Preemies Then Twins

School Pics- 5 Years Old

2009-12-14T21:42:00.006-06:00

Collin; they have to work to keep his super thick glasses
from reflecting. He has gotten thicker ones
since this photo was taken too.
-10.5 and -15 for those who are prescription savvy.

Cyrus, who has officially discovered his "picture smile" :P
Oh he is a charmer too; lady killer at 5,
what are we in for later?

Returning to the Blog

2009-12-13T19:34:00.008-06:00

Wow, over a year. It has been too long since I was blogging, and now that the boys and I are moving to Denver, its time to start up again. Things are a changin' here and I am going to need to start updating all my family and friends with the goings-ons of Collin and Cyrus.

We are moving January 1st, and the clock is ticking! So much to do, but at least the important stuff is almost completed. Only one doctor left to set up an appointment with and set up evals with the home health therapists. We have been very blessed with our doctors and therapists here in Dallas/Ft Worth, and I will always praise Cook Children's Hospital for the amazing job they did for my boys (I am particularly sad to be leaving Collin's speech therapist, she has been superb!).

And for the future, I am excited about our new home away from home, The Children's Hospital of Denver, which, like Cooks, is also one of the best in the nation. Last year I visited the hospital when I was visiting my friend (and soon to be roommate) and it is an awesome campus.

It is going to be a difficult transition as the boys have lived over half of their lives now in Nana & Grandpa's house, so I am mentally preparing for that first month to be rough (as are the other people that we will be living with). Luckily my cousin and her five year old son live about ten minutes away and I am so jazzed about hanging out with her and seeing all the boys together. Getting them set up with things to do and people to hang around with is going to be very important in how quickly they adjust.

Tonight Nana & Grandpa had some quality time with the boys out looking at Christmas lights. They had a blast and will probably be doing that a few more times before the holidays are over. It has been stressful on everyone, this sudden move immediately after the holidays, and this new year is going to be unlike any other. So hold on to your hats people, off we go!

They grow up so fast

2008-11-06T21:52:00.003-06:00

I just had to share these... The boys are in a public school preschol program for children with disabilites, and one of the perks is that we get school pictures taken. :) How can you not love these faces?

Cyrus is probably saying "Cheese!" :) Adorable!

Its just the best picture of Collin I could have hoped for!

...Three Days Later (Four Years Ago)

2008-10-30T12:59:00.002-05:00

I have been stuck in bed at the hospital, not even allowed to move onto my side for fear of how it may jostle Cyrus' placenta and I have been miserable. The medication has kept me just short of lucid and sometimes I would participate in conversation and sometimes I would blurt out bits of what I was dreaming. My husband and I had finally picked out names for both boys, Collin (meaning lion cub) Leander (meaning bravery) to give the little guy strength. Cyrus (meaning sun) Theodore (gift of God). So there, one thing down, and the NICU could replace Collin's label from Swain, Boy A to Collin Leander.

My daughter and nieces had come by with a pumpkin they made for me and the babies in their Halloween costumes. I was sad that I was missing Halloween with them. However I was determined to make this last... but my body had other plans for me yet again. The doctor came in after dinner and told me that my fever was not going down, and as a result of birthing Collin but not his sac, I had developed an infection. This no longer made me Cyrus' safest place to be. So at least this time I was able to prepare for the cesarian, my family was there, even my brother left his 10 year class reunion to make it.

Shivering from the fever and terrified (for those who didnt know, I had planned on having a home bathtub birth, so having a c-section was on my list of NOT to-do's) I was wheeled into the OR. Ewwww, epidurals are frightening! But got that overwith, wearing my bright green fuzzy socks, I was prepped and ready to go. I kept crying, for this had really been the moment when I realized my beloved pregnancy was over and my kids did not have the beginning I had dreamed of. They asked me if I wanted drugs to help me relax, but I told them to wait until Cyrus was out, then load up on the drugs!

It was so much easier than what I had been through a few days ago. My husband watched the birth with morbid excitement, keeping me up on every step. I asked what X feeling was and he would describe what they were doing; I was interested but had no desire to see for myself. Then the sound of Cyrus' cry filled the room. He was here! This time I had my glasses, and he was in better health so they gave us a minute to look at him and gently touch his tiny fingers before taking him to the NICU. The NICU, this would be my children's home for the next four months.

Cyrus Theodore born at 9:48 PM, 1 lb. 15 oz. and 13 inches long. I was not quite half way through my pregnancy and it was already over. I missed out on a lot that I still grieve over, but the alternative would not have given me these amazing boys. Wow. I dont even have toddlers anymore, really, they are little boys now. When did that happen? I am blessed with these two miracles that overcame their 20% survival odds and still manage to impress us with their personalities and abilities. Happy Birthday to the strongest people I know!

Happy 4th Birthday, Oh Cyrus My Cyrus!!

This Day Four Years Ago

2008-10-27T20:42:00.002-05:00

Right about now I was just taken from one hospital in an ambulance to another where they were more equipped to handle "a woman in my condition." In labor 3 1/2 months early, only 25 weeks along, I was freaking out about what was going to happen to my babies. I had only discovered a few weeks earlier that I was even having twins. Now the doctors were doing whatever they could to keep my boys from being born. The contractions were already starting to race one another and I felt terrified and out of control. Little did I know that Collin was determined to arrive in only a few short hours.

It was hazy, as they were pumping my veins with steroids and this magnesium crap that made me feel horrible, but I was only partially aware that the pain I was going through was labor... I was having a baby. The nurse had been checking me regularly to see how far along I had dilated, the last time she had checked I was about a 5. I had been in so much pain that I was doing anything I could to try to minimize it... I didnt realize I was pushing (remember no birthing or lamaze classes yet, they were scheduled for next month). The nurse came by again, mumbled something in a terrifying voice and took off. Not two minutes later I was in the OR being prepped for emergency cesarean. What did she see that freaked her out? Collin's feet.

Well, the doctor realized that it was safer to just birth the child than to try to go the c-section route and told me to push.. and after two pushes Collin was born! My husband did not even get into the OR in time it happened so fast. So I got a blurry look at my son from about ten feet away (I didnt have my glasses on) and then he was rushed off to the NICU and I back to my room. Collin didnt have a name yet, and wouldnt for another 36 hours or so, but he was out in the world, and Cyrus was taking the opportunity to stretch out in my belly for as long as possible. My doctor told me the longest separation between twins he had ever seen was five weeks, not knowing then that Cyrus only had three more days before it was his turn to make a grand entrance, we were hoping for as long as possible...

Collin was born at 3:51 PM a mere 1 lb. 12 oz. and 13 1/4 inches long. So here I was, having just had a baby, and I was still pregnant. Yeah, tell me about it. Tune in again on Thursday for the exciting colclusion to this story... lol

We are still alive...

2008-03-09T19:24:00.003-05:00

So we are still alive, and although my life has been crazy, the boys have been doing great. Now that things are starting to have some semblance of normalacy (for us anyway) I am hoping to get back to doing some updating on a regular basis. But just the five cent summary: Collin and Cyrus are doing well in school. Collin is impressive with his sign language even though his coordination is limited, eats everything, tries whatever Cyrus tries. Cyrus is just a regular hyper three year old, always talking always getting into things, not wanting to eat.

Medically they are both wearing the eye patch now (yeah, you can imagine how well that works!) but Cyrus had an MRI recently which showed that his twitching in his right eye was not neurological, thus the patch. Collin walks and runs and falls all the time but shakes it off and keeps going. They get sick all the time from being in school but we have been lucky that we have only needed a few visits to the doctor and nebulizer treatments to keep them going. They wear me out in a whole new way these days, because they are acting like regular little boys, crazy hyper, but pretty normal all the same. :)

I would love to show you all the latest pics of the boys but Blogger is royally peeving me, so please take a quick moment to go HERE and see them on my original xanga blog.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T14:24:00.000-06:00

I know it looks like he is trying to strangle him, but
Cyrus is actually giving Collin a hug
and telling him that he loves him.

Kisses for Christmas!
Mommy, you really should comb their hair...

Look we have Candy Canes!!! What is up with the face... and the hair Cyrus?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!! We are blessed to have such wonderfula nd excited little boys enjoying Christmas for the first time this year.

School and Surgery

2007-12-13T15:16:00.000-06:00

When we last met our dynamic duo, they were celebrating their third birthdays. Well, since that time the two heros have begun a public school program called PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) where they go to an elementary school five days a week from 8-11 am. They follow the ISD school schedule and after some adjustment time are now enjoying very much. The school system offers therapy, mostly Speech and OT, also some developmental through out the week on a regular basis but does not exclude them from private therapy for insurance purposes. Cyrus never had a problem and never even cried when he first began, but Collin had some problems and we had to have a meeting with the teacher and the principle to ensure that his SID (Sensory Integration Dysfunction) was being addressed to help him adapt. They were originally in separate classes as well but after putting them together Collin really improved. Now the two of them race for the door and no one even notices that I am leaving.
They are learning all sorts of things and its great for them to be around other children. Collin has learned new signs and they use the PECS cards in school as well, so he keeps getting practice even at school. He even signed to me at supper the other night that he wanted a cookie. Silly Collin. LOL Cyrus has been quoting songs they learn in school and talks about his friends. Its a good program to supplement their therapy and gives me a little free time in the mornings to run errands and such.

And by the way, Collin's Dynavox will not be in for a while. What I thought was the ordering of the device was actually just the ordering of a voucher which I have finally received that I now have to send to the Dynavox company myself and order separately. Geeze what a hassle! I will let you know whenever it comes in... and I foolishly thought we would have in before their birthday at one time! HA!

On November 27th Collin had day surgery on both of his eyes. They reattached and shaped the muscles to help them be equal in strength. He had really bloodshot eyes for a while and had to put drops in his eyes three times a day for a week!! That was not any fun. But the results have been amazing! He is walking better, his eyes aren't crossing he has improved his fine motor skills... and all since his surgery. So obviously the surgery was a success! :) I have been busy lately and have been slacking on the posts... and I am out of time now too... just wanted to play catch up for a minute!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holidays, getting their shopping done and all that. The boys have gone light looking a number of times already and they love it! Cyrus has to gives us his report on what is on each house as we pass. Its so cute!

Happy 3rd Birthday Cyrus!

2007-10-27T18:53:00.000-05:00

It's your turn to shine now, you are finally 3 years old too. I can see it already, the 72 plus hours between you two will drive you nuts, hehe, but what amazing results those hours gave you for your health. Only three extra days made you strong and proved your determination (and perhaps some of your defiance, :P); look at you now. Big and strong, healthy as can be. You can charm your way into anyones heart with your boyish ways, able to say about anything and you understand people so well already. Everyday you impress me with what you know. You love to give hugs and kisses, say "please" and "thank you," and "sorry" when you think you've done something wrong ( even if its running into a piece of furniture!). I love watching you cuddle up with ALL your blankies, and just about any blanket will do, the more the merrier. I love that you love to cuddle with me and cover me with all your blankies. LOL

With all your preemie issues and shunt problems you have dealt with, so many surgeries, you never let it keep you from trying new things and climbing new heights, literally! You are very social, gregarious, and dramatic, apparently a lot like me when I was your age, according to Nana. :) You will likely be the class clown, adored by teachers and classmates alike, but also the one who gets sent to the office for not sitting still. Thank you so much for wanting to love life and fighting so hard to be here now. You make everyday exciting, and even when I hate it, I LOVE IT because you are here. Happy Birthday Cyrus, my shining star, I love you!

And just a reminder (again- for myself and everyone else :P ) Cyrus was born 1 lb. 15 oz. and was 13.25 inches long... and now he is 32 lbs. 15 oz. and 37 3/4 inches!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Collin!

2007-10-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

You are three today, my little smarty-pants. So much you have endured and overcome, yet you still remain a happy spirited and loving little boy to all. I cannot believe how amazing you are, outshining all potential problems for what "could have been" that you faced due to your situation. You are patient, attentive, impressively intelligent, snugly, determined, stubborn, so very hard-working. Simply a beautiful soul.

