Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our two Pumpkins!















Thanks Aunt Amy, Uncle Lee, Hayley, and Rylee for our cool Halloween bags! Mommy says next year we'll get to fill them up with candy!


Check below for a regular post I put up yesterday!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Halloween Fun

We have had lots of fun around here this week with all the Halloween shirts and activities. We somehow acquired enough Halloween shirts that they constituted the babies' whole wardrobe this week! Made it easy to dress them!

Last weekend I was having cabin fever so we rode into Winston and stopped by Wake Forest. We got the babies out in the stroller and walked a little bit. We walked to Reynolda Village, an adjoining outside shopping area. It turned out to be a perfect outing and a beautiful day. We got some cute pictures of the babies in the leaves. Lindy immediately picks everything up to examine it and Will is always so slow when touching new things. I really wonder if he has a little bit of sensory thing going on.

Lindy quickly grabbing a leaf. Will thinking, yuck!
"I Love My Mummy"
Daddy's Little Pumpkin
Monday our big man Will switched from the honey bear bottle to a regular straw sippy cup. He seems to have mastered sucking from the straw! He doesn’t suck enough to take the bottle away yet but we’ll be working hard on it next week. He is so cute when he puckers up to drink from the straw!

Monday Lindy had her occupational therapist here. She was excited to see Lindy crawl. Each days she gets a little better at it. Now we need to work on getting her up on her knees. We are still working on sucking through a straw with her. She’d rather chew than suck.

Tuesday we had our deaf and hard of hearing teacher here. We worked with the student teacher most of the time. We have these 7 sounds that our teacher always does with Lindy. Each week she does them farther and farther away to see if Lindy turns in response to them. This week she did them probably 13 feet away from her and Lindy turned in response to ALL of them! It was very exciting. She has made the comment that Lindy hears really well with her hearing aides. We are so proud of her!

Tuesday night we also had our first annual carving of the pumpkins event. Drew and I carved pumpkins for the first time in many years. We had a fun time. The babies could have cared less but oh well. We carved a pumpkin for each of them. Lindy’s pumpkin has glasses and the same amount of teeth as she does (3 on top, 2 on bottom). Will’s pumpkin has the same amount of teeth as well (1 on top, 2 on bottom). His triangle eyes don’t really match but oh well! We let the babies play in the guts of the pumpkin. As usual Will was very hesitant to touch at first and Lindy dove right in. Will eventually warmed up to it. Lindy as usual tried to put it in her mouth.

I had a really hard time choosing pictures this week. So here are a ton of them! Enjoy! Check in tomorrow to see what the babies will be dressed up as! Wish Drew and I luck as we head out of town without the babies for the first time! We know they will be in good hands with the grandparents!

The carving of the pumpkins.
Touching the guts. He thought it was weird at first but then he had fun playing with it.
Lindy loved playing with the guts!She was in disbelief that we could maim a pumpkin for fun!
The finished products.
Seemingly unimpressed by our pumpkin friend.
To end, some of the bad hair days around here this week!

Friday, October 24, 2008

We Love Heat!

We spent most of the past week without a furnace. Of course the weather decided to turn cold. We survived and the babies only have a little frostbite. Just kidding. We had space heaters in the nursery and living room and they warmed our house amazingly well. We have enjoyed having a working furnace again though!

I hope everyone got to see the previous post about all the new movement in the house. Will finally started walking with his walker and Lindy finally started crawling! It's been a big week. Check out the videos below if you haven't already seen them.

Besides the new moves, we have had a very quiet week. We had Lindy's deaf and hard of hearing teacher on Tuesday. Lindy really seems to be imitating us when we say 'ah.' I tried varying the pitch of my 'ah' and a couple times it seemed like she was trying to as well. She thinks it's so funny when we say 'ah' and she is so cute when she makes the noise back to us!

Today I took Lindy for a checkup with the neurosurgeon. They were measuring her head circumference to check on her shunt. She had an appointment in Feb. 08 and then one again in July 08. In those six months her head had grown quite a bit and she jumped up to the next percentage curve. Because of her growth she wanted to check her again in 3 months. Thankfully her head circumference today was right on target. It's on the same curve as 3 months ago. The big jump in those 6 months was just normal growth. Lindy really did grow a lot between Feb. and July! We have counted our lucky stars that Lindy has not had any problems with her shunt so far! We really hope it stays that way. We go back in 6 months for another head circumference measurement.

