Keeping Tired Bubbies Up!

So the bubbies decided to DC their third nap during the day. What does this mean? Let me explain their schedule: a 30-45 minute nap ensues @ mid morning, 1.5 to 2 hour nap around noon, and then another quick 30-45 minute late afternoon (around 4ish). That puts them at a good tired state around 8ish, hopefully in bed by 9pmish! Well, the boys are just sooo busy in the afternoon, they just can't be bothered to settle down for a nap...BUT come 5:30/6:00pm, who's crying with droopy eyes? Yep - the BUBBIES! Now when they don't get a nap, John and I have fun keeping the boys up and amused until it's time to let them relax and snooze! See John's solution below!
Here's daddy with the boys on a field trip to the backyard. His efforts to keep them awake brought them to a new, fun location! They looked curiously around the backyard, picked at some grass, stared at John ("where'd you take us daddy?") and bottom line...stayed awake! We obviously don't get out enough with the boys, do we?

Brothers playing!

Tyler and Parker: "Interrupting us AGAIN - sheesh...do you want something?"

Cute happy faces...

...glaring and scowling faces!

Tyler and Parker: "One more picture mom and we're gonna let you have it!"

Just For Funzies!

I'm not sure why, but Parker has become obsessed with getting brother's tube! Now we not only have to watch Tyler trying to chew on his tube, but have to watch Parker as well! Sheesh...the fun! What a funny pic below showing Tyler totally oblivious while Parker chomps down.

Parker: "Yummo! Brothers tube is tasty!"

Tyler looking cute and ready for a trip outside while standing with my one-handed support!

Parker looking cute and standing with my one-handed support too!

Tyler Stands Alone

He hit his head once on the bar - ouchee! He's actually getting very good at standing up and sitting down on the bars from the jumper. Our furniture is too big for climbing so his efforts are only successful on this one piece of equipment - but we're hopeful!

Picture: Tyler stands on his own!

Life with the boys is wonderful, as always! Their health status is good, but of course we are daily faced with the challenges of having micro-preemies. We feel so blessed that the boys are doing as well as they are, but as I've shared with my micro-preemie mom friends who face similar "challenges", the road to full recovery is sometimes sooo far out of sight!

We had an appointment with GI yesterday to evaluate their current feeding status. Unfortunately BOTH boys lost weight! Eek! The last two weeks we've been working on getting Parker to eat while awake (he's resorted to strictly sleep feeding) and getting Tyler to take the full amount of his day time bottles without gavaging the difference. Well, both daily volume amounts decreased so we thought they'd most likely lose weight, but the GI didn't want us to change anything for two weeks to give the boys an opportunity to get REALLY hungry, in hopes it'd encourage eating. After yesterday's appointment we're fitting in one more feed with Parker at night (which may or may not be a sleep feed - one out of five sleep feeds is certainly better) and are continuing "status quo" efforts with Tyler unless we don't see improvement (in that case we'll call GI in a week and let them know). We NEVER thought we'd be dealing with EATING issues, of ALL things! My family just can't grasp this concept...a family member not wanting food? Are you kidding? Yes, I swear I did birth them...believe me, that's one I'll NEVER forget!

Today was a HUGE day for the boys. They had a physical therapy evaluation and also had their regular developmental therapy sessions. The physical therapist told me that it looks like both boys could benefit from services because they both lack the stomach muscle strength to allow them to sit up by themselves or crawl. She is recommending services for both boys, so we'll see what comes from the evaluation report. And developmental therapy is always fun for the boys - they see it as a time to play with their friend Danielle! In fact, they really respond to Danielle when they see her now...which I like! She looks so different from me (long curly black hair, dark eyes) - I think it's good that the boys are getting used to someone who doesn't resemble momma.

Stats: Tyler weighs 18 pounds and measures 27.5 inches; Parker weighs 15 pounds, 13 ounces and measures 26.5 inches. Tyler is standing up on his own, has two bottom teeth, babbles and screams when he's happy or tired, is almost out of his 9 month clothes, loves to kick his feet wildly and jump around in his jumper and is fascinated by the new animal sounds book! Parker continues eating his feet (will that ever go away?), has three bottom and one random top tooth, says "da, da, da, da..." over and over again, watches mommy constantly and doesn't let her leave the room without notice, and is drawn to music and singing. The boys often play next to each other, which is so fun to watch. Yesterday the boys stole the same item (a spatula believe it or not) out of each others hands about 20 times before one of them got tired of the "game". They don't realize that stealing items from each other is wrong, so right now they just look at each other and wait to steal it back. It's so funny! Tyler LOVES his brother and often smiles, laughs and tries to hug Parker. Parker, on the other hand, will ignore brother and even turned his back on him the other day. I felt bad for Tyler but have to realize that their relationship is going to be between the two of them. They will love each other and show it in their own way. Lesson learned mommy! [ssshhhh...I did force Parker to hug his brother the other day though - ha ha!]

