Friday, February 27, 2009

Our First Ponytails!



How cute are we?

Daddy Date Night

In lieu of Little Gym, we have decided to start Daddy Date Night. We really want the girls to spend some time one on one with us as well as have some time apart to find and develop their own selves. So, every Thursday, Ben will take one girl out while I stay in to spend time with the other. Tonight was the first night, and we started with Abby.

Ben took her to the mall for a little mall food and some play time at the play area. He said she was a little timid at first but eventually started climbing and playing. All the equipment is this rubbery stuff which is perfect for kids. There is a giant lighthouse with steps that lead to a slide. I think he said she enjoyed that. Dinner was Chick-Fil-A nuggets - about 2. Abby has become a big fan of dipping things though and Ben said she had quite a blast sticking her fingers in the sauce and sucking it off.

Meanwhile back at the homestead...I discovered that the house is VERY quiet without Abby. It is very apparent that she is the noise maker. Natalie said almost nothing while she was gone. She talks when Abby is with her (although not as much as Abby), but without her sister, she's just mum. It's kind of strange. I guess they are talking to each other so she has more to say.

The experience actually proved to me how important it is that we have them spend some time apart from each other. I want Natalie to find her own voice - in all ways literal and symbolic. They need our individual attention as well and not grow up feeling that they are just a package deal.

Natalie did enjoy her time without Abby - however quiet. Although, then again, maybe she enjoyed that too. She took a bath and was able to have all the toys and bubbles to herself as well as the prime seat in front of the spigot. Abby has recently come to dislike the bath and cries and tries to climb out. As a result, they are often shortened. Today, Natalie got to stay in as long as she wanted and laugh and splash. It was really cute.

We also attempted to color (which mostly involves trying to keep her from eating the crayons) and read some books together. It was nice to be able to focus on just one little girl.

I hope the girls had as much fun as mommy and daddy. I'm excited about getting to know Natalie and Abby individually. It's the beginning of a beautiful tradition.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Oh my goodness!

I am so happy I can hardly stand it. After a week at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's and 4 days with me at Grammy and Mema's, we are finally home and I have weighed the girls. Are you ready for this....


Natalie - 19# 2 oz!!!!!

Abby - 19# 3.5 oz!!!!!

I am so excited. Remember, they lost over a pound each when they were sick. Two weeks ago Natalie weighed only 17# 10oz and Abby only 17# 11oz. They have gained 1# and 8/9 oz in two weeks. We are finally back on track.

That's the good news, of course. If I want to look at it realistically, it means they are just back at the weights they were over a month ago. January 20, they were 18$14oz and 18#11oz (Abby). So if you look at it that way, they have only gained 4 oz and 8.5 oz in a month. But, hey, that's WAY better than losing a pound in a month, so we'll take it. They are only a few ounces behind their monthly average. And they have finally officially hit 19 pounds! The big 20 is just around the corner. We can finally change the car seats around. Actually, I may do it anyway. The poor babies are tall for their 19 pounds. Last check, they were 33 inches. Their poor little legs are so squished in the rear facing seats. They have to sit in a V with their legs to the side. It can't be comfortable.

The other good news is that they have been eating really, really well. Obviously. Every time they go to Ya-Ya's it seems to jump start their eating. I don't know WHAT she does, but it works. It's like eating boot-camp. (as an aside - right now the girls are looking at a photo book. They are on a page with Ya-Ya and Grandpa and just pointing at it and laughing and smiling. It's so cute:-)) They have been doing incredibly well with their solids lately - actually since they were sick. They love sausage and any kind of fruit. Spaghetti was also a hit along with broccoli. They loved the Brunswick Stew my uncle's family made. They actually seem to enjoy foods with a lot of taste and spice. No more boring purred foods for them! On the way home yesterday, we stopped at Wendy's. I showed Abby how to dip her chicken nuggets into the honey mustard sauce. She loved it. It was funny to watch. She's take the tiniest piece of chicken and dip it, then eat it. She also enjoyed dipping the kidney beans from the chili.

They have become very independent in their eating. Natalie will still let us feed her sometimes, but Abby is very insistent on doing it herself. We are trying to work more with the fork and spoon. If you spear something, they will take the fork and eat it, but they have a hard time spearing anything themselves.

