Feeling better

After a very long week, the boys are feeling better! They went through the week with 103-105 fevers. The pediatrician wanted us to come back on Thursday if they still had fevers. We went back and they did a nasal swab test for the flu and sent Addison for a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. Both tests were negative so again, we were told to just wait out the fever. They went to bed Thursday night with temperatures above 104 and Friday morning, they woke up with no fever. They didn't spike a fever all day and they were both acting like nothing had ever happened.
Today, they each ate a huge pancake for breakfast and snacked throughout the day. They hadn't eaten solid food all week because they didn't want to do anything but lay on Ian or myself.
Neither of them have broken out into a rash (a rash usually appears within 24 hours of the fever breaking) but honestly, I'm just happy to have them feeling better.

A horrible, no good day

Today is one of the hardest days we've had since the boys came home. The have both been running low grade fevers for the past few days. We assumed it was teething since neither of them have shown any other symptoms of being sick. This morning, Riley woke up and had a fever of 103.6. I gave him tylenol right away and had him sit on my lap with a cool washcloth on his head, while we waited for the pediatricians office to open. When I called, they wanted me to bring him right in. I made the appointment for both Riley and Addison since I was already going to be there and Addison had been running a fever also.
I assumed it would be something simple like ear infections. The doctor seems to think that they have roseola. It's a virus that shows no symptoms except a fever (that can go rather high) for 3-5 days and then they break out in a rash. We were sent home with instructions to just be sure we keep the fevers down and to come back if they still have a fever on Wednesday.
So, at about 3pm today, I was sitting on the floor with my legs straight out on the floor. I was holding Riley while Addison climbed back and forth, over my legs. He did a face plant (like he always does when he climbs over things) and just stayed there. At first I thought he was playing but after a few seconds, he hadn't moved. I picked him up to find that his whole body was stiff and his eyes were rolling back into his head. He didn't respond to me at all so I laid him on the loveseat and just tried to get him to regain consciousness. After about 1 minute, I called 911. I was frantic and the poor operator had trouble understanding me at first. He dispatched an ambulance (which luckily is less than 2 miles from my house) and by the time the ambulance got here, he was starting to move his limbs and babble. The medics said it was likely a febrile seizure and asked me to call the pediatrician to see if he should be transported to the ER or if they wanted me to bring him to the office. The ped. instructed him to be taken to the hospital to be checked out. He was stable and acting normal and I loaded him into the carseat and handed him to the medics who took him to the ER. I followed the ambulance with Riley. He had blood drawn to check his CBC and they did a urinalysis which came back clean so the ER doc. agreed that it was a febrile seizure. When he got the the ER, his temp was 101. I had given him a dose of tylenol just before he left.
I hadn't given Addison any medicine today since his temp was under 101 all day. When we were at the doctor, his temp was only 99 so I thought since he was acting just fine, I would give him a break from medicine.
He's fine now. He's been sleeping most of the evening and he ate a bunch of food. Hopefully, this virus comes to an end soon and I can not worry about this happening again.

19 months

I'm a few days late, but the boys turned 19 months on Sunday. It seems that they've recently taken off and I'm so excited to have so much new stuff to share!

Addison now pulls up to stand. He can't stay standing without help but he will stand up and just use one hand to hold himself. He's just starting to get the idea of being able to put one foot in front of each other. He can very slowly walk across the room with us holding his hands. To see him not only vertical, but vertical and moving, is something we couldn't even wrap our brains around. I mean, it seems like just yesterday I was telling everyone that he crawled. He's now crawling up on his hands and knees unless it's somewhere he wants to go to right away, then it's faster for him to just army crawl. He plays peek-a-boo. Just, out of nowhere, he started covering his eyes and doing it. He has one bottom molar and another just about to pop through the gums. He's starting to chew his food but we still have to break apart stuff for him. Addison sits completely unassisted and is able to go from sitting to crawling with no problem.

