By Request

It's already March and spring is on its way, I hear--though no sign of it with all the snow we've been getting. It's about this time that we're all finished with winter--even those of us like me who love the snow--and are ready to see some green!! We did manage to get our own peek of spring down in Florida last month. We drove all three kids down to Orlando in the minivan to visit Mickey Mouse at Disney World. We had a great time, enjoyed the 70-something degree weather, got photos with Winnie the Pooh...then got the flu. I was the first one sick, then Adam. He really didn't get it until the night before we left, but on the way home he just kept getting worse and worse. We drove with only a seven hour stop at a hotel to get some sleep and by Saturday afternoon when we pulled in, it was time to take Adam to Urgent Care. They gave him some breathing treatments, but didn't like his oxygen sats, so they sent him to the hospital ER by AMBULANCE. I had to sit back there with him--he had wide eyes and didn't make a peep the whole time. When they hooked him up, he was doing fine, so they kept him a bit for observation, then sent us home. Of course, Eleanor got sick then, too, and it took almost 2 weeks for all of us to recover completely. Whew.
But back to Disney...Eleanor really showed her adventurous streak. She went on every ride that her small staure allowed--including the Haunted Mansion. Afraid? Not for a second. She didn't want to sit on my lap--she needed her own seat, thank you very much. Adam did not like the rides at all, not even the calm one, and would sit on my lap while I recited his favorite books in his ear. He did love the characters and the firewoks and the parades--just something about the rides. THe photos here are all from Disney.
Both of the twins are doing well. Eleanor has a vast vocabulary of words and is starting to put them together. She says thank you and please, and gives you a "stinker look" when she knows she's doing something she's not supposed to do. Adam is just starting to talk--he's been going to Early On for some help in that area. He says Mama, book, ball, bubble. This has all happened is a short period of time, so I'm hoping he starts adding wording more quickly now. He loves to do puzzles and both of them constantly bring books to us to read. His absolute favorite thing, though is the Playhouse Disney website. He can sit there with us for an hour and play the games, watch the videos, and listen to the songs.
Sorry I don't update much--I just don't think of it anymore, but I'll try to every once in awhile for those of you out there still reading! Thanks!

Naked Tushie

Yes, it's true, Adam has become a guy. Pants, diapers...they've become superfluous to Adam. I mean, isn't "au naturale" better, after all?? The kid is taking off his pants, diapers, and even his shirt once in awhile. One day I put them back on three times before realizing the only way I was going to win this game was to put overalls on him. But we only have three pairs of overalls! In the interest of all involved, I'm not posting any pictures of the little stripper in action, but I'm sure you can imagine the fun we're having. THank goodness the fun hasn't involved any dirty diapers, if you know what I mean.
Adam is still a skinny bean at 25 pounds, and he refuses to eat any table food beyond Cheetos and breadsticks/crackers. So he's still eating mostly baby food--though at least it's the level 3 stuff with the little chunks in it. Since Eleanor has started eating chicken nuggets and cheese and poptarts (though not a lot of all of it...I think she's kind of flattened out at about 27 pounds or so) I've realized how much easier that is and can't wait for him to become a little more enthusiastic.
Adam has been sick with a cold twice already, and Eleanor once. The good news is we didn't have to go to the doctor! They just got over them on their own. Beleive me, I was tempted, but I realized they were doing ok and a little cough here and there isn't the end of the world. Adam has decided he loves to play Ring Around the Rosey, so whenever we start singing, he gets this big ol' grin on his face and starts spinning around. (He likes to play by himself). Of course he gets dizzy, so he really falls down during the "we all fall down" part of the song.
Last night we went to Halloween at Greenfield Village. Wow, it was impressive! Alex was a farmer and the twins were a chick and a horse. Cute, eh? I've included some photos from the last few weeks. Happy Halloween!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Adam and Eleanor!!

Ok, so I still need to get around to the Adam photos...but here are some new ones of the twins' second birthday yesterday. It's hard to believe two years have gone by. They got wonderful gifts from their grandmas, aunts, and uncles. Playing on the trampoline in our backyard was a big hit...and they even got to play with their younger cousin.










Jim is busy putting together a little car and a Little Tikes slide/swing playhouse for the kids today. Eleanor needed an early nap and it looks like Adam is heading that way, too. No surprise after having colds all week and such a busy day yesterday! And yay! the twins' first cold that did not require a doctor visit. Happy Birthday sweeties...Mommy loves you.

Eleanor Photos

Hi everyone! Here are some new Eleanor photos for you. She is wearing the very stylish floppy brimmed hat we got for her in Las Vegas. She loves to be pretty and calls the hat her, "Tah!" Hat spelled backward...ok, that'll work.
She also says CAA! or Caah-kee for cookies, crackers, or cereal. Uh-oh!, ball, and Bubbub (bottle) are other words she's saying. She has a version of mommy and daddy--but they don't sound--well, like mommy and daddy. We're working on it.
She climbs on everything and especially likes to stand on top of the little table we got for them from IKEA. It's easier to see her and therefore pay attention to her there, you know. Probably the cutest thing she does right now is how she responds to, "No!" If she's getting into something that she shouldn't. We say no! she stops, smiles, and then claps for herself. This comes from me praising her when she listened to me saying no at first. Now she does it every time. She also loves to pile pillows, toys, blankets, and stuffed animals on top of her on the couch and sit there like that, having little conversations with the animals. She holds them by the back of their necks and pretends they are talking. Next entry will be about Adam. I looked at all the cute photos of him and realized he had food on his face in them! I added one of them, just 'cause I couldn't NOT post a picture of him...but more next time. (I guess the good news there is that he's eating!) Adam weighs about 24.5 pounds now and Eleanor weighs 26.5 pounds. She's wearing 2T's now--except in pants--she's just too short for them. Adam is a couple inches taller than Eleanor so is still quite thin, though is at about the 10th percentile now. That's fine with me! He can wear 18 month pants in the waist--but they are too short. All of this means sewing--or more likely rolling--their pants this fall.

Photos!

It's Been Forever

I thought I'd update the blog for those of you who are still checking, and maybe to surprise those of you who had given up hope that I would post again! Adam and Eleanor are doing well overall. Both of them are walking, although Eelanor is much more steady and can get herself to standing in the middle of a room, whereas Adam still needs to pull up on something. Good news on the eating front: Adam is much happier eating now and hasn't thrown up in ages. In fact, the pictures I've included show both kids eating goldfish crackers. Eleanor's favorite food is ice cream. She makes a hilarious face as we feed it to her...her eyes close and it's like she's seeing a little bit of heaven. Adam loves cookies--in fact the first "real food" he ate was part of an Oreo. He even will take the cookie apart and eat the center first before chowing down on the rest of it. Eleanor's "stinker" personality has continued to flourish. She climbs on everything possible and is often found behind a chair in the family room ripping up some paper she found. She climbs on tables and sits right in the center of them. Not that she likes attention or anything. Adam is much easier to please. Recently, he wants to be picked up every time one of us passes by him. When his little arms go up and I pick him up over the gate he actually giggles, laughs, and shrieks with joy. What a mommy's boy :) He loves to climb the stairs and wander around the main floor, often ending up at the piano to bang out a few "chords". Neither of the kids are talking yet. Eleanor does make a lot of sounds and talks to her stuffed animals in some language she and the bears apparently understand. Adam makes several sounds, but hasn't really gotten the whole language idea yet. He will be going in soon to have his hearing tested, just to make sure that isn't the issue. Right now, Eleanor weighs just over 25 pounds and Adam is a couple ounces away from 23 pounds. I will try to update a little more regularly in the future! (I have to figure out how to download photos off our camera on our new computer, so as soon as Jim comes home, I'll post the new photos)

Some New Photos

Just in case anyone is worried...The sock in Adam's mouth had just come out of the wash--I was folding clothes :) The look on Eleanor's face in the photo with Jim captures her personality perfectly, the little stinker!