They have gotten better with their milk too. We do about 4 bottles a day, sometimes only 3 if they miss their nap on the days I babysit. But, they drink their straw cups throughout the day so I figure they get at least 24 ounces of pediasure a day now. I'm SO proud of them.

I much more to report about the girls travels and pictures to post, but I just had to share the news about their weight. Tune in soon for the Adventures of Plumpy and Pudgy!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Much, much better

The girls are back to normal! They are eating again and playing like normal. In fact, they are feeling so good that they are at Ya-Ya and Grandpa's!

We are making up for their missed trip two weeks ago. Ben's grandma is still there, so we wanted her to be able to spend some time with them. Plus, we needed to work on our kitchen.

From what I hear, the girls are having a blast at the grandparents. We'll have pictures and tales when they return!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have to confess, we aren't much on romantic mushiness. In 11 years, I think Ben and I have given each other 2 cards. So, instead of longing glances across a candlelit table, we tore apart our kitchen. And since the kids are at their grandparents and I have nothing to report, you'll get to hear all about it!

We started Saturday and really got a lot done. I was pretty proud of ourselves. Our contractor arrived at 1 and worked with us until 5:30. We tore down tore down the kitchen counter bar, tore out drywall, removed studs, took a trip to Lowe's, and put up new headers so the ceiling won't fall down.

We were proud, but very tired at the end of the day. And sore, oh so sore. Ibuprofen is a life saver.

Sunday, Ben got an early start. Well, earlier than me. I slept until noon. Ben cut down some more drywall and put up another header all by himself! I was very proud. Our contractor arrived at 1pm, and we finished framing a wall. The big issue was trying to create a corner from an oddly shaped intersection so the dry wall would do on flush. That took a good bit of discussion, figuring, and trial and error. We didn't have much to do though, so we were finished by 3:30.

In the end, we have everything ready for the electrician to come this week and move outlets, light fixtures, and light switches. Once that is done, the inspector comes to okay it. Then we can re-dry wall, fix the counter and Phase I will be complete. Hopefully, all this will be complete when the girls return on Sunday or Monday. (I am going down Wednesday to spend the night and then leaving Thursday to go all the way to my dad's. we will return either Sunday night or Monday early afternoon.)

Phase II will involve choosing the cabinets and counter tops and new floors.

Phase III will involve new carpet - hopefully.

I'm actually pretty pleased with ourselves. Ben and I aren't really that great on our follow-through-ness. We have great ideas, but frankly, sometimes we can be a little lazy. But we did it! We actually did it. We are really happy too. We love the way things look so far and are so excited about the upcoming finished project.

Here are a few pictures so you can visualize what we have been up to!

















































So - the fridge has now been moved next the the sink counter (where a wall used to be). The wall will be drywalled behind it.










The new cabinets and counters will now run from where the fridge was to where the bookshelf is. The bookshelf represents where another cabinet and bar will be.




The table will be on the other side of the bar in the new "eat-in" kitchen area.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

On the mend...

I think we are on the mend. Well, Natalie and Abby seem to be. Ben and I feel like crap.

Saturday was the first day in a week the girls don't have a fever. This is a very good thing. It should mean the new antibiotic is working.

Speaking of the new antibiotic...I actually went to the ER with Natalie Saturday because she had what appeared to be blood in her stool. Of course, after we arrived, Ben called and said Abby had the same thing. We figured immediately it had to be the new medicine. So, I told the doctor who looked it up and it turns out a red discolored stool is a rare side effect on 1-2% of patients. Figures.

So, $75 and 2 hours later, we are back home. Natalie ate 3 or 4 oz of her milk - and immediately through it up. This is happening with both of them and I can't quite figure it out.

Monday went pretty well. They still have runny noses and coughs, but they have energy back and are playing. I went back to work Monday and took all the kids to the park since it was a balmy 65-70 degrees here. Natalie and Abby had a great time. They ran all around, climbed up everything and went down the big slides - all by themselves!

