Singing "Happy Birthday" - boys don't know WHAT'S going on!
Tyler loves the singing!
Tyler curious about the lit candle!
Parker doesn't know WHAT to make of the cake!Sunday, June 28, 2009
Time to Sing!
Singing "Happy Birthday" - boys don't know WHAT'S going on! Tyler loves the singing! Tyler curious about the lit candle! Parker doesn't know WHAT to make of the cake!
Dig In!
Time to touch the cake...
Parker is curious...
...decides the plate is more appetizing than the cake!
Daddy giving Tyler some encouragement, "It's okay buddy, it tastes good - really!"Opening Gifts
Mommy and daddy helping bubbies open some gifts!
Ty sporting a Cowboys "pimp" hat (thanks Auntie Karla)!
Pouty Park
Just too busy to bother with people right now!Family Party Fun!
It was such a blast to have all of our family and friends with us to celebrate! Here are some great family and friends shots below - everyone enjoying the celebration!
Grammie with all of her 8 grandkids!
Uncle Mikey videotaping the happenings (& daddy giving a testimonial)!
Uncle Brian, Auntie Christine & Great Uncle Bill (& I think I see some crazy woman behind Christine in the shot too - who is that?)!
Auntie Kristin and Uncle Bob (the creators of the birthday video)!
Grammie with all of her 8 grandkids!
Uncle Mikey videotaping the happenings (& daddy giving a testimonial)!
Uncle Brian, Auntie Christine & Great Uncle Bill (& I think I see some crazy woman behind Christine in the shot too - who is that?)!
Auntie Kristin and Uncle Bob (the creators of the birthday video)!
Where is Tyler?
So it's obvious who the social butterfly was during his birthday celebration...the pictures say it all!
WHERE WAS TYLER...?
...with Auntie Ali (ah, snuggles)...
...with Cheryl...
WHERE WAS TYLER...?
...with Auntie Ali (ah, snuggles)...
...with Cheryl...Where's Ty?
...with Brock (eek - the faces says it all)
...with Lauren...
...with Jen...
...with Janelle...
...or with Mark?I'm sure if everyone gave me their film, I'd find MANY more pictures of folks with Tyler!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
12 Month Comparisons
I compiled these one-year comparisons for our Pulmonologist and I'm glad I did. What an amazing example of growth! If you click on the individual images, you should see the full-page version. This is a good summation of their year!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Happy Birthday Bubbies!
Yes, today is Tyler and Parker's OFFICIAL 1st birthday! I would love to reflect on the year, but will have to do it later - go figure! Today was FULL of doctors, xrays and PT - more on that later. Right now I have to go to bed because we have GI at 7am tomorrow which means a 5am wake up for us, but I HAD to acknowledge the official Bubbie B-day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVIES - MOMMY LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVIES - MOMMY LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Happy Father's Day!
Father's Day was incredible not only because we celebrated John on his first Father's Day, but also because the bubbies had their first birthday celebration as well! As you can imagine, I'm absolutely exhausted and still recovering from the 70+ guests so I have not posted party pics yet - but they are coming! Until then, I just had to share this fabulous scrapbook page my sister-in-law, Kristin, created for John. I don't know if you can tell but the letters spelling "DADDY" are photos of the boys (click on the picture and it will enlarge so you can see it up close). So VERY creative! And to add to her fabulousness, she created a video of the boys using pictures from their first year of life (I'm sure my brother-in-law, Bob, helped as well - uh-hum)! I will see if I can figure out how to download and post the video. What SUPERB, cherished gifts!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Makeup Bags and Party Prep
When doing my makeup while sitting on the floor with the boys, I quickly realized how "popular" my black and white makeup bag was - the boys would swiftly crawl or roll over to grab it and then proceed to fight over it, passing it back and forth. Having multiple "gift with purchase" bags tucked away, it was no big deal to part with a couple. I put two bags in the boys toy basket and sure enough, what's the first thing they go for upon discovery? Yes, my makeup bags. I think it's hilarious! John assures me it's because they are black and white! ;o)Parker does have the remote in his hand in this picture, so obviously my makeup bag ranks #2 on his list!