Riley is starting to put some weight on his feet. He loves the exersaucer and he spins himself around and uses his legs to help. He's also starting to pull onto his knees. He's been receiving the bulk of the PT and OT since he really seems to be not getting it as quickly. Riley is by far, the better eater. He bites and chews food. I rarely have to break things into pieces for him. He easily eats toast, french toast sticks, veggie sticks (like the potato chip straw things), and more. He's also drinking from a sippy cup. He is starting to be able to sit with his hands propping him but he's still pretty wobbly.

They're both eating most table foods. We've finally done away with baby food and those over priced gerber puffs. They're still drinking a lot of formula although we're slowly trying to replace all of those calories and vitamins from formula with tables foods and drinks. Everything I make them has extra butter, cheese, or full fat.

I've got more to write but both of the boys are awake and demanding my attention!

Addison 1-6-10

Addison 1-11-10

I have the brag for just a second. I got a new camera as an early birthday gift so I've been taking TONS of pictures. Addison usually charges full speed at me as soon as I grab the camera so I don't get many good shots of him. Riley, however, I think looks fantastic in these pictures. He has the most striking eyes and I could just stare at these pictures all day.

Riley 1-6-10

Riley 1-10-10

Riley- 1-17-10

New year, new adventure

Just when you think you're at a nice steady pace, the troubles of micro preemies become loud and clear.

Yesterday was the boys 18 month well visit. We've had a rough couple of months with physical therapy. We've had 4 different therapists since October. Some better than others. We're finally happy with who we were matched with and I've seen lots of changes in the boys. Addison crawls. He's almost crawling on his hands and knees. He pulls to standing, climbs over things, and is sitting unassisted (as long as you prop him into the sitting position first). He eats table food but prefers to dissolve the food in his mouth instead of chewing it. He has started to clap and does "so big" (puts his hands up in the air when someone says so big).

Riley, on the other hand, does not sit unassisted. Just this week he's regularly able to sit with his hands propping him. He almost never puts weight on his legs/feet. He'll push up and down on my lap as a game but will not pull himself up or put his legs down while in the exersaucer. He's still army crawling but does get up on his hands and knees and rock.

So, I brought it up to the pediatrician and I asked when it switches from "there's nothing wrong and they'll "catch up" to is there something wrong and that's why they're so delayed?" He said there's always been something "wrong" and now it's just a question if it's something neurologically or just a side effect of being born so small. He's referring us to a developmental pediatrician at the Hershey Medical Center. Apparently it could be some time before we're able to get in because there's not many developmental peds. around. I guess once we're seen there we'll get more information towards a diagnosis or cause for their developmental delays. It will allow us to have more targeted therapies and possibly more therapy. We've also been referred for a cranial ultrasound to be sure there's no extra fluid or swelling in the brain. He doesn't think that's likely but since their soft spots are still open, he wants to be sure everything is ok.

Enough about all of that. Christmas was a lot of fun. The boys got very spoiled but didn't have any interest in tearing off wrapping paper. They got lots of toys (almost all with a therapy purpose in mind) and they're enjoying them every day. We only had one sick visit in December and it was just for wheezing and chest congestion. They were both healthy for Christmas and we enjoyed a weekend of friends and family.

Addison now weighs 18 pounds even and Riley weighs 16lb. 10oz. At our doctors visit just 2 weeks before the well visit, they were 17lb. 8oz. and 15lb. 12oz. with their clothes on. They've had a pretty big growth spurt over the past month or so. Part of the reason for the weight gain is because of our awesome speech therapist. She has them eating almost all table foods. I only use their baby food to mix with regular foods. We're going to now start weaning down their formula and switching to part milk/part formula and we're going to try to decrease the number of bottles they're taking in hopes of increasing the amount of meals and snacks. Riley is my big eater. He loves to eat all types of food and he chews everything with no issues. He's also the first one to have a molar come in. He drinks perfectly from a sippy cup too! Addison needs some work. He loves food and will shovel handfuls of food into his mouth but then he lets it dissolve before he starts to chew. He'll eat any and all table foods and so far but doesn't really do well with the sippy cup. He knows what to do but he prefers to dump it on the tray and then play with it.