Here are some new pics below...I know that's what every loves!

Tyler Pulls Up!

Tyler is working on standing up by himself! Now ask him to crawl? NO WAY! He doesn't want anything to do with being on his tummy and that includes rolling onto it and/or crawling. I think his reflux has just been too bad for him to be comfortable on his stomach so he avoids it at all costs. Here's a documented account of Tyler's quest to standing up!Tyler: "I think I can do it, but one last look at mommy will give me the strength I need to start!"

"Here I go...psych up a bit..."

"....ugh..."

"...and I'm up!"

[sorry, looks like I missed some in between shots - ha ha! I swear he got up there on his own!]

Bubbie Bears

What was Parker doing while brother was working on pulling himself up...BUBBING! What else? And do you see that he is laying next to my legs, which holds the lap he was once on!

Bubbie Bear Tyler

Bubbie Bear Parker - and yes, we are still using the "Grandma's Little Latke" bibs...didn't I say you'd probably see them this summer? Ha ha!

Baths & Curls

Tyler in his first BIG BOY BATH! We purchased this tub seat and tried it out! The only problem is that mommy and daddy have to squat next to the tub and break their backs to give bubbies their baths! The GOOD thing is that bubbies can play in the water...something they both love to do!

Parker in his Elvis voice: "Thank you very much!"

So John decided to give Parker a huge curly cue on the top of his head after bath time because his hair is so long! Parker was only slightly amused...see photo below for full effect!

I think this picture was taken in the 70's? Nice yellow-y tint!

Twins x 2

The boys had their first play date with the Campo Twins! It was just too fun watching the babies bounce around in their activity centers while looking at each other curiously. The pic below is great because it shows the babes up close. Tyler is playing with Logan (or trying to steal froggy) while Parker and Sam play by themselves contently.

Bye Bye Breast Milk

Boooooo hooooo! It HAD to happen, but what a SAD time for me! With the boys on an elemental formula and not able to take my breast milk, I stopped pumping a while ago. But I just couldn't bring myself to throw away my months of labor - the left over breast milk that's been stored in the freezer for months. Well, John convinced me that the freezer was more valuable than my denial so he took the final step and tossed the little bottles of dedication. As he dumped the little white gems, I sobbed inside remembering the 3am pumpings and the drives to and from the hospital where I'd "extract" in the backseat - had to make the most of our daily traveling, right? Ugh, what a time!

I tried to donate the milk to a bank but because I wasn't screened ahead of time and didn't freeze the milk using the bank's procedures, it didn't qualify. Too bad - I would've gladly given the milk to someone in need. And to support Salma Hayek, if I were traveling in Africa and came across a starving baby, I too would feed it - if I had the ability. Good for you Salma!

Typical Bubbies

This is typical Parker...bottom lip out, paci stuck on thumb!

...and typical Tyler, smiley with tongue out!

Sleepies

I love sleeping babies and sleeping baby pics are just fun!

What a Week!

Well, of course I have to talk about this photo of Parker first! His head is so big that every time I take a shirt on or off of him, it sticks on his head! Not Tyler...usually always Parker! So of course it happened again and I just had to crack up when Parker started laughing and smiling as his shirt was still on his head like a nun's habit! These guys are such daily entertainment for me...the best reality show ever!

So we've had a busy week at the Thompson household. After the Easter extravaganza, Auntie Christine and cousins Alyssa and Lindsey came for a visit from Southern California! The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins for the first time. They read books, sang songs, did the baby hold/pass around and even snuck in some sleep. The boys had such a blast and didn't possess any "stranger danger" at all! See fun pics of the girls visiting below!

Right after the So CA Schrupps left, cousin Jillian flew in from Oregon! It was Jillian's second time to come visit the boys - she came back in November when John was on a trip and stayed with me to help with the babies. Well, they must have remembered Jillian because they were immediately taken with her and she became part of our "process" right away (dirty diapers, feeding babies and coaxed into reading/singing time). The interesting thing about Jillian's visit is that she could clearly see the boy's progress and also got to experience their ever-changing personalities. She witnessed their jealousy, figured out their "fake" cry, and could almost determine the difference between a poopy diaper and stinky toot! But the best part of her stay was seeing how much the boys love her - they treated her like she was also their caretaker. That's a big compliment from the boys - we were sad to see her go today!

Last week was our first appointment with a feeding specialist. She saw Tyler's terrible reflux (from watching his behavior while we fed him) and told us that until it's better, he most likely won't increase his volume (thus, needing the feeding tube). But what we can do in the meantime is introduce him to a variety of tastes and textures to prevent an oral aversion (which happens often with micro preemies). So John pulled out their new high chairs this weekend (because our house needs two more HUGE pieces of baby furniture in it) and the boys had their first food play session. As you can see from the pictures below, the boys enjoyed it. Now I wasn't as thrilled because I see a new daily mess added to my schedule - doh! Parker has been referred to the feeding specialist as well, so we will be following up with him in a month or so. Unfortunately I've talked to a number of moms across the U.S. who have micro preemies and MOST of the babies have eating issues. Some of the issues go on for many years - eek! We're hoping to be proactive and hopeful that the boys will soon desire food!