Slow and Steady Progress

(Pictures soon!)
Well, we aren't ready for Christmas. Not even close. We're even doing a fake tree this year, which I've always called, "Going to the dark side." But with the little ones around, I just can't chance that they will end up kneeling on sharp little needles. I think the tree will be done tonight, but we'll see. Adam has been doing much better. He isn't throwing up nearly as much and his weight has started going up again. After the November he has, this is good news. We're starting occupational theraly for him on Thursday to help him enjoy eating more. We'll see--I just can't believe that anything will help. The hypo-allergenic formula is gone now, too, since it really wasn't doing anything and he's eating yogurt and ice cream. I don't even care about the sugar--just get this kid some calories! Today is our pediatric neurology appointment. I've been watching Adam and his hands and arms and legs twitch/jerk while he's sleeping, particularly in the 20 minutes when he first falls asleep and the few minutes before waking up. I don't know if this is going to end up as anything (Jim and Dan both think he's fine) but I'd rather talk to the doctor. I think since he was born at 23 weeks, the doctors want to check out everything. The pediatric GI also wants to do an edoscopy on Adam which is an outpatient procedure under anathesia. This is because of our trip to the ER when Adam had blood in his vomit. I'm REALLY nervous about putting Adam under, so for as long as he is keeping his food down, I'm going to put it off. I hope that's the right choice... So much has been going on with Adam and has been concerning me that I haven't made much time for the blog. On the flip side, Adam is crawling everywhere and can go from crawling to sitting and sitting to crawling now. He LOVES to crawl through the tunnel we got at IKEA. If Alex is at one end of it, both of them will shriek with delight!
Eleanor is quite the little stinker--but with the most gorgeous smile, so no one can ever get even slightly irritated by anything she does. She does not want to walk at all and we thought for sure she would want to walk by Christmas. I think she can get where she's going so quickly crawling that she has no interest in walking since it takes so darned long. She has begun climbing the stairs, so baby gates are up in full force. We unfortunately had to give away our dog yesterday (Alex reads this, if you know what I mean...) because she was becoming a danger. She never so much as gave the babies a mean look, but she chased a jogger down the street the other day and it was really the last straw for poor Buffy. It was a very sad day, nonetheless, since we picked her out as a 6 week old puppy and everything. Now, though, the babies can crawl into the kitchen, so we will be investing in cupboard locks. A friend of mine has some magnetic ones that you use a little "key" to open. Has anyone had any luck with those? You don't have to drill into the cupboard doors. Hope everything is going well for all of you and that your Christmas is coming together better than ours!

Long Time No Write

Well, hopefully everyone is still reading the blog even though I've taken almost a month off from updates :) A lot has happened so I'll try to cover it all without going on and on. Most of the reason that I have been absent is because of my worry about Adam. Since the end of October, I've been concerned on and off that he hasn't been acting like himself. There was about a week there where he was quiet and a little zoned, and then has come back to be more of our little smiler recently. The pediatricians have looked at him a couple times, done blood work, and determined that he must have had a virus.
He still has a rash right now that they think is part of a virus as well. I hope that is it and I won't have to continue to worry, at least at this level, for much longer. His gross motor and vocalization have both really taken off in the last month.
He is crawling all over the place now and prefers to stand holding on to whatever is the right level. He can't pull himself up to stand yet, but I'm sure that will come soon. It looks like he's decided to make up some lost time. The only place he hasn't made up any time is in the weight category. He was throwing up like a madman there for about a week, so we've stayed steady at 19 pounds 5 ounces. There was a 7 week baby in the pediatricians office today who weighed 14 pounds. Are you kidding me???? Anyway, to sum it all up, I'm still pretty concerned about him, even though my fabulous husband and brother-in-law who I've mentioned before both think he looks fine. I'll keep you posted.
Eleanor is talking quite a bit and I am hoping that she will be saying "mama" and "dada" and meaning it soon. She is a proficient crawler and likes to take the most difficult path to wherever she is going for the obstacle course effect. She can do circles around the house now, and pulls up on every piece of furniture avaliable. I have to watch her like a hawk because hardwood floors can be slippery. We've had to do another round of babyproofing just to make sure little fingers can't reach all of the wires with the XBox, etc.
We didn't do any Christmas decorating this weekend like we should have, so it looks like we'll be doing a little bit here and there. I can't help but love Christmas time...it's a great time to be thankful for my perfect little ones and their health. I know during our time in the NICU there were so many people out there who prayed for us and for Adam and Eleanor that we couldn't help but feel the overwhelming sense of love. For those of you who prayed for us who are reading this now, I have a request. Could you please pray for a my best friend's sister's little girl...She is only 4 years old and has been to the oncologist and it looks like she has some kind of cancer. They will be starting chemotherapy soon. I can't understand how such awful things can happen to such sweet innocent children. Please, please keep Madison in your thoughts and prayers--it looks like we're asking for another miracle.

Kissy Kissy

Even though today was actually Elenaor and Adam's second Halloween, it really seemed like their first. Last year they were in the NICU and had just had their first picture taken together. They were just over a month old and had these little pumpkin hats that someone had knitted for them. Adorable, yes--but HUGE. So we taped them and rolled them up and the twins had their first taste of Halloween.

