Welcome to Tyler and Parker Thompson's Blog

Tyler and Parker Thompson arrived on June 23, 2008 at only 26 weeks and 4 days old, weighing 1 pound 6 ounces (Parker) and 1 pound 10 ounces (Tyler). Parker spent 129 days (home 10/30/08) in the NICU, while brother Tyler spent 143 (home 11/13/08). We are thrilled to have our family complete with both boys home!

This blog was created by John (the daddy) to inform family and friends (and now new acquaintances) of the twins progression. Below is the blog archive dating back to the week Heather (the mommy) was admitted to the hospital. We try to post weekly updates, but on occasion the week gets the best of us.




Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Not So Quick Bubbie Update

Today the boys had their 18 month assessment at the UC Davis MIND Institute. You may recall the boys having the same assessment on their 1st birthday - their 9 month assessment. Yes, the Institute refer to the boys adjusted ages, not their actual ages. I've been told once the boys are 24 months, EVERYONE quites adjusting for their age. Should be interesting when THAT happens. Hum...are they going to wake up on June 23rd and suddenly speak in coherent sentences? Are they going to begin eating? Are they going to begin potty training? We'll see...

Anyway, about today - the boys did very well considering they sat for very long stretches of time. I had Parker in one room and John took Tyler in the other assessment room. There is a HUGE two-way mirror on one side of the room so doctors, specialists, etc. can watch the session and observe the family interaction. I usually don't forget the mirror is two-way but a couple of times I wondered if anyone was the other side of the mirror as I was fixing my scarf and applying my lipstick. I should have gotten REAL close to the mirror and picked my nose - nah, might affect the Bubbies scores! ;o)

So the bottom line is that they performed at an 18 month level for their motor development (fine and gross) but are performing on a 13 month level for speech. Yes, they say very few words. Tyler's comprehension is at an 18 month level, while Parker's is at a 21 month level. Hum...this confirms that Parker knows EXACTLY what we're saying, but chooses to ignore us. He's a funny duck because as long as I can remember Parker has always hesitated before responding, answering, doing. I can always see his "wheels turning". "I'm sorry sir, you're hesitating to pick up your toys. Do you think you have a choice or something?"

We are in the process of fattening up the boys in preparation for their food challenges in May. We visited the GI because Tyler was having issues with his calorie supplement used to provide an additional 100+ calories/day. The doctor is excited about where the boys fall on the scale for weight to height (Tyler is 32.5 inches tall and weighs 24.5 lbs, Parker is now 31.5 inches tall and weighs 24.5 lbs - the same as his brother). Our current GI goal is to move all of their feeds to day time and discontinue their night time feeds. We discontinued their Duocal (calorie booster) and are mixing their elemental formula, Neocate Jr. to a higher concentration. Overall, the boys are getting between 940-980 calories each day.

In May, we will begin cutting back on the boys feeds to make them hungry. The goal is to help them make the association between feeling hungry and eating. Right now they don't feel hungry because we're pumping food into their tummies all night long and a few times during the day. I look forward to the challenge of getting the boys to try new foods and begin the process of moving them away from their tube dependency.

Lastly, the boys got their LAST shot of Synagis for RSV last Thursday! YIPPEEEEEEE! RSV season in this area hit HARD and late this year (usually November to March). The average number of doses approved each year is five so when we were told that a sixth shot was coming and approved, it was again a testament to our decision to sequester the boys this winter. We are assuming they won't qualify for the shots next year and will be in good enough shape to mix and mingle with the masses next winter. I can't wait!

Below is the sweetest sight! Last night when John went to check on the boys before heading to bed, he was touched to see Parker reaching through the bars of his crib to touch his brother. Me being the bad mommy immediately ran downstairs for the camera! Of course, hello! Look at the pictures below...he loves his brother (even though brother sits on him and steals his toys daily)!





Sweet sweet baby boy!

Tyler the Actor!

This time last year Auntie Teresa gave the boys these AWESOME masks consisting of their favorite animals! Parker HATES hats, masks, mommy messing with his face...you get the picture! But he loves pulling out the masks and watching as mommy and brother become animals. I notice that Tyler doesn't necessarily enjoy stuff on his head/face either, but the desire to be noticed is much stronger than his discomfort of wearing a hat or mask. Over the past few months I've been able to capture some of Tyler's most outstanding performances. Yes folks, Tyler can do MORE than just balance objects on his head! Below you will see Tyler playing the following:

A puppy dog...

...mouse...


...cow (see the energy he exudes when getting into his part)...


...more cow?...and drama hands?...


...elephant, of course...



...and for our upcoming Easter holiday - a chick...



...and of course, bunny! Hop Hop Hop!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Luck 'O The Bubbies!

So here's a little St. Patrick's Day comparison - it's actually pretty amazing how much the boys have grown in one year! We hope the luck 'o the Irish brings goodness to you this year!







Monday, March 15, 2010

Tyler Stands On A Rock

This cracks me up! Tyler will climb up the jungle gym at the park, slide down both slides on his own and freely jump to you without notice - BUT here he is climbing this rock and you'd think he was rockclimbing the face of Half Dome!

Day At The Park

The sun is shining...why not get out and breathe some fresh air? I know - let's go to the park!

The Bubbies love their wagon because it holds all their park toys - football, soccer ball, pail and shovel and hand sanitizer! It's a bad trip for mommy when we forget kleenex or her cell phone - doh!

Daddy and the boys using "grapes" - daddy's name for the hand sanitizer because it smells like grapes. Does this mean the boys will be confused when they're asked to eat some grapes - are they just going to smear them on their hands? Tyler is looking VERY into this clean hands thing!


Parker taking a moment from the action!


Tyler is trying his hand at basketball!



Parker eating daddy's hat!




Monday, March 8, 2010

Act Natural!

I've been trying to find time to write about the boys the most recent doctors appointments and where they are weight/height-wise, but time always slips away! My goal is to get updated Bubbie information on the blog by the end of the week! Until then, enjoy this video of the Bubbies playing around the house. Actually they weren't playing, they were following mommy around, so I was HIGHLY encouraging them to go play. As you can see, it's getting harder and harder to get the boys in their natural states because they notice the camera more and more. Here's an example of this: