Some pictures

OK, so I am pretty blog happy tonight, but the babies are asleep and we took a picture of Tyler doing his breathing treatment and discovered some new pictures so I thought I'd post them!

Katie in her winter hat that Nana Pam gave her

Tyler in his hat

Tyler getting his breathing treatment in the fish mask

Katie attempting to get her fist in her mouth and finally SUCCESS!

Finally!

Well, we took our poor little sick babies back to the doctor today and we were told that both have severe bronchiolitis. They finally were able to give them something that seems to be helping - breathing treatments and albuterol! They looked like completely different babies (back to their old selves) immediately after the treatment - both alert and smiling and they have been much better this evening. We are about to give them a second treatment and we really hope that it continues to help. Tyler got his first synagis (RSV) shot today and now that Katie is wheezing and sick they think she will be approved too. It is just great to finally feel like we are doing something to make them feel better - the humidifier, steam, suctioning wasn't really doing the trick. They both lost too much weight in the last couple of days (they couldn't breathe well enough to eat) and are both under 13 pounds now, so sad. BUT, they ate well at the last feeding and hopefully are back on track to become the chunkers we want them to be. I'm sitting here with little Tyler kicking and "talking" with him holding onto his paci and it is wonderful! Hopefully his sister will start to feel better soon and will be "talking to us and smiling too!

Christmas!

Well, we managed to make it through three Christmas celebrations without a single picture or video! We did take both cameras, but never brought them out!!! It was probably for the best since both babies were pretty grumpy, they are just so tired of being sick and stuffy! They probably did the worst at Niffa's - our smiley little Katie Bug just did not feel well and let it be known. Tyler has been sick for a month so maybe he is used to it, but Katie hasn't been coughing or stuffy until this weekend so she was UNHAPPY!

All in all though, their first Christmas was wonderful. We are just so blessed to have these two little munchkins in our lives to celebrate Christmas and they truly are all the gift we need or could ever want (even though we got lots of great gifts too - thanks to all)! They are changing and growing every day and it is hard to imagine that next Christmas they will be akin to two little mini-tornadoes running about and probably more excited about paper and boxes than anything else! Not too many new tricks, they are finally beginning to find their thumbs rather than fingers and fists, but it seems for now they prefer fists!

Here are some pics that Nana Pam took at their daycare Christmas Party - it seems they had a good time :-)!

Katie thinks a real smile requires an open mouth and sticking her toungue out!
















He always looks a little mischevious, we could be in trouble with these two :-)!

6:30 AM!!!

Two nights in a row the little munchkins slept from 8:45 PM until 6:30ish AM straight through! I never thought I would be excited to sleep until 6:00 in the morning, but not getting up in the middle of the night is wonderful and I will get up that early every day if they will sleep through the night! Of course, I think it is pretty short-lived because Katie has turned into a regular drool monster and I fear that teething isn't too far away. They are officially considered to be 4 months old (16 weeks) so I guess teething isn't an impossibility, it just seems so soon! They are definitely finding their hands, lately - Katie likes to shove her whole fist in her mouth and then get mad when she gags herself. Tyler has, unfortunately, learned that there is nothing in his pacifier and it is not worth sucking on!

Here are a couple of pics of my well-rested little babies. Tyler was smiling like crazy until I got the camera, of course! These pictures show it well - they both think I am crazy and just look at me like "what is she doing" all the while smiling only after I take the picture! It was 11 degrees (brrrr) when we left the house this morning so that is why they are all bundled up!

Sleep Regression

Well, my mom is coming in to town on New Year's Eve to watch the babies while we go to the bowl game and enjoy a night out afterwards (win or lose). I have been hoping that the babies figure out the whole sleeping through the night thing by then, but unfortunately they have gotten worse instead of better! They have started waking up around 2:00 AM (and by they I mean Tyler :-)) and are inconsolable. Everything I have read says to give them a pacifier and shush them back to sleep, but our growing boy (13 pounds and so much heavier than his sister) is not having any of that - he wants to eat and he wants it right then!!! We still have a couple of weeks so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Last night Lance went to a basketball game and it was the first time in a while that I have had to give the babies their bedtime feeding and put them down by myself. It wasn't too bad - I skipped the bath, that is just too much for me with them still screaming at the top of their lungs as soon as they get out, but they were in their cribs and semi-asleep by the time Lance got home at 9:00 - so I am giving myself props!!!