It's funny, I thought they looked so big in the photo from last year, but really they were still scary tiny. This year, the Hershey's Kiss costumes fit much better! Just for the record, Eleanor was 21 pounds 4 ounces last I weighed her, so she barely fits into the costume. Who knew that when I bought them in August (I was a little excited) that she would be that big a couple months later.

We live on a street with only about 10 houses, so we just stuck to a few houses there for trick-or-treating, then Alex who was a chef this year, went on to do the real heavy duty stuff with his dad and cousins. Alex only likes to wear costumes that are of real people. He's been a baseball player, a doctor, and now a chef. I wouldn't care if he wanted to be all scary and monster-like but he just doesn't like it. One of these days he's going to want to be a mummy or something difficult and I'm going to be sorry I mentioned it!

When Alex comes home, he separates out all the candy he doesn't like--which incidentally is all the really good stuff--and donates it to his dad and me. Then he makes long lines of each type to make a sort of bar graph on the floor. He's going to be just like his dad and LOVE math. Adam and Eleanor were not that excited about this whole dressing up idea and would have much rather been playing on the family room floor. I don't know why, but Adam was engrossed in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Perhaps it's because on more than one occasion, family members have called him "Chuck" noting his similar apppearance to one Charlie Brown. Hee hee.
Last year's Halloween photo:

It's Always Adam

The last week or so, we've noticed Adam's right eye crossing in sometimes--not all the time, but it never has before so it was noticeable. At first I thought I was seeing things, just because I thought we had already passed by the eye issues for the time being, but when my Dr. brother-in-law came over to check out Eleanor (she got a rash on her chest which I'm pretty sure is from the MMR vaccine) he said something about his eye.

So I called and got an appointment right away and sure enough, his right eye is definitely crossing in sometimes. Poor kid--everything that happens seems to happen to him while Eleanor just cruises along. The doctor gave us a few eye patches for him and I just ordered some other cute ones online and we have to keep his good eye (left) patched for 2 hours a day. Sounds like no big deal. Two hours--not so bad. Then you try to put the thing on him. I have started putting it on during his first nap so when he wakes up it's already there and isn't as bothersome to him. It seems to be working. We go back to see the doctor is 6 weeks and we'll see if there has been progress. She did say that for him we could try glasses before talking about any corrective surgery. I hope these patches work. Also, Adam started acting funny about a week ago. Just foggy and less happy and responsive than his usual self. I called the ped GI and asked if there were any side effects to Prevacid. The nurse said she had never heard of this side effect so it must not be it. He didn't get any better three days later so I took him in to the pediatrician and she agreed with me that the only thing that had changed during this time was the Prevacid and to cut his dose down to half. Three days later, Adam is his old self again. I knew that was it. I don't understand why some doctors don't listen to parents--I watch my kids like a hawk, and I know their behaviors. It's like if it hasn't happened before, it can never happen. Say a little prayer for Adam if you think about it.
Eleanor has decided that she is one-year-old and shut up about this adjusted balogna. A and E have this Fischer-Price house they got from us for their birthday and she loves to play with it! She opens and closes the window over and over, she turns the light on and off, and she presses the buttons to hear the weather. She also pulls herself up on the door and the drain spout and giggles, just to make sure everyone around looks at her. I've caught her kind of waving, but not at the correct times, so I'll have to see what that turns into. She has cruised from the exersaucer to the couch and moved a couple steps down the side of the couch. SHe has also let go of whatever she is holding on to for 3 or 4 seconds and just stood there before crashing to the ground. I can't believe how quickly she is advancing from one milestone to the next. Anyone want to place bets on the day she takes her first step? We're pretty sure it will be by Christmas.
Sorry for the delay in posting...Alex and I have been sick. We think he may have pneumonia. He has a chest x-ray tomorrow, so I'll let you know.

