Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

First thing, I've obviously been messing with my blog. When I open it you can see the font just fine. Please let me know if you ever have a problem reading it. If you know me or have seen nursery pictures, then you know that I have been all about some pink and blue and brown polka dots. When I saw this background I just had to have it!

Secondly, this has been the quietest week we've had in a long time! Not a single appointment or person coming to the house. We had two scheduled for this week, OT and the deaf and hard of hearing teacher, but both got cancelled. I'm not really sure when the last time we had a completely free week was.

But we did get to have a little fun this week. Last Saturday we went to the NC Chili Championship and Rubber Duck Regatta. This was a March of Dimes event. We got to taste a lot of chili and none of our 20 ducks won the regatta. The weather was nice and we all enjoyed a day out of the hosue.

Tuesday we went to town and ran some errands. Did a little birthday shopping for a special person named GrandBob. Happy Birthday GrandBob!!! The kiddos can't wait to see you tomorrow and give you their present. After our errands we went out for lunch and both kids sat in big kid high chairs! It was the first time for Lindy and only the second time for Will. I never have my camera when we eat out so I've yet to get pictures of this. They are pretty cute! Lindy slid down a bit but otherwise did good.

Wednesday we got out for a little park date with Mary Allen, Conner, and Tyler. We met at a park in King and got to have a picinic lunch. It was nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air. It was a little windy from the recent nor'easter we've had blow through but it was otherwise a perfect fall day. The kids got to swing again and enjoyed it just as much this time.

Thursday we had a special visitor come see us. Cheri, one of our favorite NICU nurses, came to visit the babies! She was one of Will's primary nurses and we have missed her. I have recently been watching some of the video tapings I made while in the NICU and Cheri's voice was on there a few times. She was my videographer for the first time I ever held Will and the first time Lindy got a bottle. Cheri was always the best for letting us pick Will up while she changed his bed sheets. We got to 'hold' him like that quite a few times when she was around and we loved it! She brought the babies a really cool new toy for their birthday and she brought me some yummy streusel cakes! She remembered they are one of my favorite snacks. She's so sweet. We loved our visit with her. When you spend 9 hours every day hanging around the NICU for a few months you get to know the nurses. Of course you are happy to get your babies home but you do kind of miss those people when you leave! We hope we get to see her again soon. We'd love to see some of our other nurses sometime too!

That wraps up our week. It was all fun this week for us. I even got to go to town to do a bit of shopping today while Drew watched the babies. He's been letting me get away from the house for a day in town every couple weeks. I really need these breathers and he's been great about letting me go. What a great guy! I was on the hunt for jackets (lightweight and winter) today. Didn't seem to really find what I was looking for. Those of you with kids, where do you get your jackets?

Have a great weekend. If the weather clears up tonight/tomorrow then the babies will be attending their second Wake Forest game tomorrow. Go Deacs!

Without further ado, this week's pictures.

Will obviously thought he needed to help out with Lindy's bath.

The chili championship.

This is the best picture to sum up how Lindy feels about Will. She LOVES him! She always smiles at him when he gets near her. No matter if he is taking her toys or pacifier, knocking her glasses off, or whacking her in the head, she usually just smiles at him. She loves her little brother!
Another new outfit!
Lindy's newest smile. She squeezes her eyes shut, looks down, and smiles. It's so cute but makes it hard to get pictures of her smiling!
This one is the devil in disguise. Can't you just see his mischevious grin!
Nurse Cheri and the babies.

The babies playing with the toy Cherri got them. It's perfect for them. How did she know that I had been wanting this toy?
Have you ever seen Lindy in a pair of zip-up pajamas? NOPE. That's because she wore her first pair this week. Last winter she could never wear them because she always had a sensor on her foot that told us her oxygen saturations. There was nowhere for the cords to come out in zippered pajamas. But since we are oxygen and cord free these days, she can wear pajamas with zippers. It's the little things that you take for granted but that make me excited!
A couple of caged monkeys!
More new outfits! Sadly Will's is already too small. He had his high water pants on today.

Bluegrass and New Hearing Aides

We have had a good week. They go by so quickly. Thanks for all the comments. It is nice to know people are still reading. I wasn't going to continue on if no one was reading! I'm glad we have our regulars and I so wish I knew who all the anonymous people were :)

Last Sunday we took a little family adventure to Greensboro to listen to some bluegrass music. Drew had heard these two women sing recently and he found out they are a group called Polecat Creek. When we saw they were going to be in Greensboro we decided to go. It turned out to be one of the nicest afternoons we have had in a long time. The group played on the back porch of this old historic mansion and we all sat in the backyard. There was a huge oak tree providing lots of shade and a great breeze which was nice since it was actually very hot out. We sat on our blanket and we all had a great time. The babies loved being outside and checking out the new surroundings and we enjoyed the music. The babies sure do garner a lot of attention. It still surprises me how much attention they get. We personally think it's because they are so stinking cute!