All of the kids loved their Christmas Eve pajamas!

Addison plays so much in the exersaucer

And Addison has discovered how much fun it is to splash in the dogs water dish

This is about as involved they got in opening presents

Riley didn't want anything to do with wrapping paper

But he sure liked playing in the new ball pit!

Addison liked it too! He sat like this for about a half hour.

I have lots of stuff to share

The holidays have kind of taken all of our free time and I've got so much to share, hopefully I remember all of it!
We're still fighting with germs. I had the boys back to the pediatrician 2 days ago. They've been coughing and wheezing for more than a week and although their runny noses went away, the wheezing is hanging around despite regular breathing treatments. The doctor took a nasal swab and sent it to the lab to be cultured but we haven't heard back yet. In the meantime, we're just sticking with the breathing treatments.
The therapies are going so well! Their speech therapist has them eating so many new foods. Addison can't get enough. He will grab anything and everything out of your hand and eat it. Riley will eat all types of different foods but prefers to be fed. Riley is drinking from a sippy cup though. He drinks so nice and neat while Addison prefers to bang the cup on the high chair tray and dump the juice on his head. Lately, the boys have been enjoying bananas, banana bread, cheese curls, and chocolate chip cookies. While that may not sound like the healthiest diet, they're eating a variety of textures and flavors and not having any trouble changing between the different foods. That's a huge plus! Since the boys have been sick, we haven't been pushing them too hard. After the holidays, they're due for their quarterly review and we're going to re-evaluate their goals. As of now, our plans are to start adding in actual meals (and reducing the amount of bottles) and to start adding language into their sessions.
Physical therapy is wonderful. She comes Saturday mornings and this past weekend, Addison was standing with just his hands on the exercise ball. They're both up on their hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Addison is almost always found pulling up on something. He easily pulls up on his knees and occasionally will get his feet under him. Riley is really getting around now. He's no longer getting his arm stuck under his body and he crawls all over the place.
Occupational therapy is also going well. Addison plays give and take. They're both holding their bottles and banging 2 toys together. Addison will put things into a container and then take them out. Riley takes things out of a container but hasn't started to put them back in.
They've both had a growth spurt over the past 2 weeks. There were a few night where they were drinking bottles non-stop. They went through a container of formula that normally lasts us about 3 days, in just over 24 hours...twice! We spent a small fortune on formula last week. When we were at the doctor on Monday, Addison weighed 17lbs. 12oz. and Riley was 15lb. 12oz. When we were at the doctor last month, Riley was only 14lbs. 10oz. (which was not much more than what he weighed at his 15 month check-up). They're both getting lots of teeth. Today, Riley got his first molar on the bottom left side. These poor boys have had their gums swollen for days now. They both have all 4 front top teeth. Riley just had his last of the bottom 4 pop through last week. Addison has 3 of his bottom front and no molars yet. They'll be in soon enough.
I'll write more about this when I have time but if you look over on the right side of the blog, you'll see a purple box for the 2010 March for Babies. Last year, Ian and I raised just shy of $600 in about a month. The fundraiser officially kicks off in January but we're able to start raising money now. The walk is April 25th, 2010 and I set a goal of $1,000 in donations for team Macomber Miracles. If you're local, consider joining my team and helping to raise money. If you're not local, or able to join the team, please consider making a donation to my team. No amount is too small and any amount is very much appreciated. The March of Dimes has done so much to benefit premature and sick infants and I'm excited to be able to participate again this year.

This is our 2009 family Christmas picture. Ian is holding Riley.

Addison enjoys some puff snacks.