Party planning for the boys 1st birthday party is underway and the boys (& wonderful family members) are helping with the preparation. Here are the boys helping with signage!Party Prep In Action
Grammie making a wild cupcake!
Cousin Katie working on Tyler's cake - no pressure!
After a long day of back bending cupcake decorating, we're still smiling!
Parker had snack of Go-gurt and biscuit while watching cupcake decorating!
Tyler, with his wet drooling face, was such a good boy and played in his highchair the entire time cupcakes were decorated.Thursday, June 11, 2009
Weekly Fun Pics
Tyler: "I think I misplaced something...hum..."Note Tyler's pants (that he walked out of) on the floor behind him!
Parker: "Only my brother could lose his pants!"
Tyler: "Helllloooo! What's going on up here?"Parker:"Excuse me, did I interrupt YOUR meal? Mom....!"
Tyler is pulling up on everything - he just won't stay down. He's all over the living room - and unfortunately loves the garbage can. Gotta start watching this one!
Parker doesn't seem thrilled about his first visit to Joannes, even though we were shopping for the Bubbie celebration. A good thing is that they're small enough to fit in the front seat of the basket, each in his own leg hole. Too stinkin' cute!I'm not sure John has ever been in a Joanne's before - he couldn't believe the huge checkout line. Hey, those ladies are serious about their crafts and sewing...don't mess!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Week of Docs
This week has been full of appointments: GI on Tuesday, Feeding Therapist with Parker on Wednesday, and Developmental Therapy on Thursday. It's amazing how these "simple" appointments drive an entire day. Since when did ONE appointment change everything about how you function all day? At work I'd squeeze in meeting after meeting and go to my own appointments in between meetings! Now just one appointment with the boys alters nap times, feeding schedules, mommy's semi-workouts & shower attempts - from the time we get up to the time the boys go to bed. I find myself saying, "He's just not himself today because of that appointment". Nice excuse, right? So here's a summary of outcomes from our appointments:
GI on Tuesday: Parker gained weight and height, coming in at 16lbs, 60z & 27" long. Tyler again LOST weight and gained height, coming in at 17lbs, 6oz. & 28" long. So the boys are exactly one pound and one inch difference. Parker is doing well and with his feeding evaluation the next day, conversations didn't focus on Parker. No, Tyler became the focus on this trip. It wasn't a huge surprise that Tyler lost weight - his face looks thinner and his feeds are not up to par. He's only been taking an average of 115 cc's/day - he should be drinking about 550cc's (or more) by mouth to be on course. We started adding MCT oil back into his feeds, but it didn't make enough difference to help him maintain or gain weight.
G-TUBE: In talking to the GI, we decided that it's time to move to the G-tube. The inevitable has happened. A Gastrostomy Tube will be surgically placed directly into Tyler's stomach through the abdominal wall, allowing us to feed him similarly to how we do now, but through more permanent means. He will come out of surgery with tubing sticking out of his stomach, but after 2-3 months we will be able to switch it out for a Mic-Key Button (or a similar button system). Website http://www.mic-key.com/ provides a lot of information - what the button looks like and how it is maintained. The GI is referring us to the surgeon and we should have a consult in 3-4 weeks with surgery happening shortly thereafter. We're hoping for a July surgery date so Tyler can heal when John is home. We hope that by removing Tyler's NG tube, his oral aversion and reflux will dissipate. I've heard other micro-preemie moms talk about the NG causing irritation to the face and aggravating reflux, which is why they switched to a G-tube. My crazy hesitation with getting the GT stems from hearing about babies with G-tubes who are now 2, 3, 4+ years old who STILL have them! But I have to conclude that Tyler's feeding future isn't going to be more severe from the GT - this feeding journey is going to be...what it will be...ours to live and from which to learn. But we can help his reflux, oral aversion and aggravation by opting for the surgery and that makes sense. So my breathe will be held, but with excitement that Tyler's little face will no longer be filled with skin tears and red sores from taping and aggravation - and the trauma of having the NG replaced (by mommy and daddy) every week will be history. We'll let you know how it goes, of course!
