A day of firsts

Our dog, Brady, was in desperate need of a haircut so Grady spotted a place on his route to work that looked nice.  He called and set up an appointment, thinking he could drop Brady off on his way to work.  But of all days - today- Grady had to be in court early and wouldn't be able to drop him off. . . .leaving us with two options. Cancel/reschedule or I could do it.  Yeah! I CAN do it.  I need to learn to be more independent with the boys so after they woke up- we all got dressed and loaded into the car.  Griff, Jack, Brady, myself and oops half way down the drive way, I had to turn around to get Brady's shot records.  No problem- everyone was fine when I got back in the car.  Two minutes down the road- Jack starts crying-he hates the car now.  Get to the groomers, open the back of van and all four doors.  I'm sure the groomer thought he was about to be invaded.  Get out the double stroller, load boys in double stroller, get Brady out of the front seat, head for the door.  Stairs! Crap! Aren't all businesses supposed to be handicap accessible these days! I consider myself handicapped these days, btw. About 50 yards down at the end of the row of businesses is the ramp- GREAT! After being in the groomers for oh about 3 minutes- we all head back down the ramp to the van. Load up! And off we go.  Everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood so I decided to stop by Publix.  I love Publix! Every week they have BUY ONE GET ONE FREE specials.  I started attending MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) at a local church and next week I signed up to bring a juice.  Something simple that requires minimal time.  I needed to pick up some of the ingredients to make this awesome Apple Juice that I had once before.

 Someone gave us a single stroller and since Griff was asleep - I put him in the stroller and strapped Jack to my chest in the infant carrier.  Success! Got to the door and realized that I couldn't push a buggy and a stroller- so I put my few items in the bottom of the stroller.  They had pork loin on sale- got two of those. Some BOGO meatballs, and some sushi that this lady makes everyday for my lunch. Worried the whole time that someone would approach me for shoplifting, I hurried around the store.  Jack loved looking at all the colors and shapes around him.  I'm sure he enjoyed the nice music too!  I checked out with ease and this super nice 17ish looking kid helped me with my bags and even put Griff in the car.  He obliviously has younger siblings because he knew exactly what to do.  Got home, unloaded the boys and since they were both fussy- immediately started warming their bottles.  It was a great morning overall and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment for my small feats!! Epic Success!!!

Forgetting all my meat in the back of the car until 2 that afternoon---EPIC FAILURE!!!

We are looking forward to tomorrow when my brother and Tessia, along with Madison and Reece, will welcome baby Price into the world.  We are all very excited to meet him!!  Praying for a safe delivery for Tessia and baby and also for the transitions that are about to take place for Madison and Reece.  Both of them are great with Griff and Jack so I am sure they will be wonderful big brothers and sisters.

I get complaints when I publish a post with no pictures of those boys, so here you go mom!

Griff loves playing with his toes now!

Jack is working on sitting up- we have a ways to go but he hates to be put in the Nap Nanny- he constantly does crunches to try to sit up.

Good news!

Because Griff and Jack were born 9 weeks early, it was recommended by the neonatologists in Shreveport that they be evaluated by an early intervention program.  We didn't start the process in Louisiana because right about the time for the evaluation we would be moving.  So once we got settled in Florida, I contacted Early Steps and they came out Friday to do their evaluation.  The team consisted of the social worker, a Physical Therapist and a Developmentalist.  These three ladies were amazing.  There is something to be said about three women sitting on the floor with your children showing such enthusiasm at every tasks the boys were able to complete.  The assessed their reflexes, their movements while stationary, and their locomotion.  Both boys scored great in all areas! I was so relieved.  The Developmentalist checked their social skills, communication, motor and cognitive skills.  Again, both boys did great.  I was happy to find out that because of their scores, neither qualified for Early Steps Intervention, which I am glad that they didn't need it but then sad that these awesome women weren't going to be assisting with our boys anymore.  They were pretty upset too since they fell in love with Griff's big blue eyes and Jack's sweet smile right away.  The PT told Griffin not to score too well or she couldn't come back to visit him.  He doesn't listen so well!!  They gave us some areas to work on in the future but other than normal pediatrician visit- we are all clear in that area. 

