth! It happened last night during dinner. Unfortunately the tooth fairy forgot to visit our house last night!!! I know, I know, worse mother of the year award goes to me!!! I had to think of something fast @ 6:00 a.m. when he came in to wake me up screaming that the tooth fairy forgot him! I don't think I've ever felt more awful! I told him that since he lost his tooth so late in the evening, the tooth fairy already had her list of kids to visit made out for the night, and that there's a 24 hr waiting list for kids to be visited by the tooth fairy. Thankfully it worked, and the tooth fairy WILL be visiting for sure tonight! With an extra dollar! Maybe she should make it an extra couple bucks for the completely disappointed look that Jacob's mommy had to see thismorning.

We still haven't heard from our Ped. about Katelyn's weirdness. I will be calling and "stalking" him tomorrow morning for news.

And that's a wrap! For now anyway.

Not so flattering pictures

2006-09-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is Katelyn having one of her "episodes". We call them episodes because we aren't quite sure what they are yet, if anything. We're a bit concerned that it's a mild seizure that is happening to her several times a day. When I say several she probably does this close to 100 times a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. It's hard to see exactly what's going on in the photographs, but basically, she turns her head to the side, and gets a blank look on her face & her eye and check seem to stiffen up, and spasam. This only occurs on the left side of her face. She is definitely not intending on doing it, and I can not even duplicate it to show someone what it looks like. She doesn't seem to notice when she does it, and it only lasts 5-15 seconds. There are times where she'll do it over & over again, back to back to back. Whatever is occuring looks very unnatural, and I can only describe it as odd. We have video taped several of these episodes, and given the tape to her pediatrician. We haven't heard from him yet, as to wether we should be alarmed and do some tests, or if it's just some weird facial twitch. These pictures posted completely out of sequence but the top & bottom picutres are during the "episode", and the middle ones are as she is "normalizing" again. I am only posting these pictures to see if anyone can offer any insight on what could be going on. I've never seen a baby do this before, so if anyone can offer me some peace of mind, please do so. Just another confusing thing to worry about!

Will they ever like solids?!

2006-09-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to wonder if these girls are EVER going to like eating solids. So far we've had no luck with rice cereal, or any orange veggies which is what they say you should start with. They just don't like any of it AT ALL. I get gagging, spitting, tongue thrusting, and lots of bitter faces. Mady is definitely the worst, she won't swallow ANY of even the smallest little bite. Katelyn doesn't like it, but she'll at least swallow some here & there. But she usually ends up in tears after a few bites in. I don't know if I should try fruit mixed with veggies to see if that'll get them to eat or what? My boys pretty much liked most solids after getting used to the new texture, they both took to eating pretty well. I just don't know what to do. Should I be stressing about this? Is it too early to worry about it? Right now Katelyn has been waking a lot more to eat at night, only going 3-4 hrs at a time again. This tells me she needs more in her diet, but she won't have anything to do with it. I'm going to try some green veggies, probably peas first, but I doubt they'll like that either.
I just don't want them getting hooked on fruits before veggies, fearing that's all they'll eat (if they like it that is). I just hope this isn't the start of poor eating habits for them. I mean they're so small already, and if all I can get them to eat is formula then what does that mean for their eating in the future? They are both on higher calorie preemie formula which is fortified to add even MORE calories. Madelyn gets even more because she does'nt eat as well, and the thick it we have to use adds more calories to her bottles. So thankfully they seem to be gaining weight, though slowly.
They are 6.5 months adjusted, so maybe it's still just too soon for them. I hope that we find something they like SOON though, so that way at least I feel that they are moving along, and making progress. I know sometimes you have to intoroduce the same food several times before they decide they like it, so maybe they just aren't sure what to make of it yet. In the meantime, at least they are gaining weight, and these faces they make sure are amusing.

First day of 1st grade

2006-09-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Our first baby has started 1st grade today. Jacob was so excited for this day to come. For weeks he counted down..."only such & such days till school starts Mommy" he'd say. He really enjoyed his time off this summer by playing with friends, fishing with dad, playing X box, swimming in our backyard pool, watching a bit too much t.v. But he LOVES school! Of course I am very glad that he really enjoys school, and is super excited about being there...BUT, today was very hard for me in a totally different way than when he started pre-school or kindergarten. Today it REALLY hit me that my baby is growing up, he's not a little 3 year old boy anymore, he's becoming a BIG KID!!! He had a bit of the 1st day jitters when I took him into his class. I smiled & told him he was going to have such an awesome time, stayed with him for about the first 10 minutes of class, getting him settled. Then off I went leaving my baby behind, of course crying as I walked back to the van. Heck I'm still crying this evening. I'm very surprised at how emotional I've been today. I guess I just kinda feel like it's the end of an era. My time with him being home with me as a little guy is now officially over, and now his days will be filled with school, friends, homework and undoubtedly less Mommy time. When I picked him up today, I was so happy to hear about how those 1st day jitters quickly changed to lots of fun & excitement, he told me lots of details of all the new experiences he'd had today. Making new friends, meeting a new teacher, reccess, eating lunch in the cafeteria for the 1st time, reccess, rules, oh & did I mention reccess? I know I'll get over this little pitty party I'm having for myself today, which by the way was completely overshadowed by all the celebrating we did for Jacob. I just wish time didn't go by so damn fast! I wish I could freeze it for a bit, and keep him my little 3 year old boy who only had eyes for his Mamma. Here's to growing up! Jacob your daddy & I couldn't be more proud of you, and the sweet young man you are growing into. We love you!!!

