Fabulous Christmas!

It was so great to see everyone, and the kids were on relatively good behavior :-)! Katie was still a little stranger shy, but she warmed up better than she has been. We are back in town and spent the day today trying to straighten the disaster area that is our house and spending time with the kids. They were extra cute today - Tyler learned to "hide" behind his hands or a hat and it was really funny to watch him try to peek around or over without us seeing and thinking we couldn't see him. Katie was back to her clown self walking around making the craziest noises and faces, including saying ooohhh to everything - have no clue where she got that. We managed to give the kids a bath tonight with minimal freaking - at my Aunt's house we turned the jets on in the bathtub because we thought it would be fun and it traumatized them so bad that they wouldn't calm down for a bath until tonight! We are officially the worst parents when it comes to photographing special occasions. We got very, very few of Christmas morning - luckily we have a little video and I think some others got some pictures. Here are a couple of those, and some from today when they were enjoying their new "couch" and Clifford the Big Red Dog dolls. We went on a trip to the grocery store and put their sweatshirts (gift from their Uncle) on - they are obviously too big but they looked so cute and grown up wearing them!

They discovered their new chair/couch under the tree!

Then their new ball pit (thanks to So So and Grandpa) got put together and they LOVE it.

They like their couch that they can share quite a bit too.

Watching them dance makes me smile no matter what!

Just two random ones of them being "too cool"

Warning!

The kids are miserable and for at least Tyler it will continue through all of the holidays and visiting family :-(. The steriods that he is on just really make him uncomfortable and grumpy. It is a rare evening when we are counting down the minutes until bedtime, but tonight was definitely one of those nights. Katie has a cold and is teething so she may be over it soon, but of course she still has her "stranger anxiety." Tyler has to be on the steriods, and breathing treatments, and antibiotic for ear infection through Sunday so he is not going to be a happy camper for a while. He is such a sweet and happy little guy the majority of the time, so it just breaks your heart even more when it is obvious that he just doesn't feel well. The steroids, in particular, make him dizzy (according to the side effects list) and jittery and he just gets so upset that he doesn't know why he feels so bad and why he loses his balance so easily when he actually does try to play. I couldn't get him to eat anything tonight and he didn't even like his bath and the crying didn't cease from the minute we walked in the door. I hope he feels better in the next couple of days, but just consider this a warning that they might not be that fun to be around this Christmas - so sad. No new pictures, but soon we will have Christmas picks!

Our Little Superman!

Well, we had our first (and hopefully last) visit to the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital ER last night. When I got to daycare yesterday afternoon Tyler was breathing really fast and shallow and the breathing treatments did not seem to be helping. We made an appointment with our pediatrician, or actually the doctor on call that we had seen before (so great that they have night hours). The doctor was concerned about how hard Tyler was having to "work" to breathe and decided to give him a breathing treatment and see how he responded. He also has another ear infection :-(. After the breathing treatment (like the ones we do at home) his wheezing and counts (of how many times he breathes in a minute) did not improve so she decided to test his oxygen saturation levels. They like the levels to be at 92 or above and he was wavering between 89 and 93 - not too bad, but just enough when combined with the other things going on for her to send him to the hospital. We (just me and Tyler - Lance was staying home with Katie) left straight from the doctor and went to the ER.

I was initially upset because we waited for almost an hour in the waiting room and if that was any indication of how serious they thought it was I did not want to be there keeping baby boy awake and spending money that we don't have (I now know that my new insurance isn't that great - $250 co-pay and 20% of hospital costs but I'm glad we have it and it is the same as my old job). When we were finally called back to the triage room the pace picked up quite a bit and the nurse labeled Tyler a "working wheezer" and got him into a room. From there a respiratory therapist and a physician and a nurse listened to him breathing and decided the first course of action would be to deep suction his mouth, nose and lungs. Tyler HATED it, but was so so good all night. Everyone commented on what a good (and cute :0) baby he was just sitting and talking and playing amid screaming babies all around. He was up, with no sleep, until 1:30 AM and did great - he really is a trooper (better than mom). The first suction seemed to help a bit, but it made the wheezing more pronounced and they needed to try to get that stopped. So they let him sit for a while and then tried the suction again which resulted in a gushing nose bleed (that is still happening this morning). That was probably the scariest part - I am a bit of a spaz and I was calmer than the nurse. Blood was gushing down the back of his throat and the room looked like something really bad had happened because as we were trying to stop the bleeding Tyler was thrashing and crying which made it go literally everywhere. A new set of sheets, a mopped floor, and a wiped down baby with a book and a piano made everything better!