Today we had an appointment in Pensacola with the pediatric cardiologist to recheck the PDAs that both boys had in their hearts. PDAs are farely common in preemies and its basically a duct that all babies have open in utero since the mother is providing the oxygen for the baby and they aren't using their own lungs yet. Once a full term baby is born, the duct closes off shortly after birth to allow the blood that would normally bypass the lungs to now flow through the lungs to become oxygenated before pumping to the rest of the body.  Due to the prematurity, the duct just hadn't fully closed off when they were discharged from the NICU.  The cardiologist listened to their hearts and he couldn't hear the SWOOSH from the PDAs but to be sure he ran an echo on both boys.  They did great during all the testing.  We were at Nemours Children's Hospital and these people really now how to take care of babies (and mommy).  I was very impressed! So again, mixed feelings that we won't be going back for care there but also happy . . . .that we won't be going back for care there.  Griff and Jack's PDAs have completely closed off and there is no need for follow-up exams or any precautions when they are older and ready to run, jump and play like little boys do.

Griff did NOT like when the nurse took his blood pressure. See the tiny little cuff. This was actually the second time she had to take it since the first time, he cried so much, the reading was artificially elevated and too inaccurate. He is really keeping an eye on her!!

 

Jack was as sweet as ever, he smiled at everything. He actually was laughing when Griff was so upset about having to get his blood pressure checked. He really didn't care too much that the dr was trying to get his attention.
 

Thankfully, Griff decided to charm Dr. Blanchard.  They got along great!







 



 

 

5 Months

 

Two weeks ago, Grady’s family flew in from North Dakota to see our boys for the first time.  It was such a treat to have Grady’s mom, sister, and his two nieces for a week stay.  Its hard to compete with North Dakota summers and mother nature did not show her best side during the visit, but the weather was not the focus of the trip!! Jenna and Lauryn were smitten with the boys right away and Aunt Tracy got to hold her nephews for the first time.  Grandma Linda was finally able to hold those precious boys that she had only seen pictures of for 5 long months. 

 

Cousin Jenna giving Jack a bath

Grady and the boys, along with his sister and mom

Ms. Linda is so proud of her grandsons

Aunt Tracy and Griff, sporting the University of North Dakota onesie.

 

Our beautiful nieces, Jenna and Lauryn

Jack is checking out Lauryn while she pushes him around the pool

 

Griff is just chillin' in the pool



Shortly after they left, MawMaw Katy and PawPaw Lloyd couldn’t stand it any longer, so they returned to visit.  It had been about  a  month since they have seen the boys.  In my opinion, they boys have made the most changes in the last month than they have so far in their short little lives.  They are rolling over constantly- I especially love when they roll toward each other and start sucking on each others fingers (and Toes!!!).  Jack is an expert at tummy time- he is very strong, loves to stand up (with our help) and is so alert to EVERYTHING in his environment.  Griffin, on the other hand, doesn’t like tummy time and has figured out that to avoid that- he simply rolls to his back.  I spend a lot of time rolling Griffin back over.  Both boys are becoming very verbal, Griffin loves to squeal and babble and Jack “talks” to anyone that will listen- especially ceiling fans!  It is so fun to watch them experience things for the first time.  When they see new people -they just stare, when they hear a new sound- their eyes widen, and when they feel a new texture- they squeal.  Last Sunday, Grady rubbed the bottom of Griffin’s foot on his two day old stubble.  The look on his face was priceless. . . . and Griffin’s too. J Grady is such a good daddy to our sweet boys.  He loves to play with them and talk to them about politics and sports.  Both boys are drooling a lot, I keep feeling for teeth, but nothing so far.  I pray that teething is comfortable for them and don’t have a lot of issues.

We have worked really hard to get the boys on a schedule and I can proudly say- we got it!!!  For now.  I’ve been informed that it won’t last but I sure do enjoy the routine we are in now.  The boys take a nap in the morning and another one in the afternoon.  Sometimes they get a little catnap before baths and bedtime.  This sometimes coincides with Grady and I eating supper. . . and sometimes it doesn’t.  I can also say that it is the norm for them to sleep 11-12 hours every night, no waking up or feedings – just some really wet diapers in the morning.  On Sundays, I usually have to wake Jack up so that we have time to feed, clothe, and of course play, before church.  We have been attending one particular church since we have arrived, we have a few others to visit before we decide where we will settle, but I put the boys in the nursery and they did great. 

The boys are starting to notice and interact with each other and it is just too funny!!

Both boys are chewing on their fingers. . . and each others.

 

When I put the boys at their own play mats, they hear the other one making noise and suddenly become more interested in the other one than in their own toys.

See what I mean! Same exact toy but Griff is already trying to figure out a way to get Jack's rattle.

I took this one morning while they were still in their crib- the flash of our camera startles them a bit!!

Taking their monthly photo is getting harder, this month I was by myself so we had some issues.

We have started putting Jack in his jumper. Although there is no jumping, he does love to look at all the interesting toys.

Jack and Pawpaw Lloyd looking for some good stuff on Craigslist.

 

Living in Florida comes with its risks- hurricanes!! We had been watching Isaac for some time and everyday I became a little more anxious about the situation.  Growing up in Louisiana, I have weathered my share of hurricanes, but your perspective is much different when you have two babies to protect.  Grady was stationed in Miami during Hurricane Andrew- so he is no stranger to them either.   I wanted to leave and go to my parents’ in Louisiana well before Isaac got to the Dominican Republic but Grady assured me that we would leave in plenty of time.  All I could see was the lines and lines of cars stuck on the interstate during the Katrina evacuation, running out of gas, or stores having no gas, and having my two babies in the back seat.  Jeneva has spent the last 16 years in Miami.  So they were not intimidated by Isaac and tried to ease my concerns about the storm.  Sunday morning, Grady woke me up early to tell me he thought that we should strongly consider leaving that morning.  FINALLY!! I wanted to leave last week!! So I hurriedly packed my clothes and we called my parents who so graciously agreed to start driving our way.  We would meet in the middle so that mom could ride in the back seat with the boys since Grady had to stay behind at the base.  By the time we got half way, the course of the storm had shifted…west….right to where we were headed…mess!!!  I really thought with all the fancy technology and gadgets, the meteorologists could get this right…sooner.  I mean, what a great occupation- Millions of people hang on to every word you say during hurricane season, yet you don’t really have to be right, and no one really blames you when you’re wrong.  So here we are, right in the path of Isaac, while Grady is back in Florida…with sunshine….and sleeping in.  Everything ended up be just fine for us at my parents house.  Just some wind and rain, only lost power for 30 minutes, even though the night the storm was supposed to hit, I slept with my shoes on and a mini flashlight clipped to my pajama pants...just in case. 

Griff was helping Reece put his puzzle.  Uncle Andy was helping him sit up.

Paw paw Lloyd took the boys on their first Bad Boy Buggy ride.  They loved it!

That is one proud Pawpaw. All his grandkids together. . . well almost all- Tessia, my sister-in-law, wouldn't let baby Price come out to play- maybe in two more weeks when he is scheduled to make his arrival.

 

Because the boys don't do so well in the car anymore, we stopped half way between my parents and our house and stayed in a hotel.  This is hotel stay #2 for the boys and it was much better than the first.  The hotel provided us with two cribs and Griff was excited to finally be in bed and out of that car seat!

Sweet Jack is all dressed and ready for the second half of our trip.  Just waiting on mommy to finish getting ready and for daddy to pack the car. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All done with the nursery

I finally put the finishing touches to the nursery.  It took a little longer than expected but the boys seem to love it! They coo and babble at the monkeys on their wall.  You can't see it in this pic but outside the window is a bird feeder- no birds yet- but the squirrels love to play in it.  While I am changing the boys' diapers, I try to get the boys to see them playing but they don't see them yet.  I'm sure that when they do- it will be quite entertaining for them.