Monday Lindy had a physical therapy appointment. We really like our therapist. One reason I like her so much is she likes Lindy so much! She started working with the babies in the NICU, back when you would barely touch them and they would desat. She can't believe the progress Lindy has made and can't believe how well she is doing for a child with Grade 3 and Grade 4 brain bleeds (4 is the worst you can have). She gave me more helpful hints on how to help her sit up straighter and I really feel like they are helping this week. She also worked with her on crawling and she said Lindy isn't too far away. Two crawlers might rock my world; one is bad enough! She will see her again in 2 months to reevaluate her. She said if Lindy starts to plateau or she is on the cusp of walking we might need to increase her PT visits. But right now she is progressing really well and nowhere near walking so we can stick to every 2 months just to check her.

Wednesday we had a little party at our house. Lindy's deaf and hard of hearing teacher, her vision teacher, and our early intervention specialist were all at the house at the same time. Leslie our vision teacher brought us the coolest trays. I have been looking for something to use to put objects up higher for Lindy. This is definitely one of the reasons why she doesn't sit up as straight as possible because she is always hunched over to see something on the floor. Leslie found these trays that are the perfect height for her. We've used them the rest of the week and I love them! I think they really help. Of course I have to supervise Will or he is liable to pick it up and body slam Lindy with it!

Thursday we headed to town for a hearing appointment but before that we stopped by our friend Lauren's house and got to meet little Isabelle. She is a cutie! Lauren adopted her from Guatemala. It was nice to meet the little one I've been reading about for awhile!

The hearing appointment went really well. We got new hearing aides! They are smaller than her other ones which is really cool. They are a brand new model and the company was nice enough to trade them out for us. We hope it helps with the flopping issue. The only thing I don't like is that they are not all pink. They have to switch out the bottom piece and replace it with a piece that works with our FM system. This FM system piece doesn't come in pink yet. So most of the hearing aid is pink and the bottom is a tan color. But since this is a new model we are hoping they are working on getting the other colors and can switch as soon as a pink one is made. They also gave us a new device to help try and keep them on her ears better. It is a little plastic tube that hooks on the hearing aid and wraps around her ear. They do seem to help a little bit. We're willing to try anything! Although she actually does a lot better with the hearing aides these days. Now if she would just leave her glasses alone! Back to her appointment, she did great. They did ear specific testing and they were able to get everything they needed. Someone asked me recently and I guess I have never said, but her hearing is the same in both ears. She has a moderate loss in the low frequencies and it slopes off to a severe loss in the high frequencies. Up until now we have assumed her hearing was the same but the testing we did on Thursday confirmed our suspicions.

That sums up our week. Hope you all have a lovely weekend. We are going to a March of Dimes fundraiser tomorrow - a chili championship and rubber duck regatta! Looks like it will be a nice day for an afternoon out.

Our afternoon of bluegrass. Lindy was a big fan!

Little man enjoyed it too. New cute fall clothes for the babies. Check out the shoes. HOW CUTE! I've just recently discovered baby shoes and it could become a dangerous addiction!
We took an afternoon stroll in a new little wagon. They were so funny. Lindy loved being so close to Will!
It was a little cramped but they had fun in it!
The babies were playing a little game of Simon on our cool new tray today. Look at how straight Lindy's back is.
An example of Lindy sitting up better these days. Also a picture of her new hearing aides, although you can't really see that the bottom is a tan color because there is a plastic piece covering it. Not sure how well you can see the little plastic tube that wraps around her ear either.

Another Week Bites the Dust

Another week has passed us by. This one was a slow week.

Last Saturday we took the babies to their first ever Wake Forest football game. We had debated all week because of hurricane Gustav bringing rain in. It even rained early Saturday morning but it cleared off and became a beautiful day. We cancelled the babysitters and took the kids. It was a little hot for about 45 minutes but then the sun went behind the new Deacon Tower and it was much better. There was a breeze every once in awhile that was nice. The babies did really good. Lindy was, as always, a dream baby. Will did well but he got scared a couple times with all the yelling and such. He had been woken up from a nap and was still tired. He finally fell asleep for a little while in the fourth quarter but woke up to see Sam Swank kick a field goal with 3 seconds left to win the game. What an exciting first game they went to!!

Tuesday Lindy and I went in and met a friend for some Target shopping and lunch. We both enjoyed getting out of the house and seeing Mary Allen and her one year old Tyler. I wasn't brave enough to take two babies and do lunch with them. Hopefully we can have more play dates soon.

Lindy had her Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher come on Wednesday. She is still pleased with Lindy and her new listening skills. Speaking of her hearing, her audiologist called on Friday with some cool news. The audiologist was talking to the Phonak representative (the brand of Lindy's hearing aides) and they said they have a new, smaller version of Lindy's hearing aides. They said they would switch them with us if we were okay with that. Ummm, yes, we're definitely okay with smaller hearing aides! I can't wait to see if they help at all with the constant flopping. We go this coming week for a hearing test so we'll hopefully get them then.

Friday we went to the hopping town of King for lunch and to run an errand. On the way home we stopped at the park and walked for a little bit. On the way out I saw the baby swing in the playground area. We had to stop and check it out. The kids enjoyed it a lot!