Your obstacles are nothing for you as you face them head on, continuously out performing all expectations for what you are capable of. And even though you may not be able to speak with words, you still have an amazing talent at getting your thoughts across. Who would ever have known that knowing four sign language signs (all done, please, thank you, and music) and just nodding your head yes or no would only be a small part of how you are able to talk to everyone. Your body language speaks volumes and your ability to use the PECS cards just remind me once again how much is really going on inside that quiet head of yours.

So here is to you my lovely little boy, my Collin. Happy 3rd Birthday to an amazing person who I believe will continue to impress people until you are old and gray. I love you.

And just a reminder (for myself and everyone else :P )

Collin was born 1 lb. 12.5 oz. and was 13 inches long...

and now he is 29 lbs. 6 oz. and 36 inches (3 feet tall, and hey, he's 3! hehe)

What did you say? Its my birthday? Awesome!

We are going to a dog park on my birthday,
how cool is that!?

Our Chosen Device- The DynaVox V

2007-10-25T02:51:00.000-05:00

So the past two weeks representatives from different companies have been coming to Collin's Speech Therapy. After learning about what each had to offer, seeing how he reacted to the different devices and speaking with the therapist, I have decided on the DynaVox V. It is really easy to use and has a ton of options that will grow with him. Both reps said that they think Collin has at least average to above average intelligence and needed a device that would accommodate his growth over the next five years, since that is about how long these types of devices are expected to last. My Collin is SO SMART! :) The Springboard Plus that I had mentioned before apparently is already too simple for him. The rep said that he would be starting on its most complex level and therefore would end up limiting him within a year. The DynaVox rep said the same with the MiniMo. How cool is that!? Collin is smart enough to use the bigger more complicated devices!! Anyway, I was just very excited and had to tell everyone!

Collin's will be blue like the one on the left, but the smaller size.

Collin and Cyrus love their new tiger pajamas.

Do a little dance... oh no wait, he is just about to fall over. LOL

My studious Collin is deep in his reading material.

Cyrus hated it at first, but then I let him
see what he looked like in it...
He is a caterpillar, by the way.

Speech Here We Come!

2007-10-11T12:12:00.000-05:00

Collin has been approved by insurance for his ACC Speech-Generating Device (SGD) and for the the two Speech therapy sessions we will be working with reps from DynaVox and Vanguard to determine which device will best suit Collin's needs. This is so exciting!!!!! Collin has developed some of his own signing to talking, like putting one hand over his ear when he hears something and then pointing in the direction of the sound. But once he has his SGD I have a feeling he will become as chatty as Cyrus.

Just to give you an idea of what he will likely be getting, these are the top two on my list this far, having not had any professional input from the reps. The Springboard Plus is a Vanguard product that looks excellent for his needs, allowing for lots of growth. They also come with keyguards that have raised edges so Collin wont mistype the PCS (Picture Communication System) icon he is trying for. The other I am looking into is the MiniMo by DynaVox. It is simpler and may have fewer options, but so far it has been the only one I have found with a child-neutral voice on it. Still very cool though, allowing for lots of growth as well.
So wish us luck, in the next two weeks we may have Collin's SGD ordered!!!

The MightyMo/MiniMo by DynaVox

The Springboard Plus by Vanguard

Moving Right Along

2007-09-13T16:53:00.000-05:00

Keeping busy with all of the therapy appointments and such, but the most exciting thing going on right now has to do with Collin. With the diagnosis of Aphasia, we have turned to PECS cards to help Collin communicate his needs. We started off with using a poster board with cards that I made off the computer using the children's shows we watch at home. Collin has to pick a card, take it off the board, and hand it to me. And it was so amazing... I found out for the first time what Collin's favorite show was! (The Backyardigans) Just learning something as simple as that was thrilling it almost brought me to tears. He has picked up on how to use the cards really well, and I ordered the standard PECS cards to help us with some basics like food, toys, hygiene, colors, shapes, etc. He loves his board and is often pointing to it when he wants to tell us something. Amazing to finally find out what is going on in his head that takes more than just pointing and nodding. He has vocal sounds, and he has an "affirmative" sound, like "mmmmm" but still words are very few and far between, and only if you know what you are listening for. It took him no time at all to figure out how the cards work, and Cyrus calls them "Collin's Cards!" I look forward to seeing how fast he develops this skill so we can move on to using the cards all the time.

Homemade PECS board. The big cards are the ones I made
and the little ones are the one I bought from the PECS people.

The other exciting thing for Collin is that he is SO VERY CLOSE to walking! He is taking 12-13 steps on his own these days and if I hold his hand we can go for short walks, go into the grocery store, even into the doctor's office from the parking lot. He is not using his walker as much, but prefers to walk on his own, fall, and then get back up again. We are being for vigilant about making him walk around the house too, not letting him crawl everywhere since it is still faster. Not wanting to make predictions, but he could be walking (not completely steadily mind you) on his own by his birthday maybe? Now he still wears his ankle braces to help support him, and its possible that he may never be steady enough to run fast, but with this kid's determination I would not be surprised if he can run somewhat.

Collin playing in the rain, loving the big umbrella.

Cyrus is trying to push past Collin to get to the grass.
Wouldnt it be easier just to go around?

So many exciting things going on for Collin! Cyrus is currently obsessed with outer space, planets, rocket ships, anything having to do with space. I have glow in the dark stars on their ceiling in the shape of constellations with glowing paint to connect the stars as well as the planets (also glow in the dark) in order using the lamp as the "sun." He also is an escape artist, able now to climb back and forth between the cribs (which are no longer next to one another), up and over the cheap wooden babygates, and can maneuver into any nook and cranny that you never want your child going into. Talking constantly too! Last night he woke up around 4:00 AM and was calling me, whining, so I go in and he tells me, "Mommy I cant sleep anymore. Want down to play." Holy cow he is speaking in multiple full sentences! I love it!! Found out the other day that Cyrus loves to play in the rain and he also loves to go swimming (every freakin day telling me "Mommy want swim! Put suits on, Mommy. Come on, want swim!"). So much fun.

Oh I almost forgot, they went to Six Flags for the first time last week and rode their very first roller coaster (kinda roller coaster, a train ride, but still very cool!) and had the best time! When it was over Cyrus said, "More! Mommy ride more!" They will never remember it but I will never forget. :)

Waiting in line for their very first roller coaster at Six Flags.

Look at them up in the very front. Cyrus is even driving!

New Diagnoses

2007-08-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

I finally got professional pics taken of the boys in June.

This is the only one that made the cut. LOL

Hello world, yes we still exist and we are doing well. :P It has been some time and we have been staying busy with all of Collin's therapy (Cyrus has some too, but not nearly as much as Collin). There is so much to say and I don't want to bog you all down with stuff (but I will, LOL) so I will start off with the most important news we have received about Collin.

We went to the Neurologist last week and got a number of official diagnoses for Collin. Some were to be expected and one was more preemptive than I had thought. Firstly, Collin has been diagnosed with Ataxic and Spastic Cerebral Palsy (CP). The gist of that means that Collin has low muscle tone and poor coordination, tight muscles resulting in stiff movements that makes both gross and fine motor skills more challenging. We have been waiting to get this diagnosis since I have been fairly sure he had CP for months now. This gives us the benefit of now allowing our insurance to provide ALL the therapy he needs, not just 20 visits a year. This also qualifies him for Medicaid for life. He will be able to walk but he will be slower and more awkward than most and may be in ankle braces for an indeterminate amount of time. He is very close to walking now, regularly taking 4-5 steps at a time. He may not be able to write very well, but that remains to be seen, since Collin is so stubborn, um, I mean determined. He works really hard!!

The next thing he was diagnosed with that we knew was coming was Sensory Integration Disorder (SID). Everyone, including therapists have been working on this for a long time, but apparently you have to be a certain age before you can be officially diagnosed. This essentially means that Collin's brain doesn't properly register input from his senses (touch, taste, smell, etc., pain, as well as balancing the body). This either causes over stimulation (aversion to many unusual textures or tastes) or under stimulation (high pain tolerance, can get antsy if not stimulated enough). So nothing new there.

The new one that surprised me, not because I didn't think it was possible but mostly because he is so young, is Aphasia, specifically Broca's Aphasia. This is considered an Expressive Language Disorder where he has difficulty expressing himself verbally. In Collin's case, his Aphasia is severe enough that they do not believe he will ever be able to communicate verbally. The Neurologist says this is a result, a side effect if you will, of the CP. He has said a few words before like "mama," "more," "up," but they are very hard to understand and you have to really be listening to hear them and speaking only a two or three words in an entire week. Collin mostly communicates by pointing, nodding, and using his favorite sign for "all done" which in Collin's case also means: no, stop, I want down, I don't want to eat that, leave me be, I don't want my diaper changed, and the like.

So what are we going to do about this? Well, first he will start using Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). This will consist of laminated cards that will be velcroed on a board that he will bring to us in order to get his needs met. Once he has that down we move on to Speech Generating Devices (SGDs), like the MiniMo, that are computers that will actually speak for him. He will push the buttons on the screen that represent what he wants to say and it will say it. For example, if he was hungry, he might push the button with an apple on it, and it would say "I'm hungry." This will be great for Collin but we have to train him how to use the symbols to communicate using the PECS before we qualify to get the SGD. Whew! What a mouthful, eh?

Ok, so what else? Well, our nutritionist has proclaimed the boys to be at healthy weights and heights so we have weaned them off of the Benecalorie food supplement, and are slowly decreasing their Pediasure. My hope is that this will encourage them to eat more solid food. Cyrus' favorite solid is bacon, saying "Bacons Please!!!" Collin loves eggs, and of course everyone loves french fries and tater tots. But we are still having to puree most of their food, and still feed them baby food and things like yogurt, and yes, we still have to feed them. Its getting better but it is hard to get them to feed themselves anything that isn't dry, like crackers or cereal (or bacon, hehe).

With the rest of our time (when we aren't doing medical stuff) we go swimming in Nana & Grandpa's pool. Cyrus LOVES to swim and will leap into the water, not caring that he risks his life by doing so. LOL He likes to get dunked under water and be tossed into the air. He asks me all the time, "Mommy, swim! Swim Shorts on, mommy. Please! Swim, swim!!" Collin is much more reserved and prefers to be held and just lounge around in the water. They love to color (and eat the crayons!!) and enjoy going for walks in the wagon, when its not too muggy outside. Oh and they LOVE to play in the bean bin. We got this Rubbermaid bin and filled it with beans to help with Collin's SID, and it has been great! Cyrus gets so excited and tosses beans up in the air, screaming "Its raining beans!" Yeah, there are beans all over the house. They play with each other a lot more now, really rough housing and wrestling while they laugh. It worries me how rough they are, and how other kids wont find that sort of play fun when they start school. Well let us hope that they learn before then, I swear I am working on it! :P

So that is what has been going on here. Oh and Collin's eye surgery has been postponed until October. Grrr, so its back to fighting him with the eye patch again. We are hanging in there and doing the best with what we have been given. Its easy to feel appreciative instead of resentful that Collin has all these issues, Cyrus with his shunt problems, when you think about how lucky they are to be alive in the first place!! It's hard to have hoped for better, since it could have been so much worse.

More great pics to come!

Where has all the time gone?

2007-06-05T01:45:00.000-05:00

Two months? Has it really been two months since I posted last? Life happens and then you turn around and everything changes... Well, it is certainly about time that I came back and let everyone know how Collin and Cyrus are doing and of course post a couple of pictures!