Unfortunately, they still aren't eating very well. I weighed them yesterday. Oh my. It wasn't good at all. In fact it was far worse than I imagined. Abby weighed only 17#11oz. Natalie was 17#10oz. Staggering - in a bad way. Well over a pound lost. They now weigh less than they did two months ago. I'm pretty bummed about it. They were doing so well. We have an appointment with the Duke SICC sometime in February or March. I was so excited to go in and show how much they've gained. Now, I'll get the bad looks and concerned faces.

At least we are on the mend. Ben and I are doing slightly better. I can breathe now, which is nice. Ben felt pretty bad last night, but hopefully today is better.

Let's hope the girls go on an eating spree.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Big "P"

Well, it was back to the doctor for the girls. After nearly 3 days on antibiotics with no improvement, we had to go back.

The results: Natalie has Pneumonia - in her left lung, I think. Abby still has no discernible source of infection, but she sure feels down right icky.

I was actually expecting the pneunomia diagnosis for Abby since she appears to feel worse. She was just pitiful today, sleeping almost all day and then moaning and only wanting to be held when awake.

We have a new, stronger antibiotic which only has to be given once a day (shew) and in a lesser dose. Hopefully, we will have better luck getting it in them. Unfortunately, it is not a yummy, bubble gum flavor. It's sort of a brown, yucky, nasty color. There's no telling what it tastes like.

So, the babies are still sick, Daddy is starting to feel bad, and I think I'm taking a cold. The girls haven't been able to go stay with their grandparents, great-grandma, and aunt Susie for a week as planned, and we won't be able to start our kitchen project this weekend. I haven't been able to work all week, so Walker and Blaire's mom had been shuffling around with fill-in child-care. (You can't know how bad this makes me feel. In the over three years I worked for them before, I think I may have missed 3 days when I was sick. I feel so awful leaving a parent in a learch.)

All in all, it's been an interesting week.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Little Gym


Last Thursday (Jan 29), Natalie and Abby had their first organized class - at The Little Gym. For those who might not know, The Little Gym is a gymnastics-based activity gym that introduces kids to gymnastics and other sports-based activities. They start with 10 month olds and go up to 12 years. They have classes in gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, karate, and sports skills. It's a great place and kids love it.

The classes for the youngest kids are "parent and me" classes. The plan was for Daddy to have some special time with the girls every Saturday night. I went to the first class to watch (and record) and jump in if needed. I was needed. Two girls and one daddy are too much.

The class started with the kids ringing little bells to music. They then introduced themselves (well, the parents did) and were encouraged to go up and give the teacher a high five. Natalie had no fear! She walked right across the mat and high-fived the teacher! Abby was a little more timid.

Walking, running, bouncing, and dancing in a circle were next and the girls were eager participants. Daddy had a hard time keeping up.

The beloved Parachute was next. Kids love these things. Again, Natalie immediately ran out on to it not at all flustered by the movement and rattling of the chute. She loved it. After walking on the chute, all the kids and parents got to get UNDER it. They raise it up and it creates a balloon, then quickly duck under and sit on the edges. The kids can then run around under it. (We did parachute games at Johns River Camp, and this really IS fun).

After the parachute, I stepped in to help since it was time to play on the different apparatus. They have balance beams, uneven bars, and lots of cushy mattress of different sizes to go up, over and jump off. The girls had a wonderful time exploring everything and testing things out. It was really fun.

The only downside was that little miss Abby didn't take kindly to having to stop playing to sit in a circle or watch the other kids. She was very fussy and whiny when we tried to get her off the equipment. So, we have a little behavior modification to work on.

It's not surprising, really. They've not been in large group setting like that before. Actually considering this was their first interaction with lots of kids (probably 15 kids plus adults - so a lot of people), they did amazingly well. The didn't fall apart or break down or even get clingy. Abby was a little in the beginning, but once let loose on the equipment, we could barely keep up!

All in all, we had a great experience and will definitely sign them up (this was a trial class). I think we have decided to only register one kid, and switch them off every other week. Ben will do Little Gym, and I'll play at home. We will have some special one-on-one time with each girl. That is something we haven't done enough. Now that they are getting older, we really need to spend more time with them separately and foster more of their individuality.

