11.09.09
5 months (and one day)
Yesterday the babies turned 5 months. Amazing! They’re changing so much and really developing adorable personalities.
The other day while I was on the computer, K was on the floor and L was in the exersaucer. Suddenly I notice that they’re both laughing! I look up to discover that they are looking and laughing at each other. Too cute! Then today, while I was grading papers, N told me to look up. They were talking to each other! 
Yesterday I did a bit of cleaning, getting ready for their impending mobility. I took the play mat and swing, which they’re no longer interested in, up to the attic and moved the exersaucer to give them a bigger area in which to play. I’ve also rearranged the furniture in their bedroom, making room to move the pack ‘n’ play (still set up as a bassinet) into the room. I’m trying out having them sleep in separate beds at night to see if that improves things. Last night was great, but we’ll see if that is thanks to the separation or the fact that K was up til 8 last night. Either way, I’ll take it! Unfortunately, nap time this morning has not been so successful. Thirty minutes does not count as a nap, in my opinion. That’s what my grandfather calls “resting your eyes.”
The swing actually breaks down to become a little rocking chair. L looks like such a big boy sitting in it:
Sittin' in his big boy chair
And K is really figuring out how to get herself up off the floor. Check out her practicing:
Next step, crawling
11.04.09
He did it!
my baby boy finally rolled over! 
He actually rolled from his front to his back last week, and today he rolled from his back to his front! Woohoo!
I realize, of course that he’s right on schedule, developmentally, but when his sister’s been doing it for a month now, it’s hard not to wonder if he’ll catch up. But apparently once he decided he didn’t want to be left behind, he just went to town! Kyla had at least a month between front to back and back to front rolling. Not my little man! One week! And now, a month after rolling, baby girl is working on getting up to her hands and knees. Baby boy is trying now too!! 
We have a feeling we’re going to have a couple of crawlers by Thanksgiving. Yikes! My nephew didn’t start crawling until 6.5 months. If they pull it off, they’ll be crawling at 5.5 months, and they were premature! Why are they trying to grow up so fast?!? I want it to slow down! I’m not ready for mobility!!!
10.29.09
Amazement
I know it’s been a while since my last update (going out of town can do that 
) and you all want to know how N is doing, but right now I want to reflect on my amazing kids.
Every day they do something new that amazes me.
Kyla
Kyla is such a good baby. Content to play on her own, exploring toys and the world around her. She’s rarely fussy. Of course, if she’s not happy she lets you know it (at a very high volume), but most of the day is spent in contentment.
She is half way to crawling and trying SO hard to figure out how to get from point A to point B (or anywhere in between). She can get her knees up under her, but ends up face down in the ground. Or she can push up high on her hands, but her torso weighs her down. She’s even managed to get her generous belly off the ground a time or two (if only for a moment). You can see the gears working in her brain as she tries to figure out how she can get across the blanket to the toys I’ve placed there (who in her right mind would settle for the toys right in front of her?). Instead, her flailing turns her in circles and she looks completely baffled as to how she got to this new vantage point.
She’s also developed quite the fascination with her brother. When he is near she likes to grab onto his arm or shirt and chow down! I don’t know why his fingers are so much tastier than her own, but she sure seems to think they are. But considering he likes her fingers better, I guess it’s a fair trade.
Her smile is to die for. It lights up her whole face. And she’s very generous with her smiles. At least with N and me. When she sees us, her whole body seems to say “Yea! You’re here!” She sure knows how to melt our hearts. I cannot believe how much she’s learned in just the last few weeks!
Lucas
Lucas is also growing and changing. He’s gotten SO big. He is still a bit of a whiner (I’m fearing that will never change) and would much rather be held or talked to than be left to his own devices, but he’s getting better.
And boy does he love to “talk!” N and I joke that he’s going to be a food critic because after every bottle we’re treated to a “commentary” from our little babbler. He can go on and on. It’s SO cute!
He’s also working on mobility. He finally rolled from his front to his back the other day. Though it hasn’t been consistent, he has done it more than once. I think his delay in this area has been due to two things. One is his arm when he was first born. Not being able to really use that arm for the first two weeks set him back a bit. Plus, I think we held him a bit more than his sister because of it. So that leads to the second reason. He hasn’t spent as much time on his tummy as Kyla because he fusses any time he’s put down. I’m trying to remedy that. Now that he can hold his head up higher he’s not as fussy about tummy time. As long as he has someone’s attention. Of course, I have to watch that I don’t put him down too soon after a meal, or half of it ends up on the quilt!
We started putting Lucas into his exercauser when he was 3.5 months old. At that time he really didn’t have any clue how to interact with the toys and buttons surrounding him. He was content to look at them and watch us push buttons and spin things for him. But now is completely different! He can push buttons, spin the monkeys, flip pieces, and even turn himself around! I was watching him today and realizing just how far he’s come in a month.