Proud Grandpa smiling with the boys having a great time...
BTW their shirts say "We do all our stunts"

Collin has SMO ankle braces to help his feet alignment and a Pediatric Walker at home to encourage him to get off all fours. I tell you what though, that is the fastest crawler ever! No wonder it has taken him so long to want to walk, he is almost as fast as Cyrus is running- almost. He is getting therapy three days a week, Speech, OT, & PT. He likes the walker and uses it especially outside, and is pulling himself to standing in the middle of the floor on a regular basis and taking a few steps at a time. He is very driven and motivated and I am so proud when I see him fall down, smile, and then get right back up again. He is vocalizing so much more now, vowel sounds and a few consonants. He occasionally says: more, up, mama, and nana. Most of the time he uses simple sign language, points and grunts, or nods and shakes his head. He understands so much and I have used flash cards with him and asked him to point things out in books so I know he gets it. He just cant say it. Collin is so sweet and polite, he is always offering things to Cyrus and gets upset if Cyrus is upset. He has his moments of revenge where he pushes his brother over but overall he is just a sweet, happy little boy.

Collin just out of bed, into his walker and trekking through the living room.

I am still waiting on the Nutritionist with ECI to come back from maternity leave, then we may get some more info on Collin's eating problems. Some things are done out of necessity, others out of convenience, and still more because there is nothing else to correct the problem. Collin's problem with food is not just that he doesn't want to feed himself (I know the desire is there, the coordination may be low), but he doesn't understand that essential correlation between food and hunger. This probably goes for both boys. Here we are at 2 1/2 and they still take bottles at naptime and bedtime of Pediasure because it is the only way to keep their weight up. They do not feed themselves more than a few bites of food, and that's only if they will eat it to begin with. Cyrus is a stubborn and picky eater, but he will eat you out of house and home of bacon. "Bacon Please!! Please! Bacon! Great!" And I just want to say that my wonderful boys are weird... I cant force them to eat donuts, Collin wont eat most sweets including chocolate (Cyrus loves chocolate and so we occasionally give him some of Grandpa's sugar free chocolate), Cyrus will cry if you try to feed him pizza, and they think club soda is a treat (ok, that last one is my doing since I do not want them drinking sugar packed sodas...).

Collin standing up and putting his Easter egg in to his basket.

Cyrus is a piece of work. He amazes me everyday with what new phrase or words he las learned. He speaks in short sentences and phrases, knows his shapes and colors, counts, and takes great pride in identifying and many things in the room as you will listen to. He tells me when he is hurt "Mommy, fall down! Blankie please... thank you much! Fall Down!" Once I asked him where it hurt and he just cried "I don't know!" It was so sad and cute all at the same time. He is a charmer and good at changing the subject when he gets in trouble. A tactic that I didn't think could be genetic, but it clearly runs in the family...

We had a scare back in the beginning of April where his shunt tip was embedding itself into the brain matter and had to be replaced- again. But the procedure went smoothly and he and I spent the whole afternoon and most of the evening wandering around the halls, going for wagon rides, coloring, playing in the main floor play area, and finally asking the nurse to give my son some Tylenol just so both of us could get some sleep! He has been just fine ever since, but every surgery scares me. The average shunt gets replaced every 5-7 years, so far Cyrus is averaging one every year. Three shunts in less than three years just doesn't sit well with me you know?

Cyrus coloring while he tries to pass the time in the hospital after his shunt revision.

All in all however, I have to say that the boys are doing wonderfully! I am so proud of them and their resilience to all sorts of changes and stress to still be happy and fun loving boys. They have pillow fights in their cribs sometimes at naptime, they are good at sharing, they help each other and get upset if the other one is hurt or in trouble. They laugh and giggle and cuddle... I love to watch Cyrus standing over Collin and mindlessly play with Collin's hair while they watch TV together. They are two of the best things that ever happened to me and have been critical in making me the strong person I am today. I owe it to them for teaching me not just how to be a good parent, but I am learning how to take care of myself too.

End of Winter, Hurray!

2007-03-02T15:14:00.000-06:00

This has been the coldest winter in Texas that I can remember, and considering I have lived here my entire life, that is pretty cold. The weather has risen back into standard pre-Spring temperatures of 60s-80s, and even the trees are starting to bud leaves. We have been taking advantage of this beautiful weather to go for walks and play in the backyard. They love being outside but I have to make sure that Collin wears shoes or he will scrape his feet up and not even notice. Yesterday we were playing outside and when I noticed that Collin had four bites (looked like ant bites or mosquito bites) on his hand that he had not even made the smallest mention of, I decided it was time to go back in.

I have a question for all you moms of toddlers out there... What are your thoughts and ideas about disciplining toddlers? I am starting to try Time Out with the boys to help discipline them, using a small pack-n-play as the Time Out spot (because there is NO way I can get them to stay in one spot voluntarily). One of the ECI therapists said they should be in Time Out for one minute for each year old, so two minutes at a time. Now Cyrus has really taken to this concept and the mere threatening of Time Out has caused him to stop doing whatever his isn't supposed to be doing, but on the days that they go in Time Out they wail and cry at bedtime. Is it because I am using a crib-like environment for the Time Out spot? Cyrus will repeat over and over "time out" when I bring it up and then go over to the pack-n-play and point to it. He certainly gets it. I am not sure if Collin does yet. Last night Collin cried every time I left him in his crib for hours, wailing whenever I would put him down until 11:00 PM! I would go in and hold him until I thought he was asleep, but he would start up again moments after I left the room. Maybe it is just because it is a new thing and they will stop this, but it certainly concerns me.

Monday Cyrus is going in for his semi-annual CT scan to make sure his VP shunt is in place. They will have to sedate him to do it because of his age, so he will spend the afternoon groggy and sleepy. We will go see the neurologist on Wednesday to hear the Dr. tell us that the results of the scan are fine.

I got a call from the hospital about Collin's pH probe and they said, yep, he has reflux. Uh, thanks. Tell me something I do not know! We will see the Gastro Dr at the end of the month and hopefully she can give us some more comprehensive information about his test. Collin has finally begun his Speech therapy at the rehab center through the hospital, which is good, but now he wont be getting Speech therapy through ECI at home. He had his physical therapy evaluation this past week and they are having him fitted for orthotics, which are basically foot braces to keep his ankles in alignment. They are also reintroducing the idea of the pediatric walker, saying that they do not anticipate him being able to walk on his own for up to a year from now, so the walker could be a great way to encourage him to be upright (in a lesser way like the Ponywalker, perhaps?) We shall see, since we have to wait the 6-8 weeks for the insurance to approve of the therapy.

Big Cyrus smiles!

Sweet Collin smiles.

I am so cool!

Coloring with chalk in the backyard.

Collin getting a closer look at the shapes Mommy drew for them.

My friend Tara came up from San Antonio to visit for a weekend.
Cyrus & Collin loved playing with her! We love you!

Collin's EGD & pH Probe

2007-02-13T21:58:00.000-06:00

Early Monday morning we went over to the hospital and Collin had his EGD (Upper GI using a camera probe) and had a pH probe put in his nose to monitor his reflux. With his heavily scarred veins they did have to stick him twice to get a vein, but he was out at the time so didn't feel it. We were in and out in about four hours, and although it was fairly fast, Collin did not do well in Recovery. He never seemed to get comfortable and refused to drink anything. Luckily the nurse got permission from the anesthesiologist to let us leave even though he had nothing to drink. Once we got him in the car he was fine, and I sat in the backseat while my mother drove my car home. BTW, there was NO space for me in the backseat between those two carseats and had to sit at an angle just to get my butt on the seat! Gives me a new appreciation for my daughter having to sit there when we travel.

Once we were home I had to document his coughing, gaging, spitting up, sneezing, irritability, sleep, and feeding schedule until 6:30 AM Tuesday morning. Then I got to take out the tube and rush back to the hospital to return the data device by 7:30 AM. Woo Hoo, getting up at the crack of dawn two days in a row after no sleep. I was paranoid that Collin was going to wrap the tube around his neck in his sleep, so I checked in on him every two hours. It didn't, and I used some footy pajamas that have the snap at the neck to keep the tube out of the way (a little trick I learned in the NICU). He did great with the tube and Cyrus spent the night with my parents so I could focus all my attention on keeping only one set of hands away from the tube.

I was really impressed by how well Collin did once we got home, and whenever he tried to scratch or pull at the tube I scratched his nose for him, which he thought was a fun game. Whew! He ate well, slept well, and over all was less stressful than a typical day with twins. Funny, even when he has a tube down his esophagus taped to his face, carrying a data pack that he was not supposed to play with (uh-huh, yeah right!) it was easier than taking care of two kids at once! We will get the results of the test in two weeks and will see the Gastro Dr in six weeks for a follow-up.

Collin had a blast playing with all the toys in
the pre-op area, especially this piano tiger.

Not happy in Recovery. :(

Wagon ride to the car! Yea! It was the first time
he had really calmed down since the surgery.

Playing in the sink before brushing his teeth at bedtime.
Look at that CD player sized device he had to carry around!
And yes, we took the hospital gown home, b/c Mommy wasn't thinking
when she dressed him in a sweatshirt to take him to the hospital.

Happy 2nd Adjusted Birthday

2007-02-07T22:08:00.000-06:00

Today is Collin and Cyrus' 2nd birthday... if they had been born on time. It seems so long ago since they turned two and only now are they "caught up" with their due date birthday. Happy Adjusted Birthday my sweet boys! Cyrus is pretty much a typical toddler, caught up is most respects. Collin can say "mama,"and uses some sounds to convey words like "mm" for more and "uh" for up. He is trying to pull himself up to standing on his own and can come up to standing using only my legs (while I am sitting on the floor) to stand up. He is trying really hard and getting closer every day. But other than that, he is getting caught up too... amazing little boys. What a great birthday present for their adjusted birthday, happy little miracle boys.

Collin got his new glasses today, and looks ever so smart. I knew his old glasses were too small for him but to see him in these, they look, well, huge. But he smiled immediately when the lady put them on him and didn't even try to take them off. He is having his upper GI & pH probe surgical procedure Monday morning. That will be fun. Uh-huh. We finally got approval for Speech therapy through the hospital today, and will start in a week or two. Insurance allows us 20 sessions and the therapist recommended we do one session a week instead of two since we have a limited amount. Essentially intense therapy is good, but prolonged therapy is better, so it begins.

Cyrus is doing fine, his hernia scar is healing nicely. He has started doing this head butt thing (like the kid in Parenthood) where he likes to butt things, well, mostly people with his head. He crawls up behind Collin and butts him in the back, then they both laugh. He butts me in the face, making me wonder if my nose is about to bleed. I don't know when it started, but he has made it his new favorite thing to do for the past couple of days. He is also talking more than ever, loving to point out every blonde girl he sees and calling her Gaia, even girls on TV and on billboards. He has learned the concept of push and pull, but calls them both "push." Today he wanted to play tug-of-war with this foam strip.

Cyrus is reaching for Collin's Blankie. No reason, he just wants what Collin has.

Collin at the Eyeglasses store with his fancy tortoise shell glasses.
The same shape as his old ones, but they look so BIG!

Cyrus being sassy as usual. Hey everyone look at me!

Eye Dr, Nutritionist, & Neurologist

2007-01-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to the eye doctor for both the boys, and it was awful! They were not wanting to be there, and having to get their eyes dilated didn't help. We were there for over two and a half hours and it cut into their nap time. But the good news is that Cyrus does not need glasses and his problems with steps and changes in floor texture is not related to his eyes. Collin looks good too, but he is a little more near sighted than before and needs new glasses. Poor guy had trouble with the exam and they ended up reopening a cut next to his eye trying to pry them open for the exam. They gave me some eye safe antibiotic cream to take home. A rough appointment...

We saw the nutritionist this morning so we have their current weight/heights. She has recommended that we go down to two bottles of Pediasure a day to help encourage them to eat more food at mealtimes. But Collin has gone through a big growth spurt, so that could be part of the poor height to weight ratio he has right now (12 %).