Riley being a ham :)

What a fun couple of weeks

We got hit with a few different colds and viruses. Addison and Riley had fevers for 5 days, and were getting multiple breathing treatments per day. We're finally just dealing with a nagging cough and some gunk in their lungs that gets coughed up every so often. We felt lucky that it was here and gone in only a few weeks, and 2 doctors appointments. For a few days, we thought we were going to have a repeat of the 2 month long RSV stuff that we dealt with in the spring. The boys didn't qualify for Synagis shots this year so we're being extra cautious for the next few months.

The boys are all over the place. Addison crawls so fast now. He chases Skylar and Leah over the room, crawls into the kitchen to play with magnets on the fridge, and will crawl down the hallway to find his brother and sister. He'll even crawl over things to get to what he wants. Riley is still getting around but he keeps getting his elbow stuck under his body and will topple over his arm.

Addison has started using his legs to push. If he's on my lap and I put the remote or my phone behind me, on the back of the couch, he'll use his legs to push up to standing and get them off the couch. He's nowhere near being stable enough to stand but he's finally starting to use his legs.

Speech therapy is going well. She has the boys eating lots of new foods. Addison will eat french toast sticks (torn into bite size pieces) and they both had noodles, chicken, and carrots when Ian made homemade chicken noodle soup. We're hoping to start with some simple signs so that the boys will have a basic way of communicating.

Occupational therapy is also going really well. They are both clapping and will bang 2 toys together. They've both developed the pincer grasp and can pick up small things with minimal difficulty. Riley will now hold his own bottle. That's a huge help. She also has them starting to put things in and take things out of a jar with hopes to transition to handing a toy back and forth with us.

Probably the best therapy news is that we've FINALLY found a physical therapist that we love! She's an awesome therapist who works for Easter Seals. She has worked with a friends twins and she was highly recommended. She is friends with the boys speech therapist and is just totally awesome. She was out here at the beginning of last week just to meet the boys and see what they're able to do and even though the boys weren't feeling well, she had them giggling and smiling even though they were doing hard work. We finally feel like we have the perfect team and I'm excited to see what will happen. The replacement physical therapist was horrible for the boys. Ian was working from home for her second week and the minute she walked out of the house, he said "no way". she had a much more laid back approach and we really needed someone who would be hands on and more aggressive.

We finally got a second high chair so now I will be able to feed the boys at the same time and have them face each other to hopefully encourage each other to eat more food.

Lately, the boys have been interacting with each other so much. They both break out into laughter and make each other laugh. They play with toys together, chase the dog and cats tails together, and are just plain cute together. Today they were cracking me up so I had to break out the camera and video tape their silliness. I uploaded 2 of the videos onto youtube so that we could send it to family and friends so I will share it with all of you too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qeoWbmTtJM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eknzjvw89vs&feature=channel

Also, here's some cute pictures :)

Ian with Addison (and Pixie)

Riley

Riley is crawling!! and a summary of Blue Jeans for Babies bash

So, he's on the move!!! Riley has started crawling! I had to take Skylar to basketball sign-ups and on the way home, Ian called me to say Riley had just crawled! While I was disappointed that I wasn't there to see him, I'm thrilled that Ian got to see one of them crawl for the first time :) He's not moving as well as Addison but he is on the move! Never, ever did I picture them crawling. It's just so amazing. I'm actually excited that I have to buy a baby gate for in between the kitchen and living room.

Therapy is going well. Our awesome new physical therapist has to have back surgery so she'll be out until April. Until then, she's got someone to take her caseload but I'm not too thrilled with this new lady. She was out yesterday for the first time and I may give her one more week before I make any final decisions. I would really like to wait for their therapist to come back but I just don't know if I'm willing to wait that long with someone I'm not happy with.