The computer is still broken and I haven't taken any really recent pictures, but the posts look really boring without them so here are a couple of pics that I haven't posted yet! These are some outfits that I picked up at the POTATO (Parents of Twins and Triplets) Consignment Sale - I am really looking forward to the March sale now that I know more of what I need and when!

Our funny little girl...

I have mentioned in the past that Katie LOVES watching tv - not a big fan of commercials (like father like daughter), but her absolute favorite is football. Well, today we were watching the Titans game (that sucked) and had a couple of people over. On a particularly exciting play a couple of the guys got really excited jumping up and down and clapping and yelling and it scared little Katie Bug something awful! She shrieked like we have never heard before and looked at Stewart (the one closest to her yelling) like he had lost his mind - it was pretty funny. That was the second shrieking incident in a couple of days - we had to take Tyler to the doctor on Thursday and it was sleeting and raining so I was rushing to get the blanket over her head and proceeded to gash her face from forehead to eye - it was horrible, she was crying LOUD and it was bleeding, but she is healing and soon it won't be so obvious that I scratched my poor baby girl.

Tyler is improving. He had a day last week that he got worse and started wheezing more and was not eating well and still coughing - he got a chest x-ray and a breathing treatment and is doing fine. Friday night was horrible, he was up all night just not feeling well but they are both doing great today and I hope we are on the mend! They seem to be doing ok with the new formula - they didn't like the regular Target brand but we got the Target Sensitive and so far so good. No pictures today - this computer has a horrible virus that I can't get rid of and it has actually taken me an hour just to type this because of all pop-ups and errors (arghh) - hopefully I can post some this week! I really can't seem to fix the problem with the computer so this could be ongoing until we get someone to look at it - so frustrating, people who create and distribute computer viruses for fun should be shot!!!

Blue Jean Babies!

Our first time wearing jeans!

Some pictures!

We had a great night last night - our stuffy, congested babies slept from 9:00 PM until 5:30 AM straight - woohoo!

Tyler LOVES bathtime!

Dad couldn't resist!

Sweet Babies, going to eat sushi on a COOOOLD night!

Thanks Janie for our CUTE Christmas outfits. We love to match, or at least mom loves it!

The best gifts ever under our tree this year!

Broken Computer

If you are reading this I know you aren't here for my updates - it's all about the pictures! Unfortunately, we got a nasty virus on our home computer so I can't upload pictures right now - but we are trying to get it fixed and I'll have some new ones up soon!

A couple of people have asked and so I thought I would post here about what the babies are using and needing now:

Similac Advance with Iron -the powder kind. We are experimenting (this evening actually) with Target brand formula to see if the babies do ok with it. The Similac is so expensive that we are really, really hoping it doesn't affect their tummies, but even the move from ready to feed to powder was rough so we may be back to Similac sooner than we hope! If you come across any Similac coupons that you aren't going to use please send them our way!!!

Pampers Swaddlers - Size 2! We have plenty to last until they are 15 pounds but with the way Tyler is bulking up we will be in the next size before we know it!

3-6 month size clothes. Katie is still in onesies 0-3 month but Tyler has outgrown them. They both are still able to wear 0-3 sleepers because they are short :-)! They are filling them out well though and it won't be long before those are retired too!

I did set up a wish list for them on Amazon under my name, but I know that most of you are in the same boat as us and things are really tight so please know that we don't expect any Christmas gifts or anything like that for the kids - they won't remember from this year anyway! It is mostly for me to remember some things that we are going to need to get soon like solid food feeding supplies (woohoo)!

Pictures to come soon!

Poor sick babies

Well, we took Tyler to the doctor yesterday on the recommendation of our daycare because he has begun coughing and wheezing. They both are so stuffy and have had colds but the cough is a new development. The doctor said that Tyler has bronchiolitis. There is nothing they can really do for a baby so young other than what we have been doing which is humidifier, the dreaded nose sucker, and making sure he gets plenty of fluids. Hopefully the little guy will be better soon - it breaks my heart to see (hear) him hacking and wheezing!

On a lighter note - Tyler is officially a chunker!!! He is 12 pounds, 3 ounces and Katie is 11 pounds, 11 ounces - she is falling behind but still on target. He is a little above average for his age - woohoo!!! They are still quite a bit shorter, though, than average babies their age :-)!

I don't have the pictures at work and will post later but we tried to get ones of Katie and her new skill - she can now make a smacking/popping sound with her toungue and lips - too cute, especially when she is obviously so delighted everytime she does it!!!