They then decided to give him some steriods, a little motrin (for the fever from the ear infection), and another albuterol treatment with some other medication in it that he had not had before. That made 5 treatments for the day and he didn't really get better after the last one so the doctors said no more to that. Poor little man was so wired and jittery - that is A LOT of albuterol for one day. The final treatment (at about 11:15) was a 20 minute saline treatment combined with a medication that worked similarly to albuterol to open the airway. That seemed to clear out some of the congestion and really helped him breathe a lot better! He had to be watched for an hour after that and then the therapist and the doctor had to see him again. They all listened to him breathing and said it was much, much better. My pediatrician happened to be in the hospital and came down to see Tyler and we will go to him on Wednesday for a follow-up. We came home with some steriods, more albuterol and antibiotics for the ear infection and a very, very sleepy boy who seemed to be feeling better. He was very grumpy this morning when he woke at his usual time, but that is to be expected. The steriods make him crazy so I can expect a few rough days in our future!

The hardest part of it all (other than seeing my baby boy not feel well) was that my cell phone was dying, Lance was at home on pins and needles waiting for updates that I didn't really have, and the hospital wasn't really set up for little ones and there was nowhere to set him to go to the bathroom or get anything to eat or drink (and no offers from nurses to watch him for a minute). Oh well, we are all home (well, actually I am at work) and doing better and hopefully these steriods and the breathing treatments with clearer lungs will help my Superman get well. Funnily, the most stressful part of the evening (other than handing over my credit card at discharge) was the drive home in major fog! I was grateful that Tyler was still jabbering and "singing" because it was pretty eerie.

Gosh, that is a long post! I guess that makes sense considering it was a pretty long night!

Santa and Miss Claus

The kids had their Christmas party at daycare yesterday and got their picture taken looking festive! Tyler still fit into an on loan (thanks Aimee) Santa costume that said it was size nine months so he went in full garb (minus shoes, of course). It was really cold yesterday and I didn't want to put Katie in tights again two days in a row so she isn't as decked out...

They are both making odd faces in this picture (these pictures were taken individually but I photoshopped them together since I wanted one of the two of them - that explains it if they look odd :-)). This is Katie's "evil" smile that she has taken to doing a lot lately and Tyler was obviously trying to make an obscene noise with his mouth (also something he really enjoys these days)!

More Pictures - Santa Visit Attempt #2

Well, I forgot to mention in the last post that we went out to Bass Pro Shops on Saturday to try to get the kid's picture taken with Santa. The line was two hours long on the first try at skipping the morning nap so that was a no go! Still no good pictures in their cute little outfits from So So :-(. We had a good time though strolling around Opry Mills although we were on constant shoe patrol - neither of them wanted to keep them on and preferred to throw them every five seconds. I really want to invent some shoes that they can't get off - surely other people have this problem!!! No less than five people commented that they needed shoes on when we finally gave up and let them go barefoot. Well, duh but I am not spending $50 per pair on tie tennis shoes that I am not even sure will work because I can't figure out how they get these others off (Robeez, Bipeds, and others that they aren't supposed to be able to get off) - I think they are helping each other!!! It isn't too cold here this evening so we also let them wear their no feet Christmas pajamas and of course had to take some pictures. We also all went to lunch with Lance's dad after Opry Mills and got some shots of Tyler and Katie using "real" cups and having a ball making a big ole' mess.

Their hair still hasn't grown much and Tyler has a hybrid mohawk/"chicken" hair

One Nap = Double Trouble!

We finally started letting the kids skip their morning nap (that they were fighting taking for the last month anyway) and more awake time seems to equal more time to get into trouble! They are actually doing pretty well, but there is a definite transition. They are still funny little boogers, even when they are up to no good.

They are both testing just how much we will let them get away with when it comes to tree touching!

They are climbing into EVERYTHING, the wagon, the dump truck, the magazine rack, onto the couches... Very scary since they are proficient at getting into these things but can't get out and most of them have WHEELS!

They've both discovered our shoes, love "talking" on the phone, and Tyler has quite the throwing arm already!

I still can't get a good picture of them together. Tyler gets irritated if Katie touches him and Katie thinks it is hilarious to annoy her brother. This is about the best I can get these days when they are both distracted by Marley long enough to sit next to each other. Marley, who I swear they both think is named "No." Tyler has started saying it to her too - I guess we discipline Marley too much - a little too late I think!

"Leashes"

My mom is going to think I have lost my mind when she reads this, but I really do think we are going to have "leash" kids. I am thinking of purchasing these:

I figure I should start putting them on them now everytime we get out of the car and they aren't in the strollers to get them used to putting it on when we are out and about. I know that people think it is treating your children like pets, but I think the embarrasment (kind of like driving a minivan) is worth it to make sure I can keep up with the kids in crowded parking lots, todder enticing stores, etc. I was against it for a while ( like a lot of things that I was against before I actually had children), but all along we have made parenting decisions that others don't agree with - letting them Cry It Out (CIO), putting them to bed for the night before it is even dark out in the summer, giving them formula and now non-organic milk, refusing to pick them up and cuddle if they have a minor fall, and the list goes on and on. I guess I am slowly, but surely, learning that we have to do what feels right for us.