Collin
24 lbs. 13 oz.
34 1/8 inches

Cyrus
26 lbs 15 oz.
34 1/2 inches

Earlier this morning we saw the Neurologist for the first time and he was very nice. He says that Collin is doing very well and with his progress it is just too soon to diagnose him with Cerebral Palsy. We are going back in six months and see how well he is doing then, and if necessary do an MRI. But for now Collin is good! Hurray it was great news from our doctor appointments for the past two days! Tomorrow is our follow-up gastro appointment. No rest for the preemie...

When he isn't paying attention he can stand all by himself for a few seconds...

Here Collin, Gaia, and Cyrus are all sharing her pillow on
the big pallet she made in front of the TV.
They were all a little sleepy....

Just a nice photo of big sister Gaia in her new blouse!

We're Feeling Much Better Now

2007-01-26T23:53:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness we are on the other side of that sickness! Let us hope that the rest of this winter season is far more healthy. We are getting back into the swing of things, therapy sessions, DR appointments and playdates. :)

Today we went to a great multiples playgroup that had ten little rugrats (all two and under) plus two older siblings (who luckily were the same age and therefore had someone to play with). It was chaos of course but lots of fun. Cyrus was the most chatty kid there! I was so proud that he was just conversing with whoever would listen to him; he has come so far. Collin spent most of his time turning the TV on and off and trying to get into other electronic equipment. I needed the social interaction as much as the boys did, and really had fun talking to the other moms. Although sometimes I forget that preemies aren't a "multiples" thing and get caught off guard by the looks of shock of telling my story to the new moms I meet (I REALLY summarize) and I bet those who I see us regularly are getting tired of hearing me babble on about it. What you mean your kids do not have to go to therapy every week and have seven different doctors and take RSV shots that cost more than your car?

Tuesday Collin sees the Neurologist for the first time. The gastro Dr is very concerned that Collin has Cerebral Palsy, and I do not know what is entailed in being diagnosed. Nor do I know what this would really mean for Collin and I have received conflicting reports from therapists. On one hand there is the insurance coverage increase by the diagnosis and so more therapy sessions a week to help him out. On the other hand, he may be labeled for limitations that he can overcome if not stereotyped by future teachers/doctors/therapists. I am not putting too much into this yet, but honestly it would not surprise me.

Hey Cyrus, this milk is excellent! You should try it without the lid!

Flashback to the eighties, baby!

*elbows his brother* Cyrus! Check out that thing over there!
Uh huh, sure. Whatever, Collin.

We All Got It

2007-01-21T00:49:00.000-06:00

As of today, it is official, everyone who lives in this house is sick. Craig came home from work today saying he has been feeling bad at work all day, and luckily for him he has only one more day left before his three day "weekend." Of course he will be spending his free time being sick but its better than calling in when you are on hourly wages. We were supposed to have big sister Gaia over this weekend, but with all the sickness around here we arranged it for another weekend. Which is good, since she has three more little brothers at her other house and one is less than three months old. I would feel awful if this icky bug got sent home with her and everyone got sick there too.

Collin and Cyrus are feeling a little better, but are absolutely refusing to eat. It has been a flashback to the good old days of trying to get them to eat baby food, only now they are smarter and know the tricks, like spitting it out, flailing their arms in protest, and using sign language for "all done" after only two bites. As being sick goes, Cyrus is worse off than Collin, but at the moment I think I am the sickest. My parents offered to come over for the afternoon today and babysit so I could get some rest, BLESS THEM!! I got like five hours sleep in a row, which is really good and I needed badly. Let us hope that we are all feeling better by Monday so we do not have to cancel anymore Dr/therapy appointments, because holy cow people, this is getting ridiculous!

Collin has maneuvered himself behind the cat tower
and the coffee table to get at the window. Apparently
our curtains have a little static cling going on...

Cyrus is playing with kitty, being very gentle.
With reminders of course.

Collin is holding on to the industrial size baby gate that
Craig made to go around the computer/kitchen table.
I think he has his eyes on my computer...

Cyrus likes to hide under blankets and so I
thought he might like a tunnel. He did.

Snowed In

2007-01-17T22:33:00.000-06:00

Okay, maybe not snow, but ice and sleet. We were supposed to have a playgroup for multiples today at my house and a Dr. appointment for Collin to see the neurologist. Both cancelled, and I was not upset about it in the least. There is something about being tucked inside the warm house when the outside is cold and white that makes you want to sit on the couch and do nothing. I almost did nothing had I not been preparing for company the night before. Aside from Cyrus and Collin being needy today from not feeling well, it was a lazy day. I think they might be teething but they have had the high fevers and now a cough, so maybe the teething is a separate thing and they are getting sick to boot. *throws hands up in the air* I just do not know anymore. They are sick all the time in winter, that is what I have decided.

Of course we have two ECI appointments tomorrow, so no lazing about but today we could. And then Friday, after another ECI appointment, we drive the 45 minutes to pick up their big sister for the weekend. It feels like forever since I saw her now that we don't get to see her every Wednesday like we used to. I hope she is enjoying her new home and new school.

Preemie Magazine

2007-01-16T18:37:00.000-06:00

I was curious whether the NICU at Cook Children's Hosptial, where Collin and Cyrus were taken care of in carried Preemie Magazine. I know that a NICU nurse or two checks in on this blog every now and then, so I wanted to leave this link they could fill out to have Preemie Magazine sent to their NICU. I wish that Preemie Magazine had been available when we were in the NICU, so if any other mom's of preemies please pass this information on to your local NICU. We all would have benefit from having it whether we just had our little ones, or are even getting ready for school. I know I have mentioned Preemie Magazine before, but it is such a great magazine... Every NICU and preemie parent should get it!

Houston, We Have a Problem

2007-01-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

Collin has a fever. It has gotten up to 101.5, it started last night and has lasted through to this afternoon. I called the hospital to find out if we will need to reschedule his EGD (or Upper GI) and is supposed to go home with a pH probe in the morning and am waiting to hear back from the on-call doctor. It is likely that we will not be going tomorrow. *sigh* I would really like to get this over with and depending on how soon Collin is rescheduled, will determine if he will stay off his reflux meds. I think he is likely teething because he has not other symptoms and has been chewing on everything he can gets his hands on lately. But I do not want to take any chances if he is sick. I will update this when I hear back from the doctor...

UPDATE: Well we are canceling his procedure under the recommendation of the on-call gastro Dr., and the weather. In Texas it doesn't snow, it ices, and right now we are in the middle of a cold (aka 30 degrees, feels like 19), rainy, icy mess that will likely be one of the few real cold spells of our winter. So I am slowly putting Collin back on his reflux meds, since he is sick he doesn't need that to contend with as well. I am also going to try to talk to our Gastro NP and find out if fever can be a side effect to being off the reflux meds. I will let everyone know how it all goes and what I find out. Until then, everyone, stay warm and dry! :P

BTW, Cyrus is doing fine. He had his first bath since surgery last night and I could take off the outer bandage from his incision. He whined and I kept telling him I was sorry and he would cry back "sorry!" but we got it off and then he was fine.

Collin just cruising along the furniture as he does so often now.

Cyrus was chillin' and telling me all about his favorite TV show.

Cyrus checks out his new PJs, they are a little too big for his legs....

Collin's Turn Monday

2007-01-13T14:24:00.000-06:00

Well Monday Collin will be taking his turn to the hospital, getting a nose spray to calm him down before they put him out, and then they will easily put in his IV, hopefully. I am so worried about the IV, I know he will be out but the last time he had an IV done it took 11 sticks to get a vein!!! And we will be going home with a tube down his nose to monitor his reflux for 24 hours. Luckily my parents are going to take care of Cyrus during this time so I only have to worry about one child pulling on the tube. Cyrus will be going over to Nana & Grandpa's Sunday night since we have to be at the hospital at 6:00 AM Monday morning. And I thought we had to be there uber early for Cyrus' surgery! In the old days (pre-children days) I would just stay up if I had somewhere to be that caused me to leave the house at 5:30 AM. Wow it really was two lifetimes ago, amazing how so much can change in so little time. Now I am a mother of two little miracle children! And there was a time when I thought I was never going to have children... :P

Bathtub Fun

2007-01-11T12:34:00.000-06:00

It was the night before Cyrus' surgery so I thought we would try something fun, no bathtub seats. Collin is not stable enough for bathing without the seat yet, so it was a one time thing for now, but they had a blast while it lasted!

Because everyone likes to see baby butts!

Collin is trying to reach across the tub and drag his
tub seat back into the bath. Cyrus is splashing in
the water, just the beginning of what would be
the Bathtub Splashing Fiasco of 2007. :P

Oh the water is getting deep now! Note that Cyrus is now on
the left side and Collin on the right. They never sat still.

The water got all the way across the room to the
bathroom door by the time they were done with this bath
and Mommy had to change her clothes lest she
catch a cold in her own bathroom! LOL

Surgery Smurgery!

2007-01-10T23:11:00.000-06:00

Well Cyrus must have known that he was having surgery early in the morning because he woke up ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off at 5:00 AM. So he watched his favorite TV show The Upside Down Show while I got ready to go and off we went in the wee hours of the morning to the hospital. Craig stayed home with Collin while my mother met me up at the hospital.

All went well... we got in on time, we were the first on our doctor's schedule, right in and right out. His hernia repair surgery was just over 20 minutes long. He had a pretty decent sized hernia and hydrosil, but it was easily stitched up and he was ready to go after about an hour and a half in the recovery room. We spent most of our time trying to get Cyrus to drink something so we could prove he was not nauseous and go home. But after trying all the things that normal kids like (juice, sprite, popsicles) we finally got him to drink from a sports water bottle from the vending machine.

And if you had seem him this afternoon you would have never known this boy had surgery just a few hours ago. He is doing great and the surgeon says that by tomorrow he will be feeling little to no pain (as long as he doesn't pull the incision) and the stitches will dissolve so all we need to do is set up a follow-up in three weeks to make sure every thing still looks good. I am happy, Cyrus is happy, hurray!

Oh and one other thing... I got the Medicaid thing settled yesterday afternoon while at Collin's food/speech rehabilitation evaluation. We got "emergency" Medicaid cards enabled and so that is cleared up! :) NO need to reschedule Collin's gastro appointment on Monday and our prescriptions for Cyrus' pain meds were covered today. Whew! I even got a direct line phone number to a woman I from children's Medicaid! How awesome is that!?!

oh yeah, a second thing... the evaluation for Collin was to replace the therapy from the college in Denton. It looks like we will start in the next 6-8 weeks depending on insurance blah blah blah. Collin will have Speech therapy twice a week! The NP who evaluated Collin gave him great reviews and said with intensive therapy she thinks he will be just fine. He rated 15 months old on the receptive scale, and 8 months old on the expressive scale in language which is right about where I expected. He understands far more than he can express but he tries really hard. *Deep Sigh* So after a whirl wind of emotion and drama things may be calming down for a little while and we can all take a rest. Excellent. :)

Cyrus was so excited about playing the toy area
before surgery, he must have been the happiest child there!

More toy playing in his gown and duck feet socks.

My brave little man still waking up from surgery in
the recovery room snuggling up with Nana.

Cyrus was all set to go and excited to be taking a
wagon to the car... To my carseat, driver!

Knocking on Wood

2007-01-06T23:35:00.000-06:00

Cyrus is getting better and has been fever free for 24 hours! Whew! Let's hope that he makes it through until Wednesday... knock, knock. :P In fact he and Collin have been very playful this weekend while their big sister has been here. We might need to reschedule Collin's Gastro procedure because of the Medicaid mix up. Technically we do have Medicaid right now but because of a computer glitch involving the new year that stated we didn't qualify, we are not receiving any of the Medicaid benefits. I have tried contacting the children's Medicaid office (and getting like nine different phone numbers of people who could not help and give me another number to call, etc. until I got to the official office who puts me on hold and I have yet to get a person) everyday last week that they were open and wasted hours of minutes on my phone without ever getting to talk to anyone who could help me. I AM SO FRUSTRATED!!!!

