Whew!!

What a crazy couple of days. Christmas is a lot different when there's 2 infants.

Addison had an eye doctor appointment on Christmas Eve. His eyes are looking great and there's some scar tissue from where the blood vessels grew but they're pretty much to where they should be. His next appointment isn't until APRIL!!!! The opthamologists next concern is that the scar tissue will cause some near-sightedness so he'll start to monitor his vision at the next appointment.

They're both starting to focus and rarely go cross-eyed. They've also started to laugh. They coo and babble with a huge smile on their faces.

Anyways, after Addison's eye doctor appointment, I decided I'd take my chances and brave the mall, on Christmas Eve, with all 4 kids. I had promised Skylar a visit with Santa and he was supposed to be at a smaller store near the house but he didn't show up because of the ice. It was Christmas Eve, I was just down the road from the mall, and I had dressed them all in cute Christmas outfits. We were able to park close to the door closest to where Santa is and there were only 2 people in line ahead of us so we were in and out fairly easily. It was only 10am so the mall wasn't very crowded. Skylar was stoked, the boys didn't even realize what was going on, but Leah was terrified. I had to kneel down next to Santa's chair so Leah could sit on my leg. That was as close to Santa as she was going to get. I got a cute picture though (please excuse the glare, it's a picture of the picture):

We had a fun Christmas Eve, the big kids and I made cookies and I found foam craft kits on clearance at Michael's so the kids were building those. All of the kids had matching pajamas and we read some Christmas stories and let the big kids each open 1 gift. Skylar really wanted to sing the babies Christmas songs so he held Riley, who was wide awake, and Riley LOVED it!

Christmas day was fun but crazy. We had Ian's parents over in the morning for pancakes, eggs, and bacon and then we opened gifts. We had a small snack and then went to my moms for an early evening dinner. My grandparents (who are visiting from Florida), my aunts, uncle, cousins, sisters, nephews and nieces were all up. It was chaotic but great to see everyone. We then came home and had a small dinner with a good family friend. Everyone slept well.

Yesterday, we had to make our house look like Christmas didn't happen since we had our first showing this morning. The lady loved the house but didn't like that you have to walk from the parking lot, down to the front door. We have an open house next weekend so we'll be trying to touch up things all week.

I'm about ready to head to bed. Ian is out with one of his good friends and all of the kids are sleeping. This is the most quiet time I've had in a long time.

6 months old

It's hard to believe that they're 6 months old already. It's been half of a year, full of many ups and downs.
The boys went for their 6 month check-up this past Thursday. Addison weighed in at 7lbs. 6oz. and 19.75". Riley weighed 6lbs. 11oz. and was 19" long. They both gained 11oz. in just 13 days!! They both eat all of the time and it seems like they're finally taking off.
They're both smiling and starting to laugh. We went to visit the NICU nurses and bring them Christmas bagels and cream cheese and they were both loving the attention. All of the nurses were gathered around and the boys were smiling and cooing at them.
I also have to share an awesome ebay seller with everyone. I found an adorable Christmas ornament on ebay and it's just too cute.
Here's a link to her store http://stores.ebay.com/Carolyns-Clay-QTs
And here's a picture of the ornament for the boys

Weekend pictures of Riley

Riley was being such a ham this weekend. They're always so happy but Riley was even more awake and happy then usual so I had to pull out the camera and snap a few shots.

And here's a few that I took of the boys last Thursday. Addison is in the dragon outfit and Riley has the green stripes.

A new picture

So, it's a little bit late but I was starting to fall asleep at 8pm last night so I wasn't able to post. While Ian was at a football party and I made sure the kids all had on their Steelers clothes so we could take a picture and send it to Ian. It actually turned out better than I thought it would.

Leah is holding Addison and Skylar is holding Riley.