The Continuing Adventures of Puke Man

For the most part, this week has been uneventful. At our house, that is happy news! Jim and I got to go out to a friend's wedding last Saturday and even came home after midnight. Both grandmas babysat and Adam didn't even throw up for them. The Prevacid has been a pain in the neck so far. Adam won't take it mixed with water since he has texture issues with thin liquids. So in the end, it was actually starting to make him throw up more than he was before--plus we had to give him 2 or 3 pills before any of it stayed in him for more than 30 seconds. I called the nurse and she said go ahead and dissolve it and mix it in the a whole container of baby food if that's what it takes. We may not notice a difference immediately, but he's on a BIG dose (15mg 2x a day) so it should still be fine. The jury is still out on this stuff. It may not help the vomiting, but at least it won't burn his esophogus. The good news is that he weighed 19 pounds this morning. He's holding tight to the 3rd percentile (unadjusted). Strangely enough, I'm still as worried as I've always been about him. I looked at what the 50th percentile is for weigh of a 1 year old boy. Twenty-three pounds! I shouldn't have looked. In other stress-out-Michelle-news, I noticed little lumps on Adam's neck tonight and flipped out. We called my brother-in-law the pediatrician (isn't that the BEST?!) and he came over and looked at him. There are actually little lumps under his armpits and on the back of his head, too--wherever there are lymph nodes. We think this might be a small reaction to the MMR vaccine he received about 10 days ago. Thank goodness he came over and calmed me down. Thanks, Dan!
Eleanor has become a little giggle queen. She giggles all the time now. At the TV, at Alex smiling at her, at a paper plate we gave her to play with while we tried to eat dinner, at her dad walking by in the hallway. I love seeing her so happy.

I had gone to get her bath ready and when I came back, this is what I found--the little stinker standing right up in her crib. A year ago yesterday she had her PDA surgery on her heart. When I look at the pictures, it's just incredible how much both of them have accomplished in such a short amount of time. This is Eleanor one year ago with my hand. Can you believe she was already on a cannula at only 3 1/2 weeks? She's been going beyond what was expected of her from the very beginning.

Her favorite thing to do is to pull herself up on the end table and reach like crazy for my iPod, or pull herself up on the exersaucer while Adam is in it and play "Who Can Hold on to the Toy the Longest". Another preemie mom, Kim (see Ava and Jackson's blog!) mentioned that kids this small aren't supposed to play together--they more or less do their own thing and bump into one another once in awhile. But her twins who are several months ahead of Adam and Eleanor are doing the same thing, only more involved. The research must be different for twins because they are obviously interacting while at play.
This is Adam one year ago on his best friend and worst enemy, the CPAP. He was on CPAP forever.

When I take a good look at those photos I realize that it's no wonder the little guy doesn't like anything on his head or in his mouth--look at all that stuff! I can't believe how far he's come.


Note from Adam to Cole: Hey, Cole, you gotta get yourself a pair of these flannel lined courderoy overalls my grandpa and nana bought for me. I look like I just packed on an extra five pounds. I hoping they won't make me eat for a day or two this way. What?? You live in Arizona?? Shoot, maybe you could make them into shorts...

It's Snowing!

The high today is supposed to be 39--I was already excited about that. But then, this morning, is snowed! I don't mean a few little flakes in the air either--they were those big, wet, stick to the bushes kind of snowflakes. (This is out my back door.)

I was so excited I took pictures. Eleanor thought it was quite interesting and kept jumping up and down on my lap shrieking. Guess she takes after me. Adam could have cared less and continued to try to stuff the yellow box that comes with the shape sorter into his mouth. But it put me in such a good mood. Then it snowed twice more. WooHoo! Of course it's melted already, but I'll take it anyway. Good thing I already bought Alex a winter coat to wear to school...
Not much new news. Adam has a discolored tooth coming in. It's on the top to the side. It looks like it will be a yucky brown color. I called the doctor and although the nurse kinda flipped and made an appointment right way, it's really nothing. Since he was on TPN (total parenternal nutrition) for several weeks when he was born before he was able to digest milk, he ended up with high direct bilirubin levels. High indirect bilirubin results in jaudice and can be taken care of with the bili-lights. Direct bilirubin isn't the same and can only decrease by digesting food. I remember this was a careful balance in the NICU of the bilirubin levels and when he was old enough to be tube fed. Anyway, the high levels can cause damage to the baby tooth buds and cause them to be discolored. He may have more teeth like this, he may not. Eleanor may also have the same thing happen. The good news is that it's temporary and their adult teeth will be fine. With all the problems we could have, this one isn't one to worry about, so I was quite relieved!

Can I complain about insurance once more? The RSV shots were finally approved. Great. For the last week, I've been trying to fill Adam's Prevacid prescription. BCN (grrr...I love my insurance from teaching, which of course I don't have right now) says they won't fill it and to try Prilosec OTC. Did anyone bother to look to see that he's one?? Here Adam, will ya just pop this pill real quick for Mommy? So I had to go through a bunch of red tape for the last week. I called this morning and it was finally approved so we picked it up this afternoon. I was so excited to finally give this stuff to Adam thinking maybe we'll at least see an improvement. So what does he do with the first dose? Throws it right up. Thank you, Mr. Miller, for teaching me irony in 9th grade.