I am very excited about this evening! Lance's parents are watching the kids (woohoo - many thanks) and we are having a real night out. Going to dinner before a Vanderbilt basketball game at the Sommet Center. It is another late game so I feel bad about that, but it will be fun to be downtown and see a hopefully good game in a fun, new environment. I probably don't deserve to have a date night since I have a to do list a mile long and no time to get things done (another reason I think weekends are too short), but oh well! We still have not gotten the kids picture with Santa and I tried in vain to take the kids picture in their cute Christmas outfits (courtesy of So So). I absolutely could not get them together in one shot, much less both looking at the camera. I even tried holding them but still no luck and unless it is a fabulous picture of them I would rather not be in it! I also have done very little Christmas shopping (yikes). We have gotten a few little things for the kids and I hope to do some tomorrow. It's been a pretty rough year financially (but definitely not in any other way), and I guess that is why I am procrastinating so bad on gift buying this year - gotta get into the spirit though with only a couple of weeks left now! Speaking of procrastinating - that is what I seem to be doing right now instead of working on the grant that is due so I'm gonna get back to it! New pictures soon - I got some cute ones of them individually, just not together!!!

A tree!

Well, for the first time in 10 years (since Lance and I have had a tree together) we have an artificial tree and I LOVE it! It was a great solution that we did not even think of!!! No branches that can be eaten or pine needles all over the floor, sturdier and less of a topple risk, less hassle relatively speaking, and it looks nice and will be around for years to come. The kids think it is pretty great too. Lance had put outside lights up too (great surprise) and when we came home I was carrying Katie in and she was mesmerized and pointing at them all. Then, when we walked in and the kids saw the tree with lights (undecorated in these pictures although now we have ornaments on the higher branches) they thought it was awesome.

Tyler eventually lost interest and decided to vacuum (a hobby I encourage)!

Today was "interesting." The kids woke up with runny noses (again) which did not bode well for a jam-packed day. We planned to go to pictures with Santa at Bass Pro Shops this morning, but decided against it when the kids were excessively snotty and were determined not to take a morning nap. We went to the birthday party of a friend's one year old where they were better than expected, but super sleepy. We were supposed to let them come home and nap and then go to a baby shower for some other close friends. I went to the shower without Lance and the kids when it seemed that the runny noses may be more cold related than teething (as we first hoped) and that the kids really needed a nap more than they needed to be around other children and pregnant women. One of Tyler's molars has finally cut through and he may be getting more and you gotta think that Katie will have another soon. This evening the kids were miserable!!! I think a combination of being over-tired, a little under the weather, and in a clingy stage anyway made them just extremely fussy and interested only in being held or having a tantrum. Let's hope they wake up tomorrow feeling better and maybe I will be able to take some Christmas pictures in front of the decorated tree!!!

There is no doubt that Katie looks just like her daddy, but I think He and Tyler look a lot alike here!

15 Month Appointment

Wow, these appointments are getting more and more difficult as the kids get more impatient, independent, and squirmy! They were over it after about 30 minutes and they still had to get two shots each. They are still small little things. Tyler is below the 5th percentile in height at 29 inches and between the 5th - 10th percentile in weight at 21 pounds. Katie is about the same percentile wise at 28.5 inches and 20 pounds. The doctor wasn't concerned about their growth or weight gain but did say that it was by no means great. He said that they were probably just getting finicky with their foods - which they aren't really - but we probably do need to start giving them more snacks and letting them eat more throughout the day rather than just at meals. They love fruit which is good for them but isn't high in calories and that has been our go to when they won't eat anything else which would explain why they aren't gaining rapidly. Growth does slow down some at this point, but since they are on the smaller side and the increased activity will mean even less gain, we want to make sure they are getting plenty of fattening foods! I think the babies look healthy and are good weights proportionally - they are just short - so I'm not going to dwell on it too much and am just going to try to diversify what they eat a little more and keep offering them new things in hopes that we find something they really love.

One area of concern was their speech development. I see improvements every day and I do think they are developing well, but they are behind in their talking and comprehension. At this point (even for preemies) they should be able to identify and label Mom and Dad at minimum, and they don't or can't (not sure which). They should also be saying 3 words minimum, preferably 5 and things like Uh Oh don't count. They are getting better at following simple directions like go get the ball, come here, bring me that, pet nicely, etc. so I do think they are beginning to understand commands but at this point they should be pointing to things they want, have more consonant sounds (other than just B and D), and should really also know the names (or their own version of the names) of their siblings and pets, which they don't. So, we were referred to the Bill Wilkerson Center to have their hearing tested professionally (they should call within the next week to ask some questions and schedule an appointment) and then we could possibly be referred to Early Intervention Speech Therapy or if we don't qualify for that private therapy (I hope if they need it they qualify for the state program because private is expensive). I really do think their hearing is good - they have responded to their name and noises for months, will look for noises and sounds, dance and rock to music, and enjoy toys that make noise, have not had numerous ear infections that could hinder hearing, etc. but you never know. We'll keep our fingers crossed that all is A-OK, and I truly do think they are doing just fine but it will be good to make sure. In the meantime, even more book reading, some flash cards, and more talking to them is in order. Oh, and they asked us today if they could scribble and we don't know - we've never let them try - so that is on the agenda too!