This means our medications are no longer covered, we will owe an additional $500 for Cyrus' surgery on Wednesday, and all our Dr. appointments/ procedures will cost us more upfront. Not an ideal time for a mix up, right after Christmas, but Cyrus needs the surgery more than Collin needs his procedure, so if we do not get this fixed by the end of next week we will have to reschedule Collin. I was going to reschedule Collin's rehab food evaluation but we would not get in until March... Decisions decisions and I want to do what is best for my children and hopefully what is financially viable for us. So if Collin has to wait until March, maybe that is what we have to do.

On a more positive note, Collin has been very vocal lately saying slowly and deliberately "ma-ma" and trying to make consonant sounds! He has also been wanting to walk assisted more too ( hold his hands); normally he resists and would lift his feet. But today he even took a few steps while holding only one hand! It was very exciting, and I am so proud of my big boy Collin! The therapists said that speech is related to walking and I am seeing improvement in both. And speaking of speech, Cyrus is talking constantly, although I have to translate it to others most of the time, but that is okay, I don't mind. :) He makes great associations, like calling a watch a clock. We just need to get some of the technical/business stuff settled so I can go back to focusing my energy on the boys. I feel like I have not been giving them my best lately and now that we are all relatively well we need to get back on schedule.

I apologize, I feel like all I do these days is complain, and sometimes I start to post and stop because I start just venting. My internal dialog isn't very positive, and I need to work on that. And but the way... the PostSecret guy is going to be in town (Grapevine, but its close to Fort Worth) the day after Cyrus' surgery. I am SO bummed out that I will not be able to go and get his latest books (and autograph them!) and listen to his lecture. But I cannot abandon my son the day after his surgery, and besides, Craig is still going to be at work when it starts anyway. :( But I will stop being so selfish and focus on the positive... It is a new year, and this stress too shall pass... all will be well again... ohmm.... :)

Cyrus is helping out Collin by pushing him on the tricycle,
and having a great time doing it too. Isn't that adorable?

Uh oh, Collin, you better steer that thing! You are about
to be pushed right into the box of diapers and wipes!!

Collin cuddles with Daddy on the couch after Daddy's long day at work.

Cyrus takes his turn with Daddy and Collin uses this as
an opportunity to try to steal Cyrus' blankie. Silly Collin...

Think Happy Thoughts

2007-01-03T22:52:00.000-06:00

Cyrus has had a fever for almost 24 hours now, as high as 102. I took him into the DR today under the recommendation of the phone nurse, and of course they found out he does not have strep and so they did nothing. I just do not need Cyrus getting sick and having to postpone his surgery on Wednesday. So everyone think happy thoughts that he does not get sick. We were going to a playdate with the multiples group tomorrow too. :( So much for that. Collin and Craig are fine and I am feeling better, so lets just keep Cyrus healthy!!!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T23:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome 2007! We are looking forward to this year, may each year get better than the last. Collin and Cyrus stayed up until 11:30 PM almost staying up until the ball dropped (again) Central Standard Time. I have high hopes for this year and I am optimistic that changes for the better will be coming.

I am feeling better, but my energy levels are still low. So to make up for my lack of conversation, here are bunches of fun pictures of the holiday season to enjoy!

Bringing in 2007 with a SNAP!
Cyrus hurt himself with the elastic on his hat moments later...

Collin was more interested in examining
the hat rather than wearing it.

Collin was obsessed with playing the piano
on Christmas. No really, he cried and cried
when we tore him away from it.

Cyrus was the Sit n Spin Master,
figuring out how to do it almost immediately.

Big sister Gaia opens her loot- tons of cool clothes!

Cyrus pops out of his gift from Santa, a puppet theater.

Collin and Cyrus watch the show Daddy puts on for them.
They both love playing with the puppets.

I just had to share how happy Collin was
to be inside the kitchen cabinet.

Collin and Cyrus express their artistic side with crayons.
Cyrus was bogarting the crayons and Collin kept eating them. :P

Cut off from LIFE :P

2006-12-29T01:05:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! My computer has been down for a while as my hard drive died and Craig had to get a replacement so I have been cut off from the Internet community and my email since before Christmas. As I am just getting back online and rebuilding my bookmarks and all, I thought I would drop a line in to let the world know we made it through the holidays. :P

The boys got better before Christmas but I finally caved and was sick as a dog on Christmas day. I guess the exhaustion finally caught up with me, and so Christmas day is a bit blurry for me and was a bit chaotic. My poor mother in law got really sick to and so we did not visit the Swain family on Christmas Eve, as is the tradition. Gaia, the boys, and I spent Christmas Eve together and as I was already getting sick it was not very eventful, but once it got dark we went out looking at Christmas lights until Craig got home from work. The boys absolutely loved looking at the lights ohhing and ahhing the whole time, even though it was raining and it was a little hard to see clearly.

I am still sick and will post some pictures soon when I am feeling a little better. Collin and Cyrus lost a lot of weight from this last illness, almost two pounds from Collin and a pound from Cyrus. Everyone who has not seen them lately has noticed Cyrus' weight loss. But they are doing just fine now and are almost back up to eating as much as they were before they were sick! Our sleep schedule is all messed up still and some of you moms out there will be green with envy and other will scorn me, but right now they are sleeping in until almost 10 AM, going to bed around 10:30 PM. As far as sleeping through the night, well, it is more often than not, and so I am trying to take advantage of that and get some rest. Speaking of.... I should do that now. More to come soon! Lots to tell...

First Step, First non-belayed Climb!

2006-12-20T01:33:00.000-06:00

I need to go to sleep but I needed to mark these two momentous occasions. First Collin took his first real step today! It was during his ECI PT and I was holding his blankie in front of him, he was standing on his own and took on step with his right leg towards me before sitting down. We tried and tried to get him to do it again, but he was done amazing us for the day. Yeah Collin!!!!! We are so proud of him!

Second, Cyrus officially can climb INTO his crib on his own, has done it now two days in a row. He has yet to try to climb out and that might be the end of his crib days once that happens. But for now it is all about getting in, not out. I guess that rock climbing I did in my first trimester (like I used to do on a regular basis) stuck with him. He felt how much I enjoyed it.

So the boys do not have pneumonia and are feeling much better now. Good thing too since tomorrow is our first appointment with the Gastro Dr. And speaking of that I need to get some sleep, in case I had not mentioned that before. LOL Yeah for healthier boys... I was hoping it would be okay for Christmas, maybe it will after all.

Uh Oh...

2006-12-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

We went back to the pediatrician's office today and they ran a couple of minor tests, gave Cyrus a breathing treatment, blah blah. Poor Collin was pitifully sick and I had left the stroller in the garage after having picked up the nine cases of Pediasure from the WIC office the day before. That made our trip to the Dr more interesting, me and two sick little kids; at least Cyrus can walk. We got some antibiotics and some serious cough medicine (basically the same toilet bowl blue stuff, only this time it was purple!) and then we got the kicker. If they are still running a fever by Sat morning then we need to take them in for pneumonia. Lung x-rays, blood tests, the works; and we all know how I feel about blood being drawn from my scarred-veined children. Please, PLEASE, do not let this be pneumonia.

We have missed two therapy appointments, one gastroenterology appointment, and now our last Kindermusik class tomorrow due to this sickness. I am running on caffeine and asian noodle bowls, not getting much sleep, and I am having trouble remembering things even more than I usually do. But who knows if that is just because of this recent sickness or a gradual disintegration of my abilities to function. Thank goodness for Starbucks, or else I may not be able to get out of bed (or off the couch) everyday. Perhaps one day I will accept this life, and stop wishing for them to become healthy little boys without any problems, not have an eternity of debt calling us on a daily basis, have the energy to keep my house as clean and well kept as I would like, have the help to take care of my children and my household the way they deserve, etc.

Now I have to worry about Christmas, and I hate feeling like Christmas is a burden, I love Christmas time, so many wonderful memories of the season. I love shopping for loved ones and getting together with family, yet everything is so complicated now and time is against me. I have never blamed my wonderful boys for my feelings, they are the blessing, the only bright things that make all this tolerable. I just wish it did not have to be this hard, so much I feel illequipped to handle, all that I have to be responsible for. I wish I could be supermom, and happy to take on every problem with grace and wisdom. I wish for many things...

Just Pathetic

2006-12-13T17:51:00.000-06:00

Aren't we just pitiful? We may be going back to the pediatrician's office if we aren't better by Friday. This has been going on too long, and I am tired of watching my children vomit all the drainage they have and cant seem to keep their fever down. *Sigh* Happy Holidays, bah humbug... :P

Cyrus lays his head down on the couch in defeat.
He just cannot take anymore sickness.

Poor Collin rests with Daddy while trying to feel better.

My babies collapse in Mommy's lap, take care of us Mommy!

We are sick of being sick!

2006-12-11T14:51:00.000-06:00

Poor Cyrus has a rough time ahead of him. Right now he is really sick, coughing, drainage, vomiting up the drainage, and fever. Poor guy probably has a sore throat and is feeling pretty bad. Then to top it all off he has to have surgery in January to repair his herniated scrotum. Last October he had the other side repaired that was caused from all the vomiting due to his shunt malfunction, this time I am not sure what caused it. It has slowly been getting worse over the past two weeks and with him getting sick it really got bad. So we have a surgery date scheduled and as long as he isn't sick at that time he will be back under the knife for outpatient surgery. He will go in early in the morning and go home the same day. Poor little guy... my heart breaks knowing he has to have surgery again so soon.

Collin is starting to get sick too, and if it follows the same path as Cyrus he will be sick the rest of the week. This is going to be a difficult week for all of us, thankfully Craig has work off through Wednesday. I am going to need his help taking care of the little guys. I had to postpone Collin's gastro Dr appointment because he is sick, and now we will have to wait until Dec. 20. Its that time of year when I am supposed to be out shopping for Christmas presents and enjoying all the holiday cheer, and now it has become more stressful, stress we didn't need.

Birthdays and Basketball

2006-12-05T23:43:00.000-06:00

So our very good friend Tanner just turned two! He was a Micropreemie too, at 26 weeks and we were so happy to be there for his awesome celebration. :) We all had so much fun and are so proud to see how well Tanner is doing. I am certain your brother, Parker, is beaming with joy to see what a happy and healthy child you are, Tanner. We wish him a Happy Birthday too. *hugs*

:) Happy Birthday Tanner! You are TWO! :)

Grandma is chit chatting with Tanner
while she and Cyrus ride the Rocking horse.

Look Cyrus, let's shake it up! Yes, Cyrus lets... Wee!

Mommy and Collin try to get a pic in during all the fun,
but Collin was too busy having fun to notice.

Collin was going through all the tunnels and playing
with all the toys until he realized there was electrical
equipment, then the stereo was suddenly
the only thing in the room...

It is official the Swain boys will be
basketball players. Grandpa is proud to have sports
players in the family, I am sure...

Collin shoots- He Scores! SLAM DUNK!!

Finding the Time

2006-12-05T04:02:00.000-06:00

November was so amazingly busy for us, we had therapy almost everyday of the week. Then we had our playgroup with the multiples club, the library Peapods lapsit program, and the Kindermusik class we are in. Things have come to a screeching halt and I am in a mild mourning over the loss of Collin's therapy. I am enjoying the break for my own selfish reasons, but I am itching to get Collin back into a quality therapy routine. I like routines, but need outside influences to motivate me and keep me responsible, and therapy was good for all of us.