My babies amaze me every day. They frustrate me too, of course, but every time I notice something new I think “Wow! You’re growing up so fast! Slow down!” My sister told me last week that she’d forgotten how boring babies were. Personally, I find them fascinating. But you have to take the time to pay attention to the subtle changes every day. I’m trying to savor it. I know this is my only chance.
Okay, a brief update on N. He’s doing better, but still can’t stand for long periods or do too much. It’s hard for me to remember because he’s getting around so much better. When we got back from our trip he tried to help out by making dinner and occasionally entertaining the kids. It ended up being too much and he had to take pain meds, even though he didn’t the whole time we were gone. 
I feel bad for getting frustrated when he can’t do something to help me. We’re both having to work on our communication on this matter. I hate asking for help, and he hates not being able to give it.
As for the trip, it went well. Lucas cried from Centerville to Huntsville on the way down, but he’d been fed and changed so there wasn’t much more I could do for him. The ride back I don’t think he slept much, but he only cried about half the time. We survived, though. No twin mom would survive the day to day if she couldn’t tolerate a little crying. As long as I knew his needs were all met and he was simply crying because he wanted to be held, I pushed on. We made pretty decent time, too. And seeing my mom, sister, nephew, and BIL was nice. I’m glad we went. Unfortunately, I did not get to see my brother and SIL’s new house, as they were both sick. Hopefully next time!
Guess I should get back to the kids. Kyla has rolled herself off the quilt and is bound to spit up on the carpet if I don’t move her back. And Lucas is starting to demand some attention (I’m amazed he lasted this long!). A mother’s life is never dull!
10.18.09
Brave new world
Today I braved grocery shopping with the twins. I decided to go to Tom Thumb because they have the smaller carts, which I figured would be easier to pull behind me while pushing the stroller than the big carts. Unfortunately, the little carts are apparently gone! I didn’t see any at all and have no idea why they would get rid of them. I attempted to pull the big cart, but it just wasn’t happening. So instead I hooked one of the hand baskets to the handy-dandy hooks on the stroller handle, even though I knew I would need more space than the tiny basket would hold. When I filled it to capacity, I approached a checker and asked if he could hold onto my full basket while I took another basket to finish my shopping. He agreed and I filled the second basket as well, carrying the milk (the final item on my list) in my hand to the checkout line. The sacker asked the usual “Would you like help out to your car?” and I responded with an enthusiastic “Yes, please!” He had to go get a cart to carry the bags, since I didn’t have one, and when he came back and started loading them up I said I would go ahead to the car and he could catch up. He wasn’t far behind me, and by the time I reached my car he was right beside me. I had him load the groceries in the passenger seat while I loaded the kids in their seats and the stroller in the trunk. He finished way before me (probably because he didn’t have to buckle the groceries into the seat!), and left before I had a chance to try to give him a tip. I was very grateful for the help!
Tuesday I will be braving yet another frightening task. A four hour drive to visit my mom! By myself! Here’s hoping I’m as successful in that venture.
10.08.09
4 months old!
Today Kyla and Lucas are 4 months old. Wow. Time sure is flying.
I took the babies to their doctor appointment by myself today. N is home, but moves VERY slowly. He’s very sore, so he opted to stay home. This is the first time I’ve taken them both to the doctor by myself. It didn’t go too badly, thank goodness.
They are growing like weeds. Here are the stats:
Kyla: 14 lbs. 1.1 oz (61%), 24 inches long (42%), and 16 inch head circumference (42%).
Lucas: 16 lbs 5.4 oz (77%), 26 inches long (84%), and 16.85 inch head circumference (65%).
So Kyla is short and chubby, and Lucas is long and lean (for his height)? For the most part, they were pretty happy babies while being examined. Lucas didn’t want to be put down (so I held him most of the visit), but Kyla was content to sit in the stroller and watch what was going on. That is, until they started the vaccinations. Kyla started screaming with the oral one and just kept going from there. Lucas was smiling and interacting with the nurses right up until they stuck him in each leg. Poor baby. I gave them tylenol immediately (learned my lesson at one month!) and they fell asleep in the car. They’re both sleeping now. Hopefully they’ll be okay this afternoon for a trip to the grocery store. We have nothing in the house and I can’t leave them with N.
One day at a time…. That’s my new mantra.
I wanted to add some photos. Didn’t have them when I posted before.
Wow! We're 4 months old?!
Doctor's visits are such hard work!
Sleepin' with Daddy.