After our appointment we had lunch with our friends Cheryl and Noah. Noah was in the NICU with us. He was in the C Pod and then in intermediate with Will. Cheryl and I got to be good friends in the pumping room! Noah also has a shunt and he happened to have an appointment today as well. Cheryl and I have kept in touch but hadn't gotten together since we left the NICU. Lindy and Noah have changed a lot since the NICU days! We like to say they are boyfriend and girlfriend! It was great to see them and wished we lived closer. The nurse practitioner is going to try and get us on the same schedule so we can have appointments on the same day and do lunch each time we have neurosurgery appointments!

Hope you all have a good weekend. We have no plans this weekend. I'm spending a rocking Friday evening doing a blog post! Enjoy some recent pictures.




"Lindy did you realize our outfits are very similar? I have Wild Friends and you have Jungle Friends."

A little snack in the Bumbos.
The cutest boy in the whole wide world!

The Little Wild Man and his Black Cat Companion
She is so stinking cute!! Couldn't you just eat her up?
Lindy and her boyfriend Noah!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Exciting Movement in Our House

Exciting things have happened this week! On Monday Will finally started walking behind the walker. Before he would just stand at it and if it moved he would let go and drop down to his knees. Now he goes with it! He has also really started bobbing and dancing to music, as you will see at the end of his video.


And today, Lindy FINALLY started crawling!!!!!! It's not pretty and it's pretty unconventional, but it's forward movement! She has been straining for objects and toys for awhile now. Last night we caught her up on her hands and knees in her crib doing a little rocking motion. Today she finally pushed herself forward to get to a toy! I think with practice she will perfect her skills!

Things are going to get a lot more interesting around here when I have a walker and a crawler!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Shots, Shots, Shots

Thanks to everyone for remembering Adam. I am sure that most people who lose babies always wonder what they would look like. In our case, we know what Adam would look like. He was the identical twin of Will. Adam would look like Will. I like knowing that. I can't imagine that we could have been blessed with two such handsome boys. If only he were still here.....

We have enjoyed the beautiful weather we have had this week. We took advantage of the mid-80's temperatures by playing outside every day. I think the fresh air helped with the colds and helped the babies get back to sleeping through the night. Something we ALL needed!!

Lindy had her usual appointments this week. Occupational therapy on Monday, Deaf and Hard of Hearing on Tuesday, Governor Morehead on Wednesday. Each visit went fine. All agree that she is doing well. We have a student teacher coming with our Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher now. We have worked hard with Lindy and her vowel of the week and we think she might be trying to imitate us doing it. She is moving her mouth like she wants to say the sound. A couple of times sound has come out - but it sounds different than the 'ah' I make because of her vocal cord paralysis. But this is great progress! We're so proud of her!

Thursday turned out to be a bad day for Lindy and Will. The babies were still trying to get over their colds this week. Wednesday I noticed both seemed to be breathing harder and louder than normal. On Thursday I decided to call the nurse at the doctor's office. Of course anytime you mention 25 week old preemie with chronic lung disease they tell you to come on in for a checkup. So we load them up and get to the office and our doctor actually sees us at the desk. She comes to talk to us and says that the babies Synagis shot (their shot to help with RSV) is in and she was actually going to call us that day. Anyway she squeezes us into her schedule and checks the babies out. Both were fine! I figured they were but I just needed a doctor to tell me. The colds are still in their heads and have not moved down into their chests. Lindy's is apparently at the back of her nose. You can hear stuff in there but I still don't get anything when I suction her. Because they checked out okay they were able to go ahead get their Synagis shots. And because they are so big, they split the shot into two syringes which means they actually get two shots. The last time I talked to the nurse about their Synagis shots she told me they could get flu shots when they came in for their Synagis shots. So I asked about flu shots and they ended up getting those as well! Then, poor Will. He ended up having to get another shot because of some confusion about his Hib vaccinations. He ended up getting his third Hib vaccine yesterday. So one little visit to check on their colds turned into 4 shots for Will and 3 for Lindy! It turned out well for us though. We were able to get it all done and I don't have to make a trip back to the doctor's office to get the shots. It didn't turn out so well for the babies. They cried hard for about a minute and then they were fine. They took it like the little fighters they have proven to be.

We hope Nana had a wonderful birthday yesterday! We wish we could have been there to help you celebrate! Enjoy our pictures from the week.

Good thing they were both already sick. (Notice that the paci attached to Will is in Lindy's mouth!)
Waiting to get out of bed after a nap.