We are hoping to have some new therapy in action in the next few weeks that will be two to three days a week. Collin needs it so much and I need the instruction and direction. We are looking at Collin having a Pediatric Walker soon to help initiate his gate muscles and help him to learn how to walk. We have much hope that he will be walking within a year if we are diligent about his therapy. This next year is going to be the most important for him and I trying to do what is best for him, which includes the patch. A difficult task for sure, sometimes we can go through five patches in an hour and we are supposed to keep it on him for two hours a day. Hard on us and really hard on a little boy with SID (Sensory Integration Dysfunction); I am satisfied if I can keep a patch on him for over an hour a day, but set the time for 90 minutes anyways. He has the cognitive understanding without the ability to interact or communicate to match it. I hate that money and insurance is preventing my child from having what he needs to succeed and I fear that will cause long term delays that could have been prevented. We have a Gastroenterology appointment set up for next week to see if we can find out what his reflux issue is all about and perhaps to help with weight gain. He has so much potential... I do not want to be the reason he does not fulfill that.

I also need someone to teach me more about ADHD for Cyrus. If he is going to have anything at this point, its going to be that. He is such a good little boy but he is everywhere all the time; in your face and freakin'-ear-piercing-loud about it. He doesn't take typical discipline well (at least I consider him smiling and laughing while we try to get him to not hit or scream or throw things) so I need some help in that area. Right now his big issue is that he may have a communicating (I think that is the right tern for it) hernia again. We have an appointment with the surgeon to check that out too. I would hate to see Cyrus go back under the knife again so soon, since it has barely been over a year since his last surgery. But he is a whipper snapper, a flirt, smart, charming, stubborn, and very demanding.

I am trying not to drown in the pressures of their little lives and my grown up responsibilities, when day to day things are as normal as they can be. However, I have pretty much lost touch with the rest of the world. I do not watch the news, and am usually the last to know anything that is going on that I do not receive via email (when I find the time to check my email). How do you other twin mom's do it? How do you other preemie moms of toddler/s do it? How do moms who have normal kids do it? Rasing children is the most amazing, rewarding, terrifying, stressful, loving, exhausting, never-ending, wonderful experience I have ever had.

A friend and I laughed the other day when she mentioned a song I didn't recognize, she tried singing it to me and all could think to do was sing back Blue's Clues. LOL I am just happy I have found a new band to put my musical energy into... Blue October. Who knows how long they have been popular, but I have just discovered them in the past year, and only now am starting to get their stuff that is not on the radio. I have a ton of pictures to post, especially from the most recent and highly exciting event of attending our good friend Tanner's 2nd birthday party, but I want to do them justice, and this is essentially a venting post. I will post those wonderful pics and talk about the party soon...

Height/Weight Update as of Nov. 28 :
Collin: 25 lbs 3.5 oz., 33 inches
Cyrus: 28 lbs 8.2 oz., 34 inches

Visitors

2006-11-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

My best friend Jen came in town from Colorado for the Cowboys game last weekend and her husband came in from Lawton (he is finishing up his army commitment) and in laws (from San Antonio) all came by to see the boys. They just loved the Cowboys hats and had so much fun playing with Aunt Jen, Uncle Travis, and Mrs. White. Thanks for coming by everyone! :)

Aunt Jen tries to keep a hold of Cyrus while he is elated over the hats he sees.

Uncle Travis lets Collin try on his hat... Wow, Collin likes it!

They are so big on me, that's funny!
I really like you Mrs.White, thanks for coming by to see us. :)

Cyrus puts the hat on Aunt Jen that he stole from Collin's head.

Oh Cool! Now we are both wearing hats!!
Cyrus' fits a lot better than Collin's.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

This is our first Thanksgiving at home with no one coming to us. It is just Craig, the boys, and me; a quiet and low key day. We are very thankful that we have two happy children who are as healthy as they can be at this point. We are thankful for the people who have helped us through all we have been through for the past two years- my parents who have been invaluable in their support and emotional availability, all of our family for being there when we needed you with love and supporting the boys, our friends for their love and support, the doctors, nurses, surgeons, therapists, our mircopreemie friends who can relate to our plights, and most of all the strength of these two little miracles to have thrived through such overwhelming odds to be where they are today. May each Thanksgiving day give us more reasons to be thankful and may each year be better than the last. Now I am going to go enjoy this day off, which is a day without DR appointments, therapy sessions, and the boys are not going to be force to eat full meals if they do not want to. That's more for me to relax than for them of course. :P

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Can I have chicken and stars for Thanksgiving this year, mom?

We just love the dryer... But Cyrus is getting bored I think.

Cyrus can be my seat to look at the light!

We have claimed this piece of shelving
in the name of the Swain Twins!

Now Collin, listen up... here are the design plans for our
Mecha-Legs to reach the computers
and other hard to reach items.

Feeling Better

2006-11-18T10:32:00.000-06:00

We thought at first it was just a cold or allergies, but their congestion turned into a coughing, miserable, snotty, sleepless mess. So we did the usual Tylenol runny nose & cough during the day with Benadryl at night, pushing the fluids and not working so hard to make them eat. We had their two year check up on Thursday, where they were weighed and measured standing up for the first time... My boys are growing up! :) It makes me so happy to see them getting bigger and doing more, but I digress.

So we got our shots and our PCP (Primary Care Physician) is recommending the gastro DR to us (again) b/c of Collin's increased reflux problem. He also gave us some really great medicine for their cold which looks like blue airplane toilet water, but it doesn't taste bad and it is 12 hour medicine, versus the 4 hour on the Tylenol. Woo HOO!! They have been doing so much better and this morning they are looking like themselves again. The other thing our PCP recommended was therapy through Cooks for Collin to replace the therapy from TWU we will be losing at the end of the month.

Today is going to be a busy day so I better get to it, but I wanted to jot this down while I had a few minutes. Fun pics to come...

How early was I?

2006-11-18T01:31:00.000-06:00

I have about four friends and then a few acquaintances who are pregnant and a few were curious how far along I was when Collin & Cyrus was born... I also have been on pins and needles whenever I hear about pregnancies and I worry about how their pregnancy will go and all that. So I went and did the math and discovered that to be technical:

Collin was born at 25 weeks, 2 days; 103 days early

Cyrus was born 25 weeks, 5 days; 100 days early

They were approx. 15 weeks or 3 1/2 months early... Crazy when I think about what I know now compared to what I knew then. Amazing. Just wanted to document this... Must go sleep... This is my scrapbook...My journal... My memories.

Prematurity Awareness Month

2006-11-07T23:24:00.000-06:00

I just wanted everyone to know that November is Prematurity Awareness Month. So please consider all those pleas from the March of Dimes when you get those address labels, either using them with guilt or tossing them so you wont feel guilty. Go to the website and donate or find a local donation center. Children like mine depend upon it.

Online Donations links:
In Honor of Collin and In Honor of Cyrus

Collin, just over a week old, 4 IVs, a ventilator,
and more... Look what these little ones
have to go through.

Cyrus only a few days old, just barely two pounds,
and wearing Craig's wedding ring.

Halloween and Such

2006-11-07T14:04:00.000-06:00

We had a good Halloween, our first time to Trick or Treat. Cyrus absolutely loved it, taking about three houses to get the idea and just having a ball. We only went around two streets (which was more than plenty) and a friend of mine drove all the way from Dallas to help me take them around. Next year will be even better, when Collin will (hopefully) be walking and can say "trick or treat" and enjoy all the loot they will acquire. This year however, most of it will be consumed my Mom and Dad.

Our therapy at TWU is going excellently and we are so sad that it will be over at the end of the month. Collin has gotten so much out of it and his eating, oral manipulation, and fine motor skills have improved drastically in the six weeks we have been in the program. He has even said a few words now: "yea!" "eat," and more clearly "mama." But he says yea the best, holding both arms over his head in a touch down motion. We have been fingerpainting and learning to tolerate more textures (rice is still a big no no) and he loves to play in the ball pit now. Cyrus has the best time while we are there jumping on the trampoline, riding the big swing and playing in the rice box.

I think both boys are going through a growth spurt and are taking more bottles at naptime and bedtime, Cyrus especially. He takes two bottles everynight before going to bed... even after having a full dinner that he feeds himself. He can eat a whole toddler entree now, so its not like he is not eating (at least at dinner time), but I have learned that neither one of the boys like mashed potatoes. We will have to give that a try a few weeks down the road. So, we are super busy for now and working hard to keep them at the top of their game, and I am trying to not to be over whelmed by all the work we are doing everyday.

Big sister Gaia will be staying with us the rest of the week while her mom has a c-section tomorrow to deliver her fourth child. Congratulations to her and Gaia will be the big sister to a total of FIVE brothers. I will have to get up at the crack of dawn to get her to school the rest of the week but we will get to go to her school carnival on Saturday, so that will be fun. Um... I am sure there is more; we had a quasi-birthday party for the boys on the Saturday between their birthdays. It was fun but exhausting as I had expected. :P Well, on to the pictures so I can hopefully get some things done around here before the boys get up from their nap.

Cyrus loved wearing his dinosaur costume!

Collin in his lion costume at therapy.
Too Cute, and so fitting for him!

I had to show the tail... it really made the outfit!

Where is Cyrus?

Collin with Miss Stacy playing on the trampoline at therapy.
BTW, it was on Halloween. :P

Happy 2nd Birthday Cyrus!

2006-10-30T00:19:00.000-06:00

Over seventy-two hours went by before you born after your brother, and let me tell you little man, those were a long three days! So strong and such a fighter, from day one, your spunky personality shown through and you were there to comfort me, give me hope, when times were tough with Collin in the NICU. Granted you were not to be out done by your brother's constant NICU attention and have given us a few scares in the past two years, but you are not about to let your hydrocephalus stop you from doing anything. Over the past twenty-four months I have watch in amazement as you have quickly been catching up to your fellow two year olds; your keen mind working things out, saying new words everyday to communicate your needs, your pleasure in testing your boundaries, your sensitivity, and desire to be held and loved. I can already see you are wise beyond your years (years now!), you know what you want and are not afraid to get it (over and over and over!). You are so incredibly smart- maybe too smart for your own good! :P Each day I see your smile and it warms my heart and your antics make me laugh. I have watched you help your brother when he needed it. I know he is so lucky to have you as his twin, and I am so very proud of you. I love you Cyrus, and look forward to seeing you grow up and live life to its fullest everyday, just like you do now. Happy Birthday! :)
*One more picture to come... technical difficulties...

Happy 2nd Birthday to me!

I love to eat my table foods, so keep that yucky
baby food away from me Mommy, I'm two now!

Happy 2nd Birthday Collin!

2006-10-27T01:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Collin! You are two years old today, and I am amazed by what you have accomplished, how far you have come. Your smiles and laughter, love and attachment, are reminders of what makes your struggles so very worth it. Even though you cannot yet say so, I can see that you are a happy child who feels safe to grow. You have so much potential and I can see that you are eager to put it to use once you have the tools. The miracle of your survival alone is enough for me to be thankful to have you everyday, but to see how well you have done with what you started with makes it a joy. You may not be doing what a typical two year old may be doing, but it doesn't matter because you are going at your own pace... and you are increasing your speed. I love you my little Collin, thank you for choosing me as your mother so I can celebrate all your achievements with you. Happy Birthday.

So happy to be two!

So ticklish!

I'm gonna get my blankie and you can't catch me!

Catching Up

2006-10-25T01:00:00.000-05:00

Uncle D is playing his new Bass Guitar

for the boys and they loved it.
Feel the vibrations!

There is a better pic of Gaia and Cyrus reading in the
chair together, but when Collin joined in on the floor
I had to post this one instead.
How adorable is that!?

Cyrus thinks his chair is a lazy boy recliner.
Here he is waking up with a little TiVo watchin...

Say Ahhh Collin! Stick out your tongue for all to see! :)

I wanted everyone to see just
how much Cyrus loves pumpkin!
That is ink by the way, put there after he ate at it,
not some moldy pumpkin bit. :P

Here we are at the Fort Worth Zoo with our twins group.
Look how sweet Cyrus is, helping Collin stand up.

Weight/Height update:
Collin: 24 lbs. 13 oz., 32 1/2 inches
Cyrus: 28 lbs. 11 oz., 32 1/2 inches
Yes, you read that correctly, they are both the same height! I think it is wrong b/c Collin is swimming in the same footy pajamas that Cyrus runs around in, but I like to think they are...