Lindy is continuing to push up on her arms pretty good. I think I've seen her a couple times acting like she is trying to scrunch her butt up a little. Maybe trying to get on her knees? She doesn't get there but she is possibly trying a little bit. Will has been standing a few more times this week. Not for long but small bits of time. I haven't caught any pictures of it yet.

Seriously, it's been a boring week around here. It was rainy and cool so we were cooped up inside most of the week. Next week looks to be much more hectic.

Is anyone still reading my blog?

Game day babies!

Lindy 'riding' the bike. She was more interested in the confetti that moved down by the handles.

The side ways picture. It had been awhile since we did one!

I caught Lindy with her leg cocked up again. She'll cock her leg up on about anything!

Our park adventure!
One of my new favorite pictures of Lindy. I love her expression and raised eyebrow!
Weeee!!!
Weeeee!!!

P.S. I want to tell Lauren congratulations! After a very long wait, she was finally able to bring her new daughter, Isabelle, home with her from Guatamala this week! We're so happy for you!!

New Videos!

It's been awhile since I've posted videos of the babies.

The first one is of Will and his reaction to his favorite song. He knows exactly what we are doing when we walk to the CD player. A lot of times he claps his hands. Today he felt like pounding the dresser.

The second one is of Lindy and her new trick. She has started imitating me when I shake my head. She is our one trick pony. Just kidding. She has two tricks. She can also high five.

Enjoy!

Enjoying the Nice Weather

Nana and Papa were here for the holiday weekend. We had fun visiting with them. They brought down some of their birthday presents that were too large to ship to us. We have had fun playing with them this week.

It's been a pretty quiet week. It's been really nice outside so we have been spending almost every afternoon out in a little shady spot in our yard. Will loves watching the cars go by. One day we watched the guy mow the yard across the street. The fresh air has been great for all of us. It's nice to get out of the house some.

Lindy had Governor Morehead here on Wednesday and then occupational therapy on Thursday afternoon. The Governor Morehead teacher brought us a suction cup plate for Lindy to use. It's blue so she can see light colored food on it well. It'd work great except she just pulls it up off her tray. Either the suction isn't that great or she is super strong. We're still trying to work this one out. The OT is very pleased with her progress. She does dynamic sitting and she reaches for objects to the side of her. She is starting to get a little steadier when she goes back or to the side. She is starting to put her arm out a little bit to stop herself from falling over. She can lean all the way over, basically in half, but she can pull herself back up to the sitting position. Lindy has really been pushing up a lot on her arms in the last week or two. She now has extended arms when she is on her belly. This is good because she'll need that strength to start crawling. Which the OT says is her next milestone. Can't even imagine two of them crawling!!!

We have been giving Lindy three bottles a day and this has been working pretty well. Sometimes she might leave an ounce or two but overall she is drinking them. I've found that she does better when you let her drink the entire thing and burp her at the end. Her entire life we have burped her in the middle. Now if we do then she seems to have little interest in going back to the bottle. So it's been a lot of playing around with her this week.

We are still exploring new foods with the babies. This week they tried scrambled eggs. Both seem to like them but it takes them forever to chew them up and eat them. They have also been eating small bits of carrots. They have both been eating bananas the last two days and both really seem to like them. They are pretty easy to chew up and swallow too. The biggest change they've had this week is the addition of whole milk to their bottles. Until this week the babies have drunk only breast milk. I stopped pumping in June but had enough in the freezer to get them until now. They have about 2 weeks left and then it's gone. We got the go ahead for cow's milk so we are slowly introducing it with mixed bottles. Neither have seemed to mind.

We have continued working with the straw bottle. Neither have suddenly gotten the hang of it yet. This week I started giving them water with their meals. I hadn't started water yet because I thought it would be a pain to thicken. Lindy seemed to like the water today at lunch. It was the most she has let me put the straw in her mouth. We'll just keep trying and apparently one day they should just start sucking!

Will is doing the same. No big milestones for him this week. His latest obsession is balls. Of any sort. He loves holding them and chasing them all around. Today I put the number magnets on the fridge and he thought it was the greatest thing (so did the cat!) He would pull them off and laugh. It was so cute! The other really cute thing he does is when I put his favorite song on the cd player. He knows what I'm doing when I head over to the cd player and he waits for it. As soon as it starts playing he starts smiling and has lately been doing sort of a clap with his hands. It's so cute. The song is called Babyland and it's a really cute song with babies babbling in it. We think Lindy hears it too as she often gets really still when it's on.

Some pictures from the week.

Will 'riding' his first bike. He isn't exactly sure about it yet.

Nana and Papa
Papa teaching the babies to play the bongos.

My mom was talking about how much bigger Will's feet and hands are. Here's a picture to prove it.
Another Lindy crazy hair-do.
Will met his first grasshopper. Papa would have let him hold it if I hadn't been there telling him no!
Enjoying the weather outside. We've been playing with one of their birthday presents - the 3-in-1 sports complex. Will likes the basketball and baseball and Lindy seems to like the football.

I can only imagine that Will is showing Lindy the ball and thinking, "You cannot touch it though."

Our addition of baby gates to the house have allowed Jack and Will to have a few staring contests this week. Poor Jack hasn't figured out how to jump over them yet. He never was a very smart cat!