I guess we will have to miss our second class due to the sickies. But, they should be back to normal by next week. I'll have to try to get more pictures of them trying out the balance beam and actual equipment!

A little video montage...




ps: Our success at Little Gym was followed on Friday by another successful mingling at Bible Study. The girls played happily for nearly two hours with a host of other kids and a few caregivers while we mingled with adults upstairs. They didn't cry at all (except when we tried to check on them and they saw us).

Also, my sister has pointed out the coincidence between the girls first real introduction to kids en masse and the fact that they have been sick for going on five days. It's not a pretty conclusion. Hopefully, interacting with other kids won't result in being out of commission for a week every single time!

Poor Babies - update update

Day 4 of Sick Babies. Yesterday, with Abby's temperature climbing towards 103/104, I took her to the doctor as well. Despite a raging temp, the doctor couldn't find anything obvious wrong with her. No ear infections and clear lungs.

Amoxicillian was prescribed (just in case), so now we get to try to force Abby's medicine down as well as Natalie's. This is a very sad process and usually results in copious vomiting.

Speaking of vomiting, if we didn't need new carpet before...we do now. And a new couch. Good thing our furniture is dark brown. I think the main problem is that they are coughing SO much and so hard that they are just throwing up every time. Unfortunately, not every instance is coughing related, which makes me wonder what kind of bug they really have. Often, within ten minutes or so after eating, they will throw up - even without coughing.

It's a good thing the girls gained a pound in January, because it's all gone now, I'm sure. They haven't been able to eat more than about 4 ounces a few times a day since Sunday. And as I said, that gets thrown up. It's sad really. They actually get quite hungry. They start to fuss and whine. We finally realize they are hungry (it's not a usual child's screaming and carrying on), and they eat (either pediasure or pedialyte) like they are starving...and then throw up ten minutes later. My only hope is that when they are better they will eat like crazy people to make up for their weight loss.

So, the update is...everything is the same. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Poor Babies - update

Natalie wasn't any better this morning so it was off to the doctor. Poor little girl has an ear infection in her left ear. That explains the fever, but not the cough and throwing up. I think she just has a bug as well. Abby seems to have the coughing/throw-up bug, but not as much fever. Although, Abby seems to feel worse today than yesterday, so it may mean another trip to the doctor tomorrow for her.

I was finally able to get Natalie to drink some pedialyte with her mixed with her antibiotic and Tylenol. At the doctor, she weighed 18# 4oz. Not so good. I'm also worried about her dehydrating.

As of 7:30pm, Abby's fever is up as well - to 102ish. They are both pretty miserable. Even sick though, I have the best babies ever. They just want to sleep -which they've been doing pretty much all day. I don't think Abby has even been down her slide:-(

Hopefully, the night will be uneventful and the babies will sleep well and let their bodies heal and they will feel better tomorrow.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Poor Babies

The babies have the sickies:-(

When I got Natalie up last night about 1am to feed her, she was burning up. She had a fever of about 103. She also kept throwing up and was breathing fast. Poor little thing felt so bad. After some Tylenol and a breathing treatment, she finally fell off to sleep.

In the mean time, Ben had to get up to deal with Abby who woke up, but refused to eat at first. After a few tries and a few throw-ups, Abby also finally ate and went to sleep.

I finally got in the bed about 3:30, I think. At some point, Natalie woke up fussing and she was hungry, which was good.

The rest of the night is a blur. I think Ben got up and fed the girls around 6:30am. They went back to sleep which was great since we both got some more sleep. Ben let me sleep much later.

Abby hasn't been as sick as Natalie. She's thrown up some but her fever isn't as high. They both played around a bit this afternoon, but then Natalie fever came back and she went back to bed. At last check around 9:30pm is was about 102.

I suspect it will be a late night. I'm going to have to try and get some more Tylenol in her. It's tough when she spits it out and then throws up. If she's not better tomorrow, it's off to the doctor for us. Hopefully, they will feel much better in the morning and this isn't the beginning of anything serious.

on a lighter note: Ben was fixing Abby a bottle today. He could hear her on the other side of the bar say, "uh-oh". He looked around, and she had thrown-up and was saying, "uh-oh, uh-oh". She's still cute, even when she is sick:-)