Anyways- Collin's new therapy up at the college in Denton is AWESOME! He is already swallowing better and chewing. I can even get him to emulate me and stick out his tongue (not a big deal you might say, but we have not been able to get him to do this before). He really likes it there and plays in the ball pit, rides the rocking horse, "jumps" on the trampoline, and rides a horse swing with a therapist sitting with him. Cyrus likes it too and plays the whole time. Soon I will have to get some pics to post. The most horrible thing about it is that the ladies who run the program are leaving and so it is folding; it ends after Thanksgiving. So we will have to get as much in as we can before then.

We carved pumpkins the other day and Collin & Cyrus "helped" hammer in one of the pegs of their light-bright pumpkin while Daddy and big sister carved their own. Hers really turned out great too. We had some friends over carving with us who had not carved pumpkins in a while and so they got the joy of fighting off Cyrus at every turn. :P It was a lot of fun.

Our playgroup at the library is going great too and both of them love to go, but Collin's therapy is cutting into the program so only Cyrus will be going to the next few. All the kids are around their age and I feel so proud to see Cyrus interacting and responding so well. I also enjoy going back to my old workplace and seeing my friends and coworkers. I love any adult interaction.

With all our new appointments and therapies we are doing something pretty much every weekday. Keeps us busy and forces me to get up early, which I need. Collin is having a Barium Swallow Study at the beginning of November to find out if his choking and lack of desire to swallow is because of his swallowing reflex or if he is refluxing into his esophagus- that sort of thing.

Cyrus is almost exclusively on table food now and it is great to let him do his thing while I focus on feeding Collin. He still needs some encouragement and feeding at the end to get a decent meal down, but at least he is doing it himself. :) Cyrus is all over the place and has started cleaning up when I ask him to and talks to Collin (calling him Col) all the time. He loves to go for wagon rides and will get in the wagon and yell out to me "Mama rye (ride) waah (wagon)!" He knows what he wants and he goes for it. He has also taken to yelling this high pitched squeal and it gives me a headache; we are working on the concept of "quiet" but it is a work in progress. I am so proud of him.

I have so many pictures to choose from... I will have to make another picture post soon to show everyone all the fun we have been having!

Food Study

2006-10-05T00:38:00.000-05:00

After having the 6 month review with Collin, which was pretty pointless, we saw the nutritionist who recommended a a food study going on at TWU. So we did the insane amount of paperwork that required me going through the discharge papers from the NICU and drove the 45 minutes to the college for his evaluation. They were great and they have asked us to come up to three times a week! That is so great! (although we wont be able to for a while) He will finally get the therapy and attention that he needs to help him catch up. They think at this point he is developmentally delayed and that the delays are not pathological (which we have heard before) making it hopeful that he will catch up. They want to work on his hip movement and fine motor skills in addition to his eating issues. He is still not chewing his food and I know that it is causing me to hold Cyrus back out of convenience since Cyrus is requiring more time to help him learn to self feed with a spoon.

We have been going to the Peapods lapsit group with Grandma and the music group (now with Daddy) to keep us busy and we all love it. Very busy we are and I am starting to take ambien to help me sleep. Hopefully this will be good for everyone... Collin and Cyrus are sleeping better now that they are on Claritin-D everyday. They were sick for about three weeks there, and it turned out to be allergy related.

I have been a little down lately since two people I have been close to have moved away now. One went to San Antonio and the other to Denver. I tend to go into my hole when I get down and with the boys being as mobile and into things as ever I have not spent a decent amount of time at the computer in a week now. But the boys 2nd birthdays are just around the corner, Halloween is coming (one of my favorite holidays! Not to mention the fact that I am a candy junkie), and then the holidays will be here soon. Things to look forward to for sure! :)

We got new chairs for the boys, and Collin likes his Thomas the Tank Engine chair.

Good luck in Colorado Aunt Jen! We will miss you!

Who would have thought he would love wearing the patch so much!
Just goes to show what some kids will do to do what their siblings do.

Collin and Cyrus enjoy playing with their big sister.
Collin your glasses are on crooked!

Collin's Hearing Test

2006-09-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

We went up to the hospital today to have Collin's hearing test- and the results are good! He can hear just fine, only mild loss for very high frequencies. That could be related to his age anyway, so says the Dr., and if retested at a later age could turn out that he can hear that as well. So good news, Collin hears and that is not the reason for his speech delay. Bad news, now we need to find out what his speech delay is and hope that it isn't neurological. We were referred to a developmental pediatrician that we will go see and go from there.

We were in a small room with two boxes in each corner (to gauge each ear) with a stuffed animal that played the drums. Every time he recognized the sound and turned it would go off as a reward. It was quite clever and worked really well, he turned to look at the animal when he heard a sound.

Tomorrow is Collin's ECI review so I will have more to say then. What a week for Collin!

Bluebird Blogs Contest

2006-09-18T02:47:00.000-05:00

My friend and coblogger has peaked my interest in this contest by Susie over at Bluebird Blogs. And this is my shameless attempt to get a new blog template out of the contest.

I get 5 free entries for posting a blog entry about the contest. Woot! I could use a face lift! I have browsed her testimonials and I am impressed. Pick me! Pick Me!

Happy Birthday Big Sis!

2006-09-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today is Collin & Cyrus' big sister's 10th birthday! Happy Birthday Gaia! She got tons of loot from her mom and stepdad and then a whole other set of treasures from us (the benefit to having two sets of parents!). So Happy Birthday Gaia!

Hugs to Mom!

Cyrus smiles amicably for his big sister's birthday.
Hey buddy, you have pizza crust on your face...

Collin waves to everyone behind the Baby Paparazzi
trying to get Collin to look at the camera.

Staying Busy

2006-09-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

We have been doing all sorts of things lately. We started the "Peapods" program at the library where I used to work (once called the Mother Goose program) for babies up to two years. We do nursery rhymes, finger plays, read a board book, do sign language- it is wonderful! I have wanted to get the boys in there for so long and love it! I have missed working at the library and I miss the people there. We have also been doing Musikgarten where we song songs and play with simple musical instruments like bells and percussion sticks. The boys are a little too young for the program right now, but it runs through December so by then they will be answering the questions and doing all the motions and dances.

They both are so much fun and they need the social interaction and exposure to regulated progam environments (they wont be with mommy all day forever...). I have also noticed they are the most rambunctious kids, which makes me worry that I have given them too much freedom at home. They can go from one end of the house to the other and I leave their door open so they can play in their room. Is this perhaps too much? Should I keep them in one room at a time? What are other parent's thoughts?

Collin had been teething and was feeling pretty bad over the weekend. Poor little guy had fever and low appetite and was very cuddly, needing his mommy. I love that Collin was feeling cuddly since he usually does not sit still long enough to be cuddling with anyone unless Jack's is on TiVo (yes, we watch TiVo, not TV). He is feeling better now and they are into everything together. Cyrus leads the disaster but Collin can climb on anything Cyrus can now, so there is no safe places.

My memory is getting worse and worse and my friend tells me its sleep deprivation. The other day I actually forgot to pick Craig up from he autoshop on my way to my sister in law's. I talked to him on the phone right before I left the house!! This is just madness, and I find myself occasionally forgetting things between the time it takes to get out my notepad in my purse to write it freakin' down! What the @#$%^ people?!? *deep breath* Well, here are some pics while life has been going on (before I forget!!). I love being the Baby Paparazzi...

I am trying to find the picture of Cyrus like this from last year...a comparison.

Cyrus enjoys his homemade ice cream at Grandma & Grandpa's house.
"Cold!" he kept saying, and loved every minute if it!

Mommy and Collin having fun together.
Collin wears his patch without a fight, most of the time.

While Collin was sick I put him in the "backpack" so I
could still get things done around the house.
Doesnt he look pitiful?

Because I needed a change

2006-09-03T02:19:00.000-05:00

Those that know me will laugh and shake their heads at my doing this, and to those that do not, just know that I was bored and needed a change from the old stay-at-home-mom feeling. So I colored my hair- again. I blame it on the fact that I am a Leo and my mane is my attention getter, so I am constantly changing my hair style. This was fun and I feel a little Anime, but that's fine. I know it is just a temporary thing. What the hell, right? I do not have a 9 to 5 job that tells me I cannot do it. If you like it, please let me know, and if you don't, well, I don't want to know. :P

Ok, so my hair is red. It was supposed to be magenta/purple, but whatever. I still like it. :)

I colored my previously blonde bangs and some of the center to allow for...

This... I love it!

If I brush it back then it falls all around my head, which I like. While I was doing this I thought it would either look really cool or be a total disaster. My bangs are just about ready to fall off with all the dying I have been doing to them but, whatever. I do need a haircut, so that will help.

And to mention my children, they are doing great. Collin has been a champ with his eye patch and Cyrus has not been trying to pull it off so I have hope that his eye will be strengthened by the new year for his surgery. We got a playgym for them from my sister in law which I am so excited about. It is so cool and they love to go down the slide. Cyrus is walking and talking and being a terrible two-sie but he pointed to Gaia's new hairbrush today and said "Blue!" It was so exciting to realize he had learned the color blue!!! Maybe he is paying attention to me after all...

Collin loves his mew playgym so much he could eat it!

Collin and Daddy smile big for the Baby Paprazzi! Hurray!

It is so much fun to play under the kitchen table...
yes, we do not wear pants all that often at home. I mean,
with that bulky diaper, it must be uncomfortable, right?

Midnight Tantrum

2006-08-28T02:25:00.000-05:00

The fear is that by letting one cry in the middle of the might that it will wake the other one, and in the end like a good deal of spoiling, it is done for the sake of the parent rather than the child. Cyrus woke up all upset and hungry so I fed him and rocked him trying to get him back to sleep. And of course once I thought I was free and clear, I hear Collin chiming in from the other room (not even in my own bed yet). Which reawakens Cyrus to a jealous rage that Collin is now being held. I waited until Cyrus was quiet again before putting Collin down, but Cyrus' tantrum woke Collin up to the point where he didn't want to be held and rocked back to sleep but wanted to check things out. So I put down a quickly agitated Collin that set off Cyrus... Geeze, people, let Mommy have some peace!

I left them both sitting up and wailing those alligator tears, gave them each a hug and kiss, told them I loved them and that it was night-night. Then I closed the door and sat down at my computer. Now they are both quiet, hopefully asleep like they wanted, just not how they wanted to get back to sleep via in Mommy's comforting arms. One at a time please is my rule. They need to know how to self sooth, and that Mommy will not make a worse habit than she already has about going in there during the night to rock them back to sleep. I foresee another few days ahead of me filled with crying nights of renewed tantrum energy before I can start sleeping through the night more than once or twice a week. I must count my blessings that it is not still every night, but still. My precious sleep loss may later become one of my most vivid memory reasons not to try for another child; pregnancy loss, preemie scare, caring for the kids we have, and mountains of health care debt aside.

Let's see, about an hour and a half past my hopeful bedtime, which bodes badly for my ability to wake up on time in the morning. The more tired I am the less I hear my alarms. We had some good rain the is supposed to keep coming through tomorrow/today so maybe it will stay dark and the boys will sleep in too.

I know I promised pictures, and I will get to it, but * insert suitable mom of twins excuse here*. I will get to it this week. We had a good weekend overall and the boys are starting to need to get out of the house like me these days. I wish it weren't so dammed hot all the time. We all miss the wagon rides. Ok, I am satisfied that they are sleeping again and I am going to try to sleep myself. My poor hubby is getting up less than three hours and I want to be in bed when he does, let him think I have been there the whole time. ARGH! NOOOOOO! Someone is crying again! Now I am going to cry!

Cutie and snuggable Collin enjoys his teething toy.

Just a peek at the kids playing at the
McMoms Mobile Munchkins playdate.