So, Ian and I had the babies out Monday night so that we could speak at the March of Dimes Blue Jeans for Babies bash. We got to meet the couple who started the fundraiser, 19 years ago. They were such a wonderful couple. We also met the local ambassador family for the 2010 March for Babies. I did my small speech about my pregnancy, delivery, and 87 day NICU stay. We had a wonderful dinner donated by Subway, Berks Foods, Mission Foods, and Sweet Street Desserts (YUM!) They had a raffle for some really neat baskets and we ended up winning a basket full of useful stuff from Berks Foods and tickets to a local indoor football game. Overall, it was a really fun night for a really great cause and I felt honored to have been asked to participate. I'm now looking forward to the March for Babies kickoff party in January. I've got MUCH bigger goals this year.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures to share from the Blue Jeans bash but I do have some cute pictures that I've taken over the days. Enjoy!

Lately, they've been doing a lot of this. Especially when one of them has a toy that the other one wants. Riley is in the blue and Addison is in the navy and yellow outfit.

They freak out for a minute and then they look so innocent and cute :)
Oh, and Halloween, how could I forget to tell you about Halloween? The kids were all so darned cute! It rained a lot and was cold so Ian brought the boys back to the house while the big kids braved the rain and went house to house. Riley was the lion and Addison was the scarecrow.

Great news article featuring our family

We're speaking for the March of Dimes Blue Jeans for Babies fundraiser this coming Monday and I was interviewed by my local paper about my boys.
Blue Jean for Babies was started in my hometown 19 years ago and has since become a national fundraising drive for March of Dimes.

http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=163429

Wear jeans to work in Berks and help a preemie or two
By Dan Kelly
Reading
Eagle
Ian and Lindsey Macomber's first son, Skylar, was born about eight
weeks prematurely.Lindsey said she knew her son would need intensive care in the
hospital.But she never dreamed the health of her children would be aided by
office employees wearing bluejeans to work.William Gage said he didn't know much
about the March of Dimes when he and his wife, Gwen, started the Blue Jeans for
Babies event in Berks County 19 years ago.The concept is simple enough: Buy a
button for $5 for the privilege of wearing jeans to work.The program started off
modestly but began spreading in its second year and now is part of the March of
Dimes national fundraising campaign. It raises about $35,000 to $40,000 each
year in Berks, Gage said."We had a friend who was involved in the March of Dimes
and she wanted to come up with something unique so we all put our heads together
and that's what we came up with," said Gage, owner of Gage Personnel of West
Reading.
The Macombers say Gage may make light of the contributions of Blue
Jeans for Babies and the March of Dimes, but their 1-year-old twin sons are
living proof.Their twins, Addison and Riley, were born 15 weeks prematurely on
June 17, 2008.Addison was 1 pound, 5 ounces, and Riley was 1 pound, 3 ounces.
Normal is about 8 pounds. Each was a little over 12 inches long. Normal is 18 to
21 inches long."Addison and Riley were also treated in Reading Hospital's
neonatal intensive care unit but the difference in their treatment in just the
past eight years since Skylar was born was amazing," Lindsey said. "The March of
Dimes funds research for babies and I credit them with many of the advances that
have been made."Other than being small for their age and a little behind the
curve in their crawling, Addison and Riley are doing well, their mom
said.Lindsey, Ian and the twins will be at the annual Blue Jeans for Babies Bash
at the Crowne Plaza Reading hotel, Wyomissing, on Monday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in
the Designer Ballroom to share their story and offer their endorsement of the
March of Dimes.The party is open to the public so if you didn't get your button
at work you can get one at the door, Gage said.Contact Dan Kelly: 610-371-5040
or dkelly@readingeagle.com.

If you have a chance, check out http://www.marchofdimes.com/ and look for your local Blue Jeans for Babies event and please consider purchasing a button for $5!

Addison crawled!!!!!!!!

As I was sitting and eating my breakfast, I had the boys on the floor, in just their diapers. Addison was staring down this ball from one of their toys and all of the sudden, I see his arms stretch out and him pull his legs up and then he pushed himself forward!! So, not really crawling like other babies (on hands and knees) but he pushed himself forward a good couple of inches. And, he got the ball he wanted! I sat there for a second wondering if I had just seen what I thought I saw and then I immediately called Ian and told him the good news! He then did it again a few minutes later. I'm so excited and proud and oh my gosh! he's crawling!!!