A new favorite chew toy from our OT.
Not sure how well you can see it - blow it up to see the snot running down from his nose and the drool running down from his mouth. He was a mess this week!
The babies were sporting their respective NICU graduation shirts. Lindy graduated from the Duke NICU and Will from the Baptist (Wake Forest) NICU.
Sporting the Halloween shirts I made them.
Will stands up all day long now (sometimes by himself but mostly leaning on toys and furniture). Until I want him to stand up so I can take a picture of his outfit. Then he won't do it. And Drew had to hold him in place to get a sitting picture. You can see pictures are getting more difficult! Lindy loves to stand and let me take pictures of her!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Remembering Adam

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. I never thought in a million years that this day would mean anything to me. But it does. Please think of Adam, and all the babies that have gone too early, today.


"An Ugly Pair of Shoes"

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable Shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the other one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in the world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have work the shoes so long that days will go by
before they think of how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of the shoes I am a stronger women.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.
Author Unknown

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Crazy Week

What a crazy week this has been. Not so much for the babies but more for Drew and me. The babies getting colds didn't help anything either. Our church has a food booth at the Dixie Classic Fair. Six of the last ten nights, one of us has been working at it. That means the other person was left at home with the sick babies. It was better being at the fair booth than being at home! Drew also had a big business meeting to prepare for and of course we attended the Wake/Clemson game. An absolutely crazy week that didn't include that much sleep.

I went on Monday and picked up new lenses for Lindy's glasses. I'm sure she can see much better. Even though we have watched her like a hawk and have started taking them off of her if you walk out of the room, she has already managed to get a small scratch on them. uggggg.

Lindy had her Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher here on Tuesday. We changed gears a bit with her. For months we have been showing her different toys and saying the sounds that go with them in hopes that she will start to say them. So far she hasn't said any. This week we are focusing on one sound in particular, trying to input it a lot and see if she'll say it. So far it's a no go but we've also been a bit slack about it because of the crazy week. She does think it's funny when I do the 'a' sound though.

It was Tuesday night that Will's nose started running and he started sneezing. He went to bed okay but was up soon after. He was having a hard time breathing through his nose and I don't think he knew what to do. I took him to the doctor Wednesday and they checked everything, including his blood for an infection, but all signs pointed to just a cold virus. He did weigh in at 20 pounds 1.5 ounces and was 28 inches long. Wednesday night was another night of sleeping on the couch with Will.

On Thursday you could tell Will felt a lot better and the snot production had really slowed down. It was Thursday afternoon I noticed Lindy was starting to sound a little bit stuffed up. Our friends who watched them while we were at the football game said her nose didn't run though. BUT she was up until 10:45pm. Every time she tried to lay her down she'd cry really hard.

Friday morning I could tell Lindy had gotten the cold. Despite my efforts to separate them she got it. Tuesday before Will's symptoms appeared they had shared spoons and straws. So I'm sure it was too late anyway. Her nose hasn't run like Will's and her temp hasn't gotten nearly as high. Friday night she was up until 11pm again. Drew ended up sleeping with her on the couch.

Saturday they both acted okay but it was another night of Lindy not going to bed very early. They've been okay today but I think she is still awake now.

I can suction Will's nose and get lots of snot out. When I suction Lindy's nose I hardly ever get anything. I can hear stuff up in there though. The last few nights she has thrown up on us though. Usually after she has fallen asleep she'll start a hacking cough and eventually she'll throw up. I don't know if it's because of phlegm in the back of her throat or what. It's not very fun. That wakes her up really well and then it's hard to get her back to sleep.

I hope this cold makes it way out of her early this week. The weather is supposed to be great so we need to be out enjoying it. We aren't enjoying our first foray into baby snot. I prefer when our children do not have snot running all over their faces!

Just a few pictures from the week. Once it got crazy I didn't even have time to take any.

Last weekend we went to a Hawaiian wedding reception where Lindy got a pretty lei.
I got out another new toy in hopes that Will will start walking behind it. So far he hasn't. He loves standing behind it but hasn't willingly taken any steps.

It can also be turned into a car you ride on. The babies will hate me one day for all the things I made them do so I could get a picture!!
A cute, clean boy.

Miss Thang in a cute little outfit. (Recognize these Erin?)
FINALLY! A picture of Will standing by himself! (Check out the wet drool mark on the front of the overalls. Nasty! It runs out of his mouth these days). Even a sick Will can get himself into trouble. He loves the bottom of the exersaucer. Most of his toys end up in there each day. He also likes to crawl through it.
Lindy was taking the car out for a spin.
This is my partition I had in the living room after Will got his cold. I was trying to protect Lindy from it. Lindy loved having her own toys that nobody took away and no one to steal her pacifier. Will stood at the partition most of the day trying to see what Lindy was playing with. He also kept throwing his contaminated toys onto her side!