I found this cream furniture on the curb in our neighborhood on garbage day.  It was solid black with lacquer paint on the top. . .it was awful. . .hence curb on garbage day.  Grady reluctantly helped me drag it into our garage while the whole time I promised him that I could make it look good.  While he was in Afghanistan, I spent a weekend stripping, sanding, and painting and tada. . . here is the finished product.  At the time I was DIYing it, I wasn't pregnant and definitley didn't know we would have twins- just saw some cute furniture for a future bedroom one day.  I added the wooden knobs and painted them to match the bed skirts and runners I made.  I am so glad we had two boys- it was hard enough to find material that I liked that would be gender neutral. 

My friend Rachel painted these adorable canvases for the boys' room and they match perfectly.

Peek-a-bootique 

We had more visitors last week! Grady's family from North Dakota.  That's coming up on the next post.

All settled in Florida

Its about 8:30 on a Saturday night, Grady and I are watching the Olympics and the boys are fast asleep since 8.  We are adjusting well from our DINK-y (Double Income No Kids) life to our new one, far away from all our friends and family but with the three most important people in my life all under one roof. . . finally.  We have been in Navarre, Florida for about 4 weeks now.  My mom so graciously stayed with us for about 3 of those until we got unpacked and settled.  She was such a huge help during the transition that we just don't know what we would have done without her.  We would also like to thank my dad for loaning her out to us for such a long time.  The boys seem to be loving their new home and doing well with bedtimes and sleeping more and more each night.  I have discovered that I can function on 4 straight hours of sleep pretty well and the boys almost always sleep that long before one of them wakes up- then its a quick feed during the night and then back to bed until 6 another longer feed and then back in bed until 9.  Each boy has slept 10 straight hours on different nights- if only I could get them to do that the same night. The time from 6-9 gives me a chance to shower and get organized for the day, catching up on paperwork from work, (I'm not actually working but I did hire another dr. to work for me since the bedrest in January), do some cleaning, and make bottles for the day.  I really do love staying at home with the boys especially since we don't know anyone here to watch our boys.  I have been meeting with different ladies to come in an watch the boys for half a day once a week - we have one that has won our approval and even though she is very qualified- I still haven't left her alone with the boys yet! I just can't bring myself to do it. . . hopefully that will come soon. 

Since we have been in Florida we have had lots of visitors- we love seeing familiar faces and even more so the extra set of helping hands they provide.  Just as we arrived, my cousins Jeff, Sheryl and Mike stopped by for a visit when their vacation plans were abruptly altered by Hurricane Debby. Unfortunatley our furniture hadn't arrived yet but thankfully the Walmart down the road sells air mattresses.  Grady's college friend, Don, was here when the movers arrived and was a huge help with the unpacking and doing all the hook-ups and installing TVs, etc.- he even mowed our grass!!  My dad came to visit as well for a few days.  He enjoyed spending some time with the boys and seeing how much they had grown. My cousin, Russell, and his wife Melissa and their 3 kids popped in one evening for a visit since they were vacationing in nearby Okaloosa Island. The next week my cousin Sandra, her daughter, Mallory and boyfriend, Austin came to visit for several days.  They got to enjoy some beautiful Florida days at the beach and the pool while being a great help with the boys.  And the next week, my sweet sweet niece and nephew came along with Andy and Tessia.  It had been so long since we had spent a lot of time with them and it was such a great chance for the family to be together just hanging out.  Madison and Reece love our boys and I can't wait for their baby brother to get here in September.  Tess offered to watch the boys one night while Grady and I went on a date night! It was a great break but we did miss our boys especially since we got home after they were in bed.  Unfortunately the whole time they were here, I had a pit in my stomach over the fact that when they left- my mom was going with them.  Then it was just us! Me, Grady and the boys.  It was scary but we did great.  We even surprised ourselves.  We couldn't ask for better boys- they really do great with their feeding and sleeping and only really get upset if there is something really wrong.  The funniest thing is that before my mom could even get back to Deville- Griffin decided that he was going to roll over and then 3 days later so did Jack.  We hate that she missed this huge milestone and she said jokingly that they probably would have done it a lot sooner if she wasn't here holding them all the time!! 