Feeding Therapist: It was Parker's turn to visit the Feeding Therapist yesterday. He did really well taking his bottle in front of Camille, our therapist, and even took a biscuit and sucked on it for awhile. Camille was very happy with Parker's progress and has high hopes that he should be able to move into solids. We will be continuing food play but adding whipped cream from a can and various nectar drinks for taste. As soon as he gets used to the taste of the nectar, we'll add some duocal (extra calories) and give it to him in a bottle. We're also continuing with biter biscuits and will be trying to give him small pieces of soaked cake or bread. The key is to expose him to different tastes and textures with hope that his palette will expand and accept solids. So mommy's food play work is not done - ugh! As long as they progress, what does it matter, right?
Developmental Therapy: Both boys had their 45 minute therapy session with Danielle, their favorite therapist. Parker did VERY well and completed some more tasks on the assessment: claps hands, waves hi/goodbye, pushes a lever to make an animal pop up, and mimics certain sounds. He practiced crawling and tummy time and worked on finding hidden objects. Tyler was a little hyper today and I heard Danielle say, in her sweet voice, "Can Tyler sit for a while? Tyler, can you sit? Let's sit Tyler!" But his report was positive as he practiced "give me" concepts, overcoming obstacles to get to an object, responding to his name during an activity, imitating mouth movements and waving hi/goodbye. She agrees that Tyler has figured out how to ignore - if he's busy, maybe he'll glance at you, but won't give you more than that. Little stinker!
PT & OT: The boys had their physical therapy evaluations a couple of weeks ago but we haven't heard when services will begin. Danielle just told me that our contact at Alta Regional is gone, so no one has followed up on their services. And at Parker's feeding therapy yesterday, Camille mentioned that she's recommending an occupational therapy evaluation for the boys as well. I guess at PT, the boys will work on motor skills, coordination, etc. OT will work on sensory issues. Interesting that Camille asked about their sensory because I was just talking to John about how upset Parker gets when he hears loud noises - and was also mentioning how hyper Tyler has become lately. According to Camille, these may or may not be sensory issue related - a lot of NICU babies have "residual" effects of being poked and prodded & exposed to loud and continual noises. The ISSUE we might face in securing these services is the fact that Alta Regional is funded by Federal AND State government. I've already heard rumblings of services being cut because of our lovely budget "situation" here in CA. What timing! No more taxes? Well then, no more services! I hope we aren't the ones to suffer, but only time will tell!
Okay, now fun stuff - random pics below!
GI on Tuesday: Parker gained weight and height, coming in at 16lbs, 60z & 27" long. Tyler again LOST weight and gained height, coming in at 17lbs, 6oz. & 28" long. So the boys are exactly one pound and one inch difference. Parker is doing well and with his feeding evaluation the next day, conversations didn't focus on Parker. No, Tyler became the focus on this trip. It wasn't a huge surprise that Tyler lost weight - his face looks thinner and his feeds are not up to par. He's only been taking an average of 115 cc's/day - he should be drinking about 550cc's (or more) by mouth to be on course. We started adding MCT oil back into his feeds, but it didn't make enough difference to help him maintain or gain weight.
G-TUBE: In talking to the GI, we decided that it's time to move to the G-tube. The inevitable has happened. A Gastrostomy Tube will be surgically placed directly into Tyler's stomach through the abdominal wall, allowing us to feed him similarly to how we do now, but through more permanent means. He will come out of surgery with tubing sticking out of his stomach, but after 2-3 months we will be able to switch it out for a Mic-Key Button (or a similar button system). Website http://www.mic-key.com/ provides a lot of information - what the button looks like and how it is maintained. The GI is referring us to the surgeon and we should have a consult in 3-4 weeks with surgery happening shortly thereafter. We're hoping for a July surgery date so Tyler can heal when John is home. We hope that by removing Tyler's NG tube, his oral aversion and reflux will dissipate. I've heard other micro-preemie moms talk about the NG causing irritation to the face and aggravating reflux, which is why they switched to a G-tube. My crazy hesitation with getting the GT stems from hearing about babies with G-tubes who are now 2, 3, 4+ years old who STILL have them! But I have to conclude that Tyler's feeding future isn't going to be more severe from the GT - this feeding journey is going to be...what it will be...ours to live and from which to learn. But we can help his reflux, oral aversion and aggravation by opting for the surgery and that makes sense. So my breathe will be held, but with excitement that Tyler's little face will no longer be filled with skin tears and red sores from taping and aggravation - and the trauma of having the NG replaced (by mommy and daddy) every week will be history. We'll let you know how it goes, of course!