Kinda Fun

Ok, this was what I did on my lunch break today - not as productive as I should be but it was fun! Check out my little elves!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/p7Oj3DA70Du0v178Pluv


http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/0EaCo58NT3K00GPsJ5dQ

The babies (mainly Katie) have been pretty fussy the last couple of days - I think Katie is sick of being stuffy and they may be heading in to their 3 month growth spurt. Yep, that's right - can you believe it, the munchkins are 3 MONTHS OLD today!!! We just bought level 2 nipples for them in hopes of getting Katie to speed up a little bit and not start talking and smiling and looking around quite so much when she is supposed to be eating! But, I am of course scared to death of using them - we already had one choking incident - I don't want to be the cause of another! This parenting thing is pretty tough - decisions are difficult for me anyway, but when they affect my little ones they are even harder! We will probably give it a couple of weeks and then give it a go.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I just want to mention "publicly" that I of course am overjoyed at Katie and Tyler and the blessings they are in our lives and I am immensely thankful for them but, I don't think I say it enough that this whole new parent experience would not be nearly as wonderful if I didn't have literally the best husband in the world! He is truly amazing - he is hands-on parenting as much as if not more than me and is reallly an awesome father already. I really don't know how people do this whole twin thing with unsupportive husbands, and I know that I am very, very lucky to not only have one that is supportive and willing to be there for me and the kids no matter what, but that he also truly loves us all and spending time with us and being a parent and watching the babies grow and change and that he is as completely enamored as I am :-)! I try to tell him how much I appreciate everything he does, but in the course of every day stuff it often gets lost and in these stressful (should the Holidays really be SO trying?) days I don't tell him enough that I am truly thankful for him too! He is letting me go have sushi (still haven't had any since the pregnancy!!!) tomorrow night, go to a brunch on Saturday and he has yet to go to a basketball game this year, has missed a ton of Titans games, and hasn't gotten to play golf more than once or twice - I hope that we can find a way financially and otherwise to let him not have to miss so much in the future, but he really doesn't complain (too much) - wow is all I can say!

Some firsts!

Well, today was Katie and Tyler's first Black Friday - and we made it out and about without buying a thing! We did get stopped about 100 times (literally) because they looked as cute as can be in their new Christmas onesies that So So gave them. We also made it through our first visit with Santa - they weren't too excited, they slept in line and Tyler slept while Santa held him! I am betting this will be the most peaceful visit with Santa we will ever have!!! This was also the first time I fed them when we were on an excursion. Before today I always timed it so I could get there and leave in between feeding times, but when we go there right at 9:00 AM today Santa wasn't arriving until 11:00. I didn't want to go home and go back, and I wanted to be at the front of the line to avoid waiting so I decided to kill some time and feed them at their scheduled time and then come on home. So we were quite a sight - I took their carriers and put them in the back of Lance's 4-runner and stood up in the tailgate feeding them both. Of course, Tyler had a massive spit up all over his outfit and Katie refused to eat more than an ounce (because they didn't wake up until 8:00 AM and ate a lot later than usual, our fault - we were enjoying the late sleep), but all in all it wasn't a bad first attempt and now I won't be so scared to be out when it is time to feed them.

Here are some pics of how they looked on Santa Day!

EVIL Katie - she is not happy with me!!! This is after we got home and she of course was hungry because she only ate an ounce!

Tyler looks like he is about to jump! Isn't his outfit too cute - thanks So So!

And one of Tyler laughing at Katie for a change!

Tyler does NOT like hats!

Nana Pam (the wonderful lady who watches the babies during the day) got them adorable Christmas hats and took some very cute pictures. She said that Tyler just got progressively more unhappy alternately trying to eat the hat and get the thing off of his head - you can tell in these pics that he was not a fan! She, on the otherhand, seemed to be having a ball - even laughing in his face!!!

Some Pics!

12 Weeks!

Work has been crazy busy so I haven't had much time to post, but I do have a couple of pictures that I will try to put up this evening. I tried to get a picture of Katie "watching" tv - it is so funny, she will turn her head as far around as possible and just stare at the television. We are probably horrible parents for exposing an almost three month old to tv already, but I figure like Father like Daughter - if she will watch football, or basketball, or baseball, or golf, or any other sport on television with him then he will be in heaven.

They still have a bit of a cold, but they are doing so great and getting so big and both of them are full of smiles and coos - it is so fun! We went out to dinner last night with their Uncle Matthew and Grandpa Fossick and they were excellent, just slept the whole time, which is wonderful news - it will be good if we don't have to be afraid to take them with us if we need to go somewhere in the evening. They are just now getting to the point where all evening hours aren't spent screaming and the quiet is pure bliss!!!