Okay, enough chit chat - here are some fun pics below!

Food Play

Tyler actually chewing on a biscuit! No way!

Doesn't Ty look happy with food play?

Tyler: "It tastes okay, but throwing everything off the edge is what REALLY makes me smile!"

Parker chewing on the bowl, not the biscuit!

Looking pretty happy with food play!

Just the beginning of the oatmeal mixture and oatmeal mixture-covered toys on the carpet that I DIDN'T cover - doh! Slap head, now begin scrubbing!

Family Visitors!

Here's Parker sporting a new outfit from cousins Alyssa and Lindsey!

Parker:

"Come on...

give peace a chance!"

Auntie Christine holding a tired Parker!

Cousin Alyssa with a falling asleep Tyler!

Cousin Lindsey Lou Who enjoying her time with the bubbies!

Cousin Jillian getting one last hug from Tyler before leaving!

Bunny Boys!

Happy Easter from "Bunny Boy" Tyler...

...and "Bunny Boy" Parker!

Parker: "Not again mommy...haven't you learned? Not another silly hat!"

The boys had their first Easter dinner at Aunt Teresa's house! What an adventure - our first BIG outting with the boys. We brought the entire living room, including activity centers, bouncy chairs, and boppies. The boys were VERY good considering they'd never been around a large group of people ...since the NICU that is - ha ha!

So, in all of the excitement I ended up with only a handful of pictures from the BIG event. Nice, mommy. I'm sure my family has a bunch of pics, but my camera ended up producing only two good shots of the boys...this one with Tyler grabbing some wine. Of course, Minnie Mouse is on the glass, so I'm sure he's grabbing for her not the wine, right? ha ha!

And here's a picture of Parker with Velear. The look on Parker's face was pretty much how the boys looked the first hour - sort of stunned. After the boys got used to the unfamiliar faces and were put in their activity centers, they began laughing, smiling and acting like themselves again!

Easter with the family was a success - whew!

Bunny Gifts!

Before going over to auntie's, Grandma T stopped by with bunnies and cards. Poor Parker looks so tired in this pic and he hasn't even left for Easter dinner yet...rut roh!

Luckily, grandmas came through with Easter goodies! A few days before Easter, grammie stopped by with goodies for the boys! We're so glad the Easter bunny visits grandmas!

Okay, John and I were surprised at how much fun the boys had ripping open their gifts!

And of course they loved eating their gifts just as much! Good times!

New Tooth Pics!

Finally an OK (can't really say good) picture of Parker's teeth! See those little white spots?

Tyler's teeth are harder to see because of his drooling glare, but with my finger pushing his tongue back, we finally got a clear view!

Tyler Sits Up!

Tyler is a little "sitting up" champ! Danielle, our infant development therapist, had Tyler sitting up almost the entire session! He either sat or stood up (with help of course) the entire time. Good job buddy! The last couple of days Tyler has been able to sit up for quite a while without tipping over. The only problem is that he doesn't know how to get "out" of it so he'll sit there and cry when he's done. I tried to show him how he can lean over and lay down but he's not quite getting it. I think he needs more practice!

It's just so fun seeing the boys progress so quickly! Parker is also sitting up but seems to falls over after a couple of minutes - or when he sees something he wants. He'll lunge at objects, forgetting that he doesn't crawl or walk yet! Is he going to be the child that jumps off the roof because he's sure he can fly? We are in trouble!

Besides both boys now having both bottom teeth (yep, both boys have two little white teeth in front), the only other news comes from our Pulmonologist. Our Thursday appointment produced exciting news! The doctor checked both boys and congratulated us for a job well done. He said that by looking at them, reviewing their charts and recognizing that they did not get sick this RSV season, John and I did an excellent job and should be commended. He asked me to produce a monthly photo collage of the boys that he can use in his teachings and said that if he was going to do a story on successes, he'd send the news cameras to our house. After the appointment I looked for the band leading our "Good Parents" parade but it didn't show - weird, huh? Ha ha! He obviously made us feel good. BUT what made us feel better is the fact that the boys were given a green light to begin going out into the world. We need to remain vigilant about people washing hands before touching and not being around sick people, but on the most part they can begin socializing with others! I "smell" play dates in our future! He also told us that the boys WILL NOT need RSV shots next year - in fact, they won't even qualify! Wow...this is HUGE! We were walking on clouds when we left his office! Now, we still have to go back in a couple of months for check ups and their daily breathing treatments will continue, but on the most part the boys lungs are healing/growing right on track! Yipppppeeee!

Below are some fun pics from around the house!