We have gotten the boys in the pool and they really don't know what to think about it- not overly excited and not upset either.  Just like with their baths - I'm sure they will learn to love it.  Did I mention that the boys are loving bath time!!!  We give baths every other night and sometimes I wish we did every night because even though its a lot of work (it really is like an assembly line) - they love it and usually sleep better those nights. 

We haven't made it to the beach yet with the boys, babies aren't supposed to wear sunscreen until 6 months and in the evenings it can be windy and the optometrist in me doesn't want them to get sand in their eyes.  Hopefully in the next month we will get them out there and take some pictures.

We met their new pediatrician this week and we really like her- she has twins as well so she can relate to all my questions and concerns (I went into the appointment with a list of questions for her!)  She was very impressed with the amount the boys are eating and their weights.  Since looked at Griffin's foot and said it looked great to her but we will be seeing another orthopedic dr in a few months just to check it more thoroughly.  We have to see the cardiologist to double check a duct in both boys that hadn't completely closed at birth but none of the pediatricians we have seen since their discharge from the NICU seem to be concerned at all. A social worker from the Florida Early Steps program came to our home to do an assessment on the boys and they will see a developmentalist and Phyical Therapist to assess their development.  We really don't have any major concerns about the boys but since they were so premature and twins- they just need to be monitored closely.  Not to bore you with details but I have a feeling that this blog is going to count as the boys baby book (I just don't know when I will find time to get that all together- maybe when they're 18) -some stats about the boys:
Griff weighs 14 1/2 lbs
Jack weights 14 lbs
Griff's height is 23 inches
Jack's height is 24.5 inches
Griff's head circumference is 17 inches
Jack's head circumference is 16 inches

Both boys are in #2 diapers, wearing 6 months clothes (they are a little big but since there is so much drama involved in putting tight clothes over Griff's head- we just avoid that and went up a size), and drinking 28-30 ounces/day.

Griff rolled over on July 24 and Jack on July 27. Both boys were on their tummy and rolled to their back.  Both boys have slept through the night once- Jack first then Griff.

Grady and I love the end of the day when we both go into the nursery with the boys to feed them. We have on their baby hymns CD and its so peaceful.  We quietly talk about our day and the boys and we are constantly amazed at how far they have come.

Griff on his Birth day

Griff now!

Jack on his Birth day

Jack now!



Now that we have established a pretty good routine- I hope to blog a little more regularly but enjoy the picture overload below!

Sitting on the patio with mawmaw Katy.

Waking up in the morning! So sweet!

 But there is a fine line between sweet and not so sweet with Griff!

We have started putting the boys in their high chairs while we eat supper.  They love to sit there and listen to us talk and we love talking back to them.

The boys first trip to the mall.

Lying on the exam table at the pediatricians office.  Obviously this is Pre- shots.

We call Griff our Chuncky Monkey

This feeding didn't go so well- I ended up stripping them both mid-feed.  They love being naked!!

Jack taking a bath

Brothers!

Jack at 4 months

Griff doesn't like to miss much

 Griff at 4 months

 The kids giving Mawmaw Katy her birthday present.  Its a book that they have recorded themselves reading.  They gave one to the boys too and I can't wait to read it to our boys.

This is our redneck water raft (AKA an air mattress). It works great for a lot of people though! Madison and Reece had such a good time with Mawmaw.  They had a lot of catching up to do with Mawmaw since she had been with us for so long.

 Madison is such a big helper with the boys.  Tessia is so lucky to have her when their new baby arrives.

 Andy and Reece

Our sleepy Griff

Griff rolling over for the first time. Please excuse the weeping commentator- tears of joy!!

Jack rolling over for the first time

I hope to have the nursery completely done this week so I will post pics of that next time.  Thanks for stopping by to check on our boys and thank you for all your prayers.  Our boys are doing great!