Well, it's official!

Tyler is now bigger than Katie! Well, his "older" sister still outdoes him in length - she is 22 inches and he is 21 1/2, but his head his bigger and he edges her out by two ounces in weight. Tyler is 11 pounds, 6 ounces and Katie is 11 pounds, 4 ounces!!! A baby that is not a preemie is supposed to be around 12 pounds by three months (which will be December 2nd) and they are right on track. In fact, we are supposed to consider them to be about 3 to 6 weeks behind because of their prematurity and they are growing on par with an average singleton right now!!! They really are doing great, eating well, and sleeping as well as can be expected. I am learning that it is easy to worry (ha - you all know that worry is what comes most naturally to me anyway) that we are feeding them too much, or too little, or at the wrong times, or whatever but I think for just a bit I am going to revel in the fact that what we are doing seems to be working (knock on wood) and just be happy about our fat, little chunky babies!

Their colds are not in their chests and they don't have fever - they are just congested and have stuffy noses. Another thing I just need to get used to - I have a feeling that we have many months and years of stuffy, snotty noses ahead of us! If only we could teach a 12 week old to blow their nose...

Picture Time!

I finally remembered to bring the camera card to work so here are some recent pics!

Chubby, naked Katie - she'll hate us one day for taking these!

Tyler's Elvis Impression!

Katie is starting to really enjoy her playmat - thanks Aunt Lori and Uncle Brandon!

Tyler is one worn out little gangster! He is getting to be such a chunker - we love it!

They have both learned to blow bubbles - we are so proud.

Nana Pam's

They seem to be doing great at Nana Pam's. They love their swings and crib over there, and at our house they want nothing to do with laying in the crib when it is not bedtime and could take or leave the swings - Pam must be the baby whisperer! Here are some pics from Monday at her house - they were a day from 11 weeks!!! They are really starting to be able to focus on mobiles, and toys - Katie is our little tv watcher and she has gotten uninterested in eating because all she wants to do is look at you and smile when you are trying to feed her! Tyler is still more serious and thoughtful than her, but he is starting to crack a smile more often and it lights up his whole face - so cute!!!
You can't see much through the mobile here but this kind of shows their personalities. Tyler is just laid back kind of saying "I'm too cool to get excited about stuffed bears," whereas Katie is just loving it!

Here is one of Tyler's smile, and one of Katie! I still haven't captured Katie's full face smile - as soon as I get the camera she stops doing it!!!














They are both pretty darn happy here. I wish they would do that at our house. We put them in their cribs and turn the mobiles on and all we get our pouty faces, also cute but unfortunately crying follows shortly thereafter.

I am at work right now so I don't have my camera, but I do have some other pics to post this evening of 11 weeks!

Freaking out...

Well, we found out that we do not qualify for the RSV shots which is very scary because many preemies die from this very common illness. Despite meeting a number of the risk factors - at least for Tyler - under 5 lbs when born, some respiratory distress in NICU and use of oxygen, born before 34 weeks (they were 34 weeks, 4 days), go to daycare, parental asthma (Lance has had mild attacks periodically), and that they will not be six months old before the end of cold and flu season. Our pediatrician is appealing but it doesn't look good. It is very, very expensive even with insurance approval so I really wouldn't want it if I didn't think it would be good for them. I didn't even think about taking them to Christmas Village Friday night and the crowds of people until we got home and now I am so scared that we exposed them to RSV. We will just have to be extra vigilant when it comes to colds and not hesitate to take them to the hospital if they seem to have any trouble at all breathing!

We had a great time at Christmas Village, but it is kind of tiresome to be such a spectacle. Everyone stops and looks at you and exclaims over the twins and I of course agree with everyone when they say they are adorable, but sometimes you just want to shop in peace!!!

Katie is rubbing a bald spot on the back of her head in an attempt to look more like dad I guess! We need to get a picture, pretty funny!

The other thing I am freaking out about, ALREADY, is that Vandy is now BOWL ELIGIBLE (woohoo), which means that Lance will not miss that game for anything. He really wants me to go with him and I would love to go, but I am not sure we can find someone willing to watch them overnight and I don't know if I am willing to leave them - I guess I have about a month to get used to the idea and to find/train a sitter!

The Smiles

I tried to capture their smiles - they are so precious and both of them are smiling more and more each day but they won't do it on command and I haven't yet figured out a fool-proof way to get them to do it. So, here are some ten weeks pics - you can kind of tell that Tyler is smiling, Katie was being uncooperative but still looks cute as can be of course.