6 months adjusted

2006-08-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

The babies are 9 months old already! I just can't believe in just 3 months from now we'll be celebrating their 1 year birthday. Time is really going by fast. Since they're 9 months old chronologically that means they're actually supposed to be 6 months old. They have been learning so much lately, they just amaze us everyday! Here's some things that they are each doing:

Katelyn: Katy is getting very big, I'm guessing she's close to 14 lbs now. She's is VERY active, and is army crawling, rolling everywhere she wants to go, and is almost sitting up without any support. She still can sit very well with the boppy pillow for support. She's becoming very vocal, and is making lots of new sounds. We always joke that she's extra loud to over compensate for her sissy's lack of voice. She's eating about 25 oz of formual per day. She still wakes up at least once per night for food, and a few others for her binky. Her personality is really starting to take shape, and we can tell that she's definitely going to be the "drama queen". She loves attention, and loves to be held. Her favorite things to do include rolling all over the place, playing with anything she can see her reflection in, playing games like pat-a-cake, or jumping while I hold her. And her most favorite thing is her hands. She loves to look at them, and does so often. She also likes to look at our hands too, and will play with our fingers. She is also in love with her sissy, and is very aware, and interested in her. There are times that she'll get crabby and we can't figure out what's bothering her, but if we lay her next to Mady she'll calm right down. It's very cool to watch her interact with Madelyn. She may only be 1 minute older, but she really does act like the older sister. Katelyn is a very determined baby, and when she sets her sights on something she wants she figures out how to do it. We are very proud of Miss Katelyn and are thrilled to see her make such HUGE amounts progress. She's such a blessing.

Madelyn: Little Miss Mady is just such a sweetie! She is over-all the more mellow of the 2 babies, and has a very laid back, go with the flow kind of personality. Her favorite things to do include; stressing Mommy & Daddy out, watching her brothers play, watching the t.v. and her newest favorite thing is sitting like a big girl in her Bumbo Baby seat. She's still learning to roll consistently, and can do it pretty well now. She is still only rolling from her back to tummy, and only to her right side...but she's gotten close to going from belly to back a few times. We can really tell how hard she tries to acheive new things, and are sure that when her therapies start, she'll begin to make more progress. She is also getting much better at transferring small objects like her binky from hand to hand, and is also getting very good at putting things in her mouth. She loves to kick, and is starting to payback Katy for all those kicks in the head. Last week Mady weighed in at 12 lbs 12 oz. She is currently eating about 15-18 oz of formula per day. She's very stubborn when it comes to eating, and will sometimes go 12 or more hours at a time without eating! STINKER!! Feedings really have to be on her terms now, and she will only eat if she's REALLY hungry. No more waking her to eat right after Katelyn at night, she is now marching to the beat of her own drum. She'll go from refusing to eat one minute to absolutely starving & hysterical the next. One thing that has let us know just how smart she is, is when she cries now, she blows rasberries to make noise. She's figured out how to get attention in her own way, since her cry is still very weak, though I must say it has slightly improved. She tries very hard to make noises, but mostly just sounds like a gremlin. It's so cute, and pitiful at the same time. Madelyn is very unique, and we are so blessed to have her. She is such a happy baby, and loves to smile. We are so proud of her!

So that's pretty much the jist of it, they are changing so much, and it's so fun to see them develop their own little personalities. We are all enjoying them so much!

In case you can't tell Katelyn is on the left, Madelyn on the right! :) I'll post more pictures over the weekend!

Aaron the ENTERTAINER

2006-08-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

This kid just makes me smile :)

Aaron is such a great little entertainer. He LOVES to play his harmonica. He actually loves to play any instrument, and loves rock music. Ian & I think he's going to be a musician. He always expects applause at the end of a performance, he loves it when we cheer real loud & clap.
The babies always give him their undivided attention.

He's just been such a ham tonight, playing with the babies, trying to get them to laugh at him. He played Peek-A-Boo, and made silly faces. These girls are a tough crowd though, and didn't laugh, but he got plenty of big smiles from them. They just love to watch their big brother Aaron play, he intrigues them so. He's such the little entertainer!!!

Play on dude!