It's been a while

Life has me so busy lately that I haven't had time to write. The boys are FANTASTIC! They had a great first Thanksgiving and were nice enough to let me cook. They only decided to cry when we all sat down for dinner.
They've been really alert over the past few days. They smile all of the time and you can't help but to laugh and smile back. They love to be talked to and they're happy to just lay there and watch your mouth move. Two days ago I was nursing Riley and Addison was lying in his carseat, wide awake. I looked down and saw him staring at this toy that was dangling from his carseat handle. He was staring at it with this huge smile on his face, and he was squeaking. I'm sure he was trying to laugh but he was making the cutest little squeaks. They continue to blow my mind every day.
They got their second Synagis injections today (to protect them from RSV). The power in the hospital went out shortly after we got the boys weighed and the poor nurses were using flashlights. We had to take the boys into the hallway, under one of the few back up lights, and one nurse held a flashlight while the other gave the injections. The big kids were kind of bummed that they couldn't watch but the boys only cried for a second and we were on our way.
Addison is up to 6lbs. 11oz. and Riley was 6lbs. even!! That means that, in a little more than 3 weeks, Addison gained 10oz. and Riley gained 12oz.! They go for a regular pediatrician visit on the 18th and I'm excited to see how much they gain.
Riley had another opthamologist appointment yesterday to check his ROP. It looks a lot better and the doctor didn't need to see him back for another 6 weeks. He said he thinks Riley will only need a few more appointments until he's given the all clear!
Another exciting thing is the boys have been approved for medical assistance because of their prematurity. It will pick up everything that our primary insurance doesn't cover except for our pediatrician co-pays. The ped. I take them to doesn't participate with state insurance and he's too awesome of a doctor for me to switch. Having to only pay pediatrician co-pays is nothing compared to the thousands of dollars we've spent on other co-pays so far.
We've got a busy couple of weeks. Our house went on the market last week and we've got to get out the Christmas decorations and try to put out enough to make the kids happy but not so much that it's too cluttered for showings. We've got at least 3 more doctors appointments before Christmas and physical therapy once a week.
I will try to put a new picture up this weekend. They starting to look more and more alike!

100% wireless!

We got the call today from the pediatrician that Addison is ok to come off the apnea monitor! It's been about 3 weeks since his monitor alarmed and I've been taking him off of it during the day, when I'm close by, and he's been fine. I'm so, so glad to be done with monitors!

I took all 4 kids to Sears yesterday for pictures. We got the first appointment of the day and I brought my own blankets so that we could minimize germ exposure. the pics were not much better than I could have done with my camera but I'm getting a huge portrait package for $5 so I won't complain too much. I doubt I'll ever go back there but I'll share the pics with all of you. Addison is in the beige outfit and obviously, Riley is in the blue outfit. They turned 5 months old yesterday.

Busy, busy!

I haven't had time to update because we're getting ready to put our house on the market. It was supposed to go on a few weeks ago but we've pushed the date back so that we can have everything freshly painted and mostly decluttered. It's a lot harder to pack a house with 2 newborns!
Addison had another opthamologist appointment yesterday. If you remember, his appointment 2 weeks ago was the deadline for his ROP to start improving or we'd have to take him for laser surgery. 2 weeks ago, it had just started to improve so he decided to hold off on surgery. Yesterday, he said his eyes were showing drastic improvement! He also said that he was glad that he held off as long as he could without surgery. We don't have to take him back for another month! It's so nice to finally not be at a doctors office every week.
The boys have also started to smile at me. They've been smiling since they were a few weeks old but they've started responding to me talking to them. Addison had a few small smiles yesterday and today, Riley smiled at me twice. They will just lay there and stare. They are starting to focus on faces and toys (they love mirrors!) and sometimes they go cross eyed. The opthamologist said it's still completely normal and Ian and I actually think it's pretty cute when that happens.

On a roll!!!!

Yep, you guessed it, the boys are rolling from their bellies to their backs! The physical therapist that has been working with them is awesome! They've made such huge improvements with their head control and they're pushing themselves up on their arms. Ian and I are so proud of them!

The boys went in for their first Synagis shots last week. The Synagis shots help protect them from RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). RSV is a seasonal, easily spread virus that is similar to a cold but babies who have under-developed lungs can have serious complications from RSV. So, the Synagis shot is a dose of antibodies that is given every 30 days during RSV season (which happens to be early November-late March in my area). The shot doesn't prevent them from getting RSV but if they would happen to catch it, the antibodies from the shot make the infection less severe. They were weighed before getting their shots and Addison was 6lbs. 1oz. Riley was 5lbs. 4oz.

They're making progress! It's hard to believe they're going to be 5 months old soon.

Finally have a pic of the stroller

We took Leah and one of her friends to our local dairy/petting zoo for a hayride and ice cream. We had her birthday tea party on Wednesday, with family, but I wanted her to have a day with her friend. They had a blast and while I was snapping pics, I remembered to take one of the stroller and carseats. I call this my Cadillac stroller. lol. You have no idea how much attention this thing attracts. Amazingly, it pretty easy to push and steer (as long as you're not trying to make a tight turn.

And here's a pic that Ian took when we got home this afternoon. I look like crap (what else would you expect from a mother of 4 who sleeps about 3 hours per night :) ) but I think the boys look adorable so I had to share!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! After running errands all morning we took the kids trick or treating in the development where my mom lives (we'll be moving there in a few months if all goes as planned!!) and everyone had a great time!