New crib and food for the boys

For their first 7 months home, the boys slept in their carseats because of reflux. When we moved, back in April, we finally set up the co-sleeper and they were able to sleep in there just fine. They quickly began to outgrow the co-sleeper and before we knew it, they were over the weight limit and rolling onto each other. We've talked about getting them a crib and it's kind of been something on our "to do" list.

I was searching craigslist and I saw that a friend was selling her twins cribs. I went over and Addison and Riley had a little playdate with their old NICU twin buddies and I bought one of their cribs. Ian and I got it all set up, put in their new mattress and sheets, and the boys slept so well in it! I put one baby at each end and they stayed there all night. The next night, Addison discovered how much noise he could make when he bangs on the sides so he kept everyone awake for a little bit but they did end up falling asleep. They both have room to roll around without waking up each other but they're still able to stay in the same bed. They're still sleeping right next to the bed but I plan to slowly move them to the other side of the room (no, I'm not able to just move them away from me. I'm a bit crazy and I still get up in the middle of the night to make sure they're still covered and breathing).

Therapies have been going really well. The boys LOVE the Gerber Puffs! They eat at least a handful every day and they still eating lots of baby food. We also started giving them organic yogurt and cow milk. This morning, Ian and I went out for breakfast with the boys (the big kids spent the night at nanas) and Addison ate pieces of pancake! Riley was so tired and he tried a few pieces but he wasn't too into it. Addison probably would have eaten half of the pancake if I had let him.

Riley

Addison

We've met all of the new therapists

So, last week the boys started with their new physical therapist. She's awesome and I really think we're going to get some results soon. At the end of last week, we met the new occupational therapist. She mostly just did paperwork but she seems to have set some very attainable goals for the boys. She comes back out tomorrow to really start working on their fine motor skills. She has worked with other preemies and is currently working with a 3 year old who was born at 23 weeks.

Today their speech therapist started. She comes highly recommended by a friend of mine and I was very excited to have her work with the babies. She specializes in feeding issues and loves working with babies. Today wasn't too long of a session, she fed them both some stage 2 baby food to get an idea of where they were with their feeding/eating. I have a container of gerber puffs that I bought a few weeks ago and I only tried them once. I broke the tips off of the pieces and Riley gagged on them. I never even tried Addison because he's not as good of an eater. I've tried to give them small pieces of cheerios and they just push the pieces out with their tongues.

So, the therapist asked if she could try some puffs and cheerios. She put a piece of puff in Riley mouth and he CHEWED it!! He ended up eating whole puffs. And, to just make it that much better, he picked up a puff from the therapists hand, and with just a small amount of assistance, he fed himself!

Addison went on to eat puffs also. He was a bit lazier though. The first few, he let dissolve in his mouth and then after 3 or 4, he started to chew them. He did better with the whole puffs, rather than the pieces. He didn't really care for cheerios and they kept making him gag.

The therapist said that she's really happy with what they're doing since they're still considered "early feeders" since they've only been consistently eating for a few months.

She gave me the ok to start trying soft foods. Canned peaches or other soft fruit, small pieces of pancakes, etc. She doesn't want me to try dry foods yet but she's confident that they're able to eat soft foods. Next week we're going to try to start using a sippy cup and within the next few weeks, I think we're going to try scrambled eggs.

For now, we're replacing one evening bottle with a second jar of food. It went well tonight and hopefully it will continue to be easy to take away bottles.

So, we feel like lots of good stuff will come from the aggressive, 3 times per week therapy.

I wanted to share a cute picture. Ian and I took the kids to the Renaissance Faire last weekend. The big kids had a blast and the babies were so intrigued by their surroundings that they didn't sleep the whole time we were there. I took this picture while we were waiting for an archery demo to start. It's really hard to get both babies in a picture when they're in the stroller so you're only able to see Addison.