Feeding Therapist: It was Parker's turn to visit the Feeding Therapist yesterday. He did really well taking his bottle in front of Camille, our therapist, and even took a biscuit and sucked on it for awhile. Camille was very happy with Parker's progress and has high hopes that he should be able to move into solids. We will be continuing food play but adding whipped cream from a can and various nectar drinks for taste. As soon as he gets used to the taste of the nectar, we'll add some duocal (extra calories) and give it to him in a bottle. We're also continuing with biter biscuits and will be trying to give him small pieces of soaked cake or bread. The key is to expose him to different tastes and textures with hope that his palette will expand and accept solids. So mommy's food play work is not done - ugh! As long as they progress, what does it matter, right?
Developmental Therapy: Both boys had their 45 minute therapy session with Danielle, their favorite therapist. Parker did VERY well and completed some more tasks on the assessment: claps hands, waves hi/goodbye, pushes a lever to make an animal pop up, and mimics certain sounds. He practiced crawling and tummy time and worked on finding hidden objects. Tyler was a little hyper today and I heard Danielle say, in her sweet voice, "Can Tyler sit for a while? Tyler, can you sit? Let's sit Tyler!" But his report was positive as he practiced "give me" concepts, overcoming obstacles to get to an object, responding to his name during an activity, imitating mouth movements and waving hi/goodbye. She agrees that Tyler has figured out how to ignore - if he's busy, maybe he'll glance at you, but won't give you more than that. Little stinker!
PT & OT: The boys had their physical therapy evaluations a couple of weeks ago but we haven't heard when services will begin. Danielle just told me that our contact at Alta Regional is gone, so no one has followed up on their services. And at Parker's feeding therapy yesterday, Camille mentioned that she's recommending an occupational therapy evaluation for the boys as well. I guess at PT, the boys will work on motor skills, coordination, etc. OT will work on sensory issues. Interesting that Camille asked about their sensory because I was just talking to John about how upset Parker gets when he hears loud noises - and was also mentioning how hyper Tyler has become lately. According to Camille, these may or may not be sensory issue related - a lot of NICU babies have "residual" effects of being poked and prodded & exposed to loud and continual noises. The ISSUE we might face in securing these services is the fact that Alta Regional is funded by Federal AND State government. I've already heard rumblings of services being cut because of our lovely budget "situation" here in CA. What timing! No more taxes? Well then, no more services! I hope we aren't the ones to suffer, but only time will tell!
Okay, now fun stuff - random pics below!
Fun Random Pics!
Tyler: "Yo! Whazup?"
Parker: "You talkin' to me?"
Classic Tyler kicking Parker! I can't leave the boys for a second while sitting less than 4 ft. from each other and not come back to Parker screaming and Tyler wildly kicking brother's head!
Boys are enjoying new toys from Grammie - two new "push" toys! They of course must play with the SAME thing at the SAME time - wouldn't be fun any other way, would it?
Food fun - not fun for mommy. Anyone want to help with clean up? Note the sheet under the boys - yes, I am a learner!Boppy Time!
I spend a lot of time each day keeping the boys far enough away from each other that they don't kick each other, grab faces or in Parker's case, grab brother's tube and eat it (or pull on it)! So I was surprised when I found them IN THE SAME BOPPY, hanging out! No way...where's the camera?
Cute sleeping Parker!
Snuggle bear - looks so cute!
Look who's NOT sleeping - being a Tigger Tyler!Tyler: "Sleep is for the weak!"
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