I updated earlier about Addison's surgery but I wanted to post some pics real quick.

No surgery for Addison!!

I only have a few minutes so this will be a quick update but we just got home from the opthamologist and have great news!
Addison's eyes are starting to show signs of improvement. His left eye looks a lot better than last week and his right eye has finally decided to start healing. He had been going every week for monitoring and he's now going to be seen in 2 weeks.
Riley's eyes are really improving also. His right eye is back to stage 1 (the least severe) and his right eye is right on the border of stage 2 and 3 but it's getting better also. Riley doesn't need to be seen for a month!
They both seem to be improving but they're nowhere near "better". They'll continue to have check ups for at least the next few months.

Taking a short break to write another post

I'm in the middle of packing up all un-needed items in the house so that it can be ready to go up for sale in 2 weeks. I wanted to post since I actually have more to say than "they're doing well".
They both started physical therapy through Early Intervention this past Monday. It went great. The therapist is a really nice guy who has been a therapist for a long time. He'll be coming out once a week to continue to work with them to develop their muscles.
Addison had another opthamologist appointment yesterday. His ROP in his left eye seems to be getting better. His right eye is kind of "stuck". He noticed that there were very small spots of blood at the ends of the blood vessels which indicates some tugging but the blood vessels aren't attached to the retina. We go back on Halloween for another check-up and if it isn't any better, Dr. Klombers will recommend laser surgery. The surgery is pretty routine and safe but Addison will have to be put under anesthesia which scares the crap out of me. I do have to say, if I could pick any opthamologist to do the surgery, I would pick Dr. Klombers. He's a fantastic doctor and very experienced with preemies.
So, please keep your fingers crossed that when we go back next week, his eye looks better.

4 months old!

It's crazy to me that they're already 4 months old. It's been a long 4 months but it's gone by so quickly.

The boys are doing great. They're exclusively nursing. We've stopped the Zantac since it didn't seem to be helping and we've eliminated the need for bottles. They only get a bottle a few times a week, when I drink coffee.

Addison was at the eye doctor yesterday. His ROP is still at a stage 3 but not far enough to need laser surgery. It hasn't progressed over the past 2 weeks but it also hasn't gotten better so we have to monitor it once a week until the blood vessels start to pull back towards the front of the eye. Riley's eyes are getting better and he's now being seen every 3 weeks. They're both starting to focus ad stare at things. They will stare up at me when they're nursing and it's the sweetest thing ever.

We were at the pediatrician this afternoon for their 4 month check-up. Addison weighs 5lbs. 6oz. and is 18in. long. He's finally about the size of a newborn. He should be ready to move into newborn clothes and diapers in a few weeks. Preemie diapers are not cheap, don't come in bulk sizes, and aren't made by generic companies. lol.

Riley weighs 4lbs. 8oz. and is 17in. long. He's still got a while to go before he outgrows preemie stuff.

They're sleeping well, content most of the time, and it's so much fun to see them grow every day. They seem to be in the middle of a growth spurt. They've been nursing every 1.5-2 hours. Needless to say, I haven't been off of the couch much.

Our 3/4 of a million dollar babies

We've received the big bills from the hospital for both babies and I am SO glad we have insurance.
My c-section was $13,394.66
Addison's NICU stay- $363,831.32
Riley's NICU stay- $379,517.09

Grand total- $756,743.07

Of that, we owe only $2,100 in co-pays.

With all of their doctors appointment, I'm sure they'll pass a million dollars over the first year of the lives. I'm so glad we have good insurance. We'll have many more co-pays throughout the next year but it's such a small price to pay to have our healthy boys :)

My hunt for a stroller is over!!

I'm sure the people at Babies R Us are sick of seeing me. I bought the Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem Stroller http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2646209 (walmart has it for $159) It's a HUGE stroller but BOTH Chicco Keyfit 30 carseats fit!! You have to purchase a second infant seat attachment but I was able to find one at babyage.com for about $20. On a side note, I did talk to someone at Chicco who said they were developing a double stroller for the infant seats but it wouldn't be out for sometime. It's a tight fit but they sit on the bars and the strap keeps thm nice and snug. The stroller was easy to put together except for the screws for the handlebar that I had to have Ian screw in. It even matches the carseats. lol. I called Ian down to inspect it and he approves so tomorrow we'll test it out when we go to Skylar's football game in the morning. We haven't all been to a game or scrimmage and I'm so excited (as is Skylar) to be able to support him as a family. I'll be sure to take pictures of the stroller tomorrow.
It feels so nice to not have to worry about this anymore!