March update

So, I know it seems like the only time I write is when they're sick. The truth is...when they're sick, they need lots of mommy snuggling time and it's essentially the only time I can sit at the computer and type out more than a few words.

So, as you have probably guessed, they're sick again. It started out with a cold and turned into a pretty bad cough. Saturday, Riley was gasping for air and the pediatrician sent us to the ER where he got a shot of steroids (decatron or something like that. It reminded me of a transformers name) and a double breathing treatment and after RSV came back negative and the lung x-rays were clear, we were sent home. So, they're both still coughing but they're improving. For the first time in 5 days, it wasn't raining and we were able to open up the house and get some fresh air.

Other than the cold, they're both doing so well!! Riley is crawling all over the place and starting yesterday, he go from crawling to sitting and sit unassisted! He's up to 18lbs. 12oz. and he has a huge appetite. He pulls up to his knees on the furniture and with only a little bit of help, he'll get up on his feet. He can even get back down without falling! His therapists are all noticing that he has more endurance and he's working really hard to keep up with his brother.

Addison is a fearless tank. The kid just continues to do new stuff. He walks along the couches now. He pulls right up onto his feet and can sit back down from standing. He's sitting totally unassisted and has been for a few weeks.

They both LOVE to read books. I try to get a book from the dollar section at Target every time I go there. They'll sit with a book for 10-15 minutes and just flip through the pages. They both play peek-a-boo and clap when I sing "If you're happy and you know it". They can both put shapes into the correct holes of their shape sorter and can stack cups and rings.

They're enjoying life and learning so much every day. It's amazing to see them start to turn into little toddlers. They have different personalities, different likes and dislikes, yet...they're best of friends. They follow each other through the entire downstairs. If one is playing with something, the other will stop and go join them. Rarely are they more than a few feet apart from each other.

I think we're all very much looking forward to warm weather, no sickies, and lots of outside time.

We sold tickets to a local hockey game for the March of Dimes. Here's a picture of Riley with my baby sister.

Addison snoozing away in the exersaucer

Do they look alike? Addison is on the left and Riley on the right.

We're still trying to raise money for our March for Babies walk on April 25th. You can click on the purple box on the main page of my blog to make a donation for our team. No donation is too small and every one is appreciated! We only have a little over a month left and we're still about $750 away from reaching our team goal.

My March of Dimes- March for Babies team

So, as many of you know, I'm very open about what we went through having twins born at 25 weeks gestation. I'm happy to share our story with other moms of micro preemies or anyone who is curious about the many obstacles that preemies face. I have talked with many other micro preemie parents who have been through and will continue to go through much worse than we have. I'm forever thankful that our story is one of the more positive stories out there.
Our story may have been much worse if it weren't for the research and funding of the March of Dimes. As far as I know, the March of Dimes is the only national charity that helps premature and sick infants have the best start possible. The March of Dimes uses 77% of every dollar for lifesaving research, education and innovative programs that offer hope for preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects.
My oldest son was born at 32 weeks gestation back in 2001. He, luckily had no issues and only spent 21 days in the NICU. He caught up within months and at 8.5 years old, nobody would have guessed that he was a preemie. In those few years between my oldest being born, and the twins birth, so much had changed in terms of treatments.
So, having said all of this...I am walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies. This is the second year for team Macomber Miracles. Last year, we had to push the boys in the stroller. This year, I'm hoping to have at least Addison be able to walk some of it! This is a cause near and dear to my heart and I feel like it's one of the ways I can give back and say thank you to anyone and everyone who helped my boys thrive.
So, if you're local to us, I would LOVE to have you join our team and walk in honor of Skylar, Addison, and Riley. If you're not local or not able to join us on April 25th, please consider making a donation to our team. You can click the March for Babies box on the right side of my blog to make an online donation. Any amount, no matter how small, will help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help you can give our team.

Long, overdue update with pictures!

I know it's been forever since I've written anything. The boys have kept me so busy and life just takes over. A few days after my last post, Riley ended up spending 11 hours in the ER getting various breathing treatments and oral steroids. He was having retracting when he was breathing and was wheezing a lot. I had done a few breathing treatments at home and it wasn't helping and I wasn't comfortable going to bed for the night with him having so much trouble. Tested negative for RSV so it was just some virus/cold that really took the boys out of commission for a few weeks. We've made a rule for at least the winter months, that all of the toys used for therapy sessions will be toys we have at home. Having the therapists come in with a duffel bag of new toys is always exciting for the boys but I just can't chance them being exposed to all of those germs.

Therapy is going so well for them! Addison is crawling on his hands and knees and pulling up to stand on anything he can reach. Riley is pulling up to his knees and crawls on his knees and elbows. Addison is putting shapes into the shape sorter and both boys can go from crawling to sitting with no assistance.

This past Friday, while I was at a doctors appointment, Addison stood up in the middle of the living room by himself! Ian said he nearly jumped off the couch to grab him before he fell over.

Both of the boys are developing their own personalities and they are so much fun to watch! They're constantly playing together and they'll follow each other through the house. They have huge appetites and are eating so many new foods. Addison ate an entire piece of pizza for dinner the other night.

Addison enjoying cheese curls!

Sitting all by himself!!!

Riley taking a nap

Cheese curls and yogurt makes for a messy snack!

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.