A big step for me today

I let someone other than Ian watch the babies. I needed to get to the gym and this morning was my only chance today so I walked them into the childcare room and got them situated. I was so nervous to leave them in a strangers care but I knew I would be just outside the room. I only stayed for a little over a half hour and I kept taking out my ear buds to listen for them crying. When I went to get them, they had just started crying. Actually, Riley started crying and when the lady picked up Riley, Addison started crying. But, they did just fine. It was a huge step for me, I haven't even let grandparents babysit (except the one time when Riley was in the hospital but that was out of necessity and there was medical staff all over). A completely child free date night might be able to happen in the near future!

The twins start with their new physical therapist tomorrow morning. I'm excited and nervous but I really believe that this is the best thing for them. Friday their occupational therapist will be here. We're still waiting to hear from the new speech therapist but she does come highly recommended.

whew...where do I begin?

We were all sick last week. It took me out of commission for 2 days and the rest of the week, I functioned at a minimum. Everyone seems to be just about better except for Riley. He's still got a nagging cough that caused me to drag out the breathing machine. We're doing Xopenex twice a day for now.

We've finally switched out all of the 3-6 month clothes for both 6-9 AND 6-12 month sizes! Addison can actually fit into some 12 month clothing. The 3-6 month stuff had been getting too small for a while but I really didn't want to change out everything and then have to do it again when the weather got cooler. Last year, I bought them both adorable Christmas outfits on a super clearance that are size 12 months. I'm actually concerned that they might be too small.

The boys had their 15 month well visit at the pediatrician last Tuesday. Riley weighed 14lbs. 4oz. and was 23.5 inches long. Addison weighed 15lbs. 7oz. and measured 25 inches long. I had so many questions for the pediatrician that for the first time, I brought a notebook with me full of questions. I asked about the boys shaking when they get startled out of sleep and he wasn't concerned at all. I asked about starting dairy (they either needed to get an ok to start dairy or a prescription for special formula to keep getting WIC) and I was told to go ahead and start giving dairy but to make sure I give them yogurt with probiotics. We talked about their head x-rays that they had done a few months back. Their suture lines still aren't closed but the x-ray indicated everything was normal and the ped. and a neurologist both agreed but want to continue to watch and make sure they close when the soft spots close.

I also asked about their progress with physical therapy and he said he wanted them to get more aggressive therapy. It worked out nicely that today was their 1 year evaluation for Easter Seals/Early Intervention.

So, at today's evaluation, a team of 3 people came out to do a bunch of tests. The boys tested anywhere from 6-9 months in all of their tests so they more than qualify for therapy still. I think we all know it would happen but it's always such a slap in the face when you hear someone tell you that your 15 month old babies are functioning at a 6 month old level.

Ian and I mentioned that the pediatrician wants more aggressive therapy and we all (eval. team included) agree that they need it. They're now set to have 3 therapists a week, for an hour per child. They'll have a new physical therapist which is kind of bittersweet but I think it's the right decision. This therapist works specifically with babies and preemies and was thrilled to be able to take the twins case. They'll be getting a speech therapist. This lady was also delighted to get micro preemie twins. She'll initially start working with them to learn to eat new textures and we'll transition into making sounds and eventually words. Lastly, we'll be getting an occupational therapist to help with their fine motor skills. We're not sure who it will be yet but we hope to hear within the next week.

So, tomorrow will be our last session with our current physical therapist. And, for the record, I think he's an awesome guy but I just don't feel like he's able to push the envelope as much as we want. And, he only has openings in the evenings which really sucks for us.

So, we all agreed that this is the time to start pushing them harder. They've had a year to grow and get the basics down, and now we want to see them do more.