10.06.09
Surgery done
Okay, so yes, he had the surgery yesterday. We left for the hospital around 12:30 and he was taken back to the OR by 3:30. They called to say that the surgeon had him in place and “under the microscope” at 4:45 and at 5:15 the surgeon came out to tell me everything went well. The disc fragment was “large” according to him. At 5:45 they let me come into recovery to see him and at 6:00 they took him to his room. He was in quite a bit of pain, but was also getting nauseous from the pain meds so it was a bit of a balancing act. When I left the hospital at 8:30 he was doing better. Hopefully he was able to find a good position to sleep in, as getting comfortable was a challenge. He should get to come home today, though probably not until late afternoon or evening.
My SIL survived watching the twins and it at least felt good that her assessment of Lucas’s neediness matches my own. I was beginning to wonder if it was me! Fortunately, Kyla is such a good baby and able to entertain herself most of the time. Oh! Speaking of, Kyla has figured out how to roll from her back to her front! She can now turn 360 degrees and is rolling all over the place! I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s crawling. Then there’s Lucas who’s not even interested in trying to turn over. I don’t think I could have two more opposite kids! LOL
I had a very rough night last night. One or the other baby woke me every hour. I finally gave up at 5:00 and have been up ever since. They napped a lot for my SIL. Wonder if they got too much sleep and that’s the problem or if they’re punishing me for being gone yesterday. It’s going to be a long, tiring day for Mama, that’s for sure!
10.03.09
Finally, some news
We finally heard from the scheduler yesterday. She knew nothing about it needing to be done sooner rather than later and the doctor is out of town. She texted the doctor to find out what he wanted done, since the only spot on the schedule that she could see to squeeze N in would be Monday. This was at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. She was kind enough to take N’s information home with her so that if she heard from the doctor she could contact him over the weekend.
She called yesterday evening to say that the surgeon does want him squeezed into the schedule on Monday. But she’s waiting to find out if the hospital will have the OR space for him. So N is to plan on having surgery Monday, nothing to eat or drink after midnight Sunday, and by 9:30 we should know if he has to come to the hospital or not. Nothing like last minute warning! I sure hope they fit him in so we can get it over with.
After the surgery he will not be allowed to return to work for 3 months. Also, he’ll have lifting restrictions for that 3 months that mean he won’t be able to pick up the kids (he hasn’t been allowed to since the doc saw his MRI and said he was surprised he was walking). It’s going to be difficult, but I know we have lots of love, support, and prayers backing us up. We can meet the challenge. I do not like being on this side of the OR, but N has seen me through so much and I will do everything I can to help him through this.
09.26.09
Surgery with a side of stress
N went to a different neurosurgeon on Wednesday because we found out that his insurance will pay 100% of the hospital bill if he does it at the hospital for which he works. That surgeon said he was surprised N is even walking with as much constriction as he has. He sent him for another MRI (with contrast this time) to rule out the 1% chance that it is cancer or a tumor instead of a bone fragment (it’s not). He was told not to work and not to lift so much as a jug of milk until after surgery. Which has made taking care of the twins interesting. I can put them in his lap, but he can’t pick them up at all.
We went back to the surgeon’s office yesterday to have him look at the new MRI and to discuss the surgery. He wants it done as soon as possible. He’s not able to squeeze him in next week, but he said he would stay late to do it the following week if that’s what it takes. We’re waiting to hear from the scheduler to find out if surgery will be Oct. 6 or 8 and what time.
The doctor showed us what he will do and said the surgery will only take 45 minutes to an hour. He’ll stay one night at the hospital. The first 3 weeks he still will have a 5 pound weight limit. At that point it will go up to 15 pounds. So he still may not be able to lift the kids. And because there’s no “light duty” unless you’re injured on the job, he won’t be allowed to go back to work for three months.
We went by HR after the appointment to find out if N has short term disability. He does not. He does have long term disability, but that doesn’t kick in until after 3 months. So money is going to be reeeeeeally tight this year. And I’m pretty sure stress levels will be at a premium.
09.19.09
Our Soap Opera continues
I know, I know. You’re thinking “what now???” It’s really just a continuation, really. N went to a neurosurgeon to look at his back. He needed a more recent MRI (his last one was nearly a year ago), and he finally had that done Wednesday, then saw the doc right after. His back has actually been feeling much better recently, so what the doc said wound up being a shock.
Apparently he has a “bone fragment” that has broken off of one of his spinal discs, has “floated” down the spine, and is constricting his spinal cord. If it moves much more, the doc said it could effect his bowls, bladder, sexual performance, etc. Yikes! So pretty much his options are 1) have surgery or 2) potentially lose all feeling in his lower extremities. Of course, we’re going with option 1, though we don’t have a date set just yet. We’re trying to figure out when and where would be best. Basically, he’ll be out of commission for 4-6 weeks. No work, which means no $ (since I don’t bring in enough to pay the bills with my part time job). *sigh*
Fortunately, we do have some savings, so we won’t starve. But we were hoping that savings would be the start of a couple of college funds for the kids. I guess it’s better to feed them, for now.