9-19-09 Addison is "Big Bro" and Riley is "Little Bro"

9-20-09 Riley in the black hat and Addison in the Steelers hat

9-28-09 Getting ready to go on a walk. Addison in the red, Riley in the blue

1 year ago

While the people, including my family, remember the events that took place 8 years ago, today is also a reason for my family to celebrate. Last year, on 9-11-08, Riley was discharged from the NICU and for the first time, our whole family was able to be together. I remember all of the memorials that were taking place and everyone talking about remembering 9/11 and I was filled with joy as I marched out of that NICU for the last time.
It certainly feels like our family has been complete for more than a year. So much has happened. A clothes company, Little Me, sent me 2 outfits for the babies over the summer. When I opened them, I began to cry. It was 2 of the same outfits that they had worn in the NICU, only in 6/9 month size. They're finally fitting into 6-9 month size clothing and 2 days ago, I put Riley's outfit on and cried. I was sad when we unpacked all of his NICU stuff and realized that this outfit wasn't there. I mean, it would have gone back to the NICU when they outgrew it but it was an outfit that Skylar had picked out and just looked so incredibly adorable on my little guy. Back then, we had to roll up the sleeves on his preemie sized outfit and his legs barely reached into the leg holes. To think back then, that they would fit into something bigger was a stretch of the imagination.
It's funny how something as simple as an outfit can bring out so many emotions but for me, it did. This was the only picture I took, and of course you can't see it, but next time he wears it, I'll be sure to post a picture. I laid them down in the co-sleeper to take a shower and when I came out of the bathroom, this is how I found them. Addison is on the left and Riley is on the right.

It's quite a difference from a year ago:

They're both doing so well. Addison is working on his one upper tooth, just on the opposite side of Riley's. They're both rolling all around the floor and pushing themselves up. They can both get onto their arms and knees but as soon as they try to get anywhere, they kick out their legs. Addison is able to sit again, as long as he has his hands down in front of him.

They go back to the pediatrician on the 22nd. I can't wait to see how big they are! They have the whole evaluation team coming out on the 29th to do a 1 year evaluation. I know they'll be considered very delayed in a wide range of stuff and possibly need more therapists, but I'm ok with that. They're making progress and they're taking their time. As long as we know there's no known reason for their delays, other than being early and still very small, we know they'll get there when they're ready.

Lots of new stuff happening

Is it bad that I had to read my last entry to see what all I've forgot to share over the past few weeks? Our busy summer is coming to an end and Skylar starts school tomorrow, Leah starts another year of preschool in 2 weeks, and football season seems to have taken up all of our free time. Skylar is playing his first year of tackle and he loves it! He's the secret weapon of the defense and he's not afraid to take people down.

So, after Riley rolled a few times, he didn't do it again. Ian stayed home August 17th and we were sitting on the floor with the babies, trying to encourage Riley to roll when all of the sudden, Addison rolled! Riley never did roll that day but Addison has been rolling ever since. As a matter of fact, when you lay him down, he rolls within minutes and he pushes himself up. He's not crawling yet but he has got up on his hands and knees a few times. He does roll around the room and kind of pushes himself with his feet. I don't want to call it crawling, but he gets around without help. He's also starting to sit in a tripod again! As he's pushing himself up, his arms are getting stronger and he can sit and prop himself up with his arms. He can actually stay there fora minute or two. He's eating a lot of food, often finishing a 4oz. jar. He loves his apples and pears. He's babbling a lot and making lots of sounds. He has his favorite toy and will fight Riley for it.

Riley eventually did start rolling and he rolls around the floor even more than Addison. He's starting to push himself up more and more and I can tell he just wants to go. He loves his food! He eats lots of baby food (anything except peas) and we've started again with infant cereal because we have so much of it. About a week after Riley got his bottom two teeth, I noticed a big white bump on his upper gum where the tooth in between his front tooth and canine tooth would be. I started to get worried and then the next day, a tooth popped through. He hasn't got his front top teeth yet but he has his one little top tooth now.

You can't see his teeth in this picture because they were still barely through but I love this picture of him. He smiles and laughs all of the time.