Cyrus trying to get into the cat spot while Collin
crawls across the couch on to the coffee table to get a closer look.

Collin fell asleep in the car, now he is breathing
through the nose pieces of his glasses.

Hear ye, hear ye, all children of multiples & triplets...
This is only one of the rooms where the
17 children were running about.

Wrap it up!

2006-08-22T01:49:00.000-05:00

I went grocery shopping after the boys went to bed and my hubby put up the new curtains in our living room. So I pull into the garage at, oh 1 AM, and start unloading the cart full of stuff I brought home which includes about 15 or so jars of babyfood. Well I have always been annoyed by that plastic wrapper on the Gerber foods, b/c it is such an annoyance to take off... not tonight however. Tonight I am SO happy to have the wrapper on since it likely prevented my children from finding those small chards of glass that escape when trying to clean up said babyfood jars. Only one, but still, with ceramic tile flooring, glass doesnt just break, it shatters. So I take back all the crappy things I thought or said about the wrappers because hey, even though I still ended up moping and sweeping and wiping the floor down with wet paper towels to make sure I get it all, most of it was kept in place by that little wrapper.

And speaking of groceries, tonight I also purchased three gallons of milk. Does anyone else do that? I mean, I drink a gallon of milk by myself in a week and with cereal, we had been buying two to account for the rest of the family. But now that the boys are drinking more liquid from a sippy cup (and Cyrus from a straw!) I decided to risk it and buy the third. They all expire on the same day. We have 12 days to drink it all and I bet it will be gone by then...

We did some cool stuff today, Kindermusik (and had an ECI nutritionist appt Collin is up to 23 lbs 13oz. and Cyrus 25 lbs. 14 oz.; after all this time they still manage to stay about two pounds apart from one another), and I will tell you all about it later, but I must head to bed. Got another ECI appt and 6 month evaluation for Cyrus tomorrow morning. Cheers.

Playgroup Community

2006-08-19T23:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we made our way back to the multiples playgroup for the first time since, geeze could be since before RSV season. So all excited about meeting up with some old friends we get there to a combined Tiny Tots/Mobile Munchkins playgroup (Tiny Tots for babies & Mobile Munchkins for walkers/ toddlers). An unprecedented eight moms came! Usually we have two maybe three moms show up so this was a gigantic event. 15 kids total (one set of triplets) and guess who was the most mischievous child of the whole lot? Yep, our dear Cyrus. That little boy was into everything- blinds, cabinets, doors, glass candles, on the kitchen chairs, trying to get on the kitchen table, on and on. I thought other kids would be so curious and active, but NOOO. Just Cyrus, all over the place wreaking havoc and literally having me chase him in and out of the kitchen. I felt a little embarrassed and annoyed that I could not sit and talk with the other moms (like most of them could). But then our wonderful hostess took us upstairs to a truly babyproofed area where all the kids could run free without the fear of causing any collateral damage. Then I finally got to do a little socializing. I had a great time and really am looking forward to meeting up with them again. The boys had a chance to play with other kids their age, and I met a mom who has preemie girls that were born at 26 weeks. I hope she is at the next playgroup too because I would like to talk to her more about her experiences.

Now it dawned on me this afternoon that Cyrus has been going through a word explosion and I wanted to take note of some of the words he says (or tries to say) now, not in any particular order:
Mama, Dada, Sisee, Collin (Call), cat, outside (sigh), night-night, bath time, light, green, red, no, whoa, cool, keys, please (peess), thank you (tak-oo), up, down, dog, spoon, pretty, chair, diaper (dye), wipe (why), blankie, bottle (bah-bah), ball, close, ok, water (wah), phone (foh), fan, boo, book, french fry (fie), coaster (coh), bear, door, shoe,... whew that's a ton!

I am kinda sure now that Collin knows Mama, but he only says it when he is upset. Like he is crying for me. That counts right? He will be whining and in the middle I will hear "ma" but it could just be him crying. I cannot get him to just say it. Ok, I've got some great pics to post but not tonight. I'm tired. *yawn*

Debating

2006-08-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking lately of letting my Xanga site expire at the end of the year. Keeping up two blogs is kind of a hassle, and as much as I love it and have spent countless hours perfecting the template, it may have to go. For one, it has my full name on it in the URL. Not what I would have chosen had I known that my login name was going to be the URL address. Second, Xanga has pissed me off with the rewriting of all their HTML structure so all my links do not work and people cant see archives and such. Third, I am really liking Blogger, if I can get this HTML code issue with IE showing weird code changes (like GIANT text) that I do not see in Firefox. And of course going back to the privacy issue, I would like to be a little less "out there" in using real names and all. First names are fine, but not use last names for future reference, and that sort of thing. This all came rushing back to the forefront of my mind after reading Child's Play x2 and thinking about how people link one blog to another to another to another...

Craig and I went on a shopping spree today with the boys and got four new books, some cool cardboard blocks, and some cloth books to let them keep in their cribs (I fear real books would get torn to pieces if left unattended). Yeah, all of that and our reason for going was to get the acrylic TiVo cover so Collin will stop pushing the buttons. It was fun going to the new BabiesRUs in our city that opened this past weekend. They have lots of cool stuff there!

After shopping we dared to take the boys to dinner at a Chipotle. Cyrus is officially WAY TOO LOUD to take out to dinner, much less to a place that really lacks insulated interior. He likes the food though and partook in my burrito with gusto. I wish I had my camera with me. Collin was not so interested, but he was well behaved and quiet, so I let him get away with not eating.

They are currently in a napping state of flux. For a long time now they would go down between noon and one, sleep two hours (if I was really lucky, three hours!) and that would be their nap for the day. Lately however, they are not tired until 2:00 PM sometimes even 3:00 PM. They are late sleepers, not usually up until 9:00 AM or so (Thank you SO much guys! :P) and so it doesn't surprise me that they are staying up longer in the morning now that they are getting bigger. I am adaptable, unless they start wanting to get up at 7:00 AM, Mommy not down with that. :P

Preemie Prayer Revisited

2006-08-15T00:45:00.000-05:00

This is posted above the sinks where you scrub up in Progressive NICU at the hosptial Collin & Cyrus stayed at. It touched me deeply and even though I have it on my Xanga blog, I have been in a preemie-sentimental mood tonight and wanted to post it again for anyone who had not seen it.

The Preemie's Prayer
Dear God, as you look down upon us,
We know that you might have to squint.
We're located here in the NICU:
It's the nursery that we rent.

There are many alarms and sirens,
Connected to condos and flats.
The nurses tape our booties on,
And dress us in funny hats.

We have a lot in common;
All of us were in a hurry.
For many different reasons,
Our storks came a little early.

Some of us don't know why,
We bursted out from our bubbles.
We entered into this world,
Never meaning to cause any troubles.

Mommy and Daddy are worried sick
About the odds that we must beat.
Please God, help them to realize,
That seeing us grow is a treat.

Breath by breath, we'll learn to breathe.
Ounce by ounce we'll tip the scale.
We're like a boat in the ocean,
That knows not sink- only sail.

For we are living miracles,
Mommy and Daddy must simply believe,
That you have angels watching over us;
From the time we arrive, till the time we leave.

Author Unknown

Calling all Preemie Moms!

2006-08-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard about this- it is a must see from everything I have been told, and the website reinforces that. I just ordered mine (because I will never find the time to sit down at my parent's house long enough to watch from their TiVo).

Little Man the Movie is a documentary about a micro preemie who is a miracle child beating all the odds. Have a box of tissues ready, and if you are like me, probably plan to watch it in intervals...

Preemie Magazine was also advertised on the LIttle Man website and since I had never heard of it, maybe someone else may be interested too!

Lazy Weekend

2006-08-14T00:35:00.000-05:00

It was great, we did so little this weekend. Just hung around the house and by a freak fluke of nature, it actually rained in our neighborhood, so it cooled off a little. Whew, Texas is HOT, people!! Check me out, I am trying to post more, yea me! I learned this weekend that Cyrus likes Pad Thai, even opens his mouth for it!! Collin likes it too, but no surprise there. They may be able to grow up eating the same spicy foods we do after all...

Cyrus has a runny nose again and has been up the past two nights coughing. Poor guy, poor me. :P Sometimes I think it was better when I was up every three hours, at least then I got used to living without sleep. This getting decent sleep once or twice a week is throwing me for a loop. Not like my sleeping schedule was ever "right," I am an insomniac after all. Collin is getting used to the patch again, and I may have to get the next size up to prevent any more unintentional eyebrow waxes. But he wears them fine and considering, he keeps his glasses on too. I will have to get a pic of him with a patch on with his pirate hat wrap...

Grandpa and the boys at Grandpa's house for my birthday.
Yeah, if only they were this cooperative all the time. So cute!

Had to share this! Apparently Cyrus was comfortable after breakfast
and decided to chill out on the couch to let it all out.

Cyrus somehow made his way behind his crib and became trapped,
and Collin was following him right off the cliff.

Lesser of Two Evils

2006-08-11T00:30:00.000-05:00

Collin went to the eye doctor on Thursday to check up on his "lazy eye." Basically he will need surgery to correct it, it is just a matter of when. At the moment his left eye is too weak to recover properly from surgery, so we need to strengthen it for a while. We tried the eye patch thing for a while and it was super frustrating trying to keep Cyrus away from Collin, so the doctor gave us a prescription for some dilating eye drops for Collin to use every other day. The results are not as good as with the patch, but better than nothing. So ok, the drops. Well, today was my first attempt with the drops. It really is a two person job, but I managed to get them in but not before traumatizing the poor thing for a minute trying to pry his eye open. I could tie his hands down, but I would really rather not have to do that. So I patched him afterwards, snuck up on him and slapped on the patch. He played with it for a while but eventually forgot about it, until it was time to take it off. OUCH! More trauma. Looks like it will suck no matter what I do. Poor Collin, my happy go lucky baby is getting tortured on a daily basis. I just hope I have the strength to endure the role of torturer for his benefit. Tolerate the heartache in exchange for my son's eye getting strong as quickly as possible to get the surgery over with as quickly as possible too.

On the upside he is starting to imitate more. My mother taught Collin to fake cough, which if he were not such a quiet grunting baby I might be annoyed with, but I have to admit it is pretty cute. I can make a sound and he will make it back with this big smile. No syllables yet, but some times I swear I hear him call out "Maaaa" when he groans for help after he climbs into the wagon and cannot get out.

And speaking of climbing, Cyrus' new trick is climbing into the chairs at the kitchen table. Something all kids must learn to do, yes, but we have ceramic tile floor, so the chairs move very easily. Crisis averted the other night after he managed to get into the chair and lean towards the table causing the chair to slide out from underneath him- but Mommy caught him just in time! Woo Hoo Mommy! Now the chairs are in the living room on the carpet when they are not being used by big people. Cyrus talks all the time and imitates everything. I love it when he brings me things, whatever he pulled off the kitchen counter or found on the floor that he knows is not a toy. If he is allowed to have it I give it back, other wise I say "thank you" and put it away. I only hope it lasts.

Oh yeah, I had a birthday over the weekend, now in the final year of my twenties. I am really looking forward to my thirties, I will still be young but no longer as naive and ignorant. (At least I hope I am not as naive and ignorant!) :P It was my birthday all weekend long, went out Friday night with my Sweetie, Saturday night with two of my closest friends (the boys spent the night at my parent's house! So I slept in!!!), and spent Sunday with my family. Monday morning Gaia went back to her mother's house, and I am always so torn when she goes home.

A month every summer just isn't enough time with her. Yet at the same time I was ready for a break from being hovered over from the moment I woke up to the moment she went to bed. This was the first year she was old enough to really help out with the boys and she did a lot to help out. But having two houses and two sets of very different rules (and parents) must be hard on a kid. This has been a very hard year, the recovery from so much overwhelming pain and stress. I was not at my best this summer for her, and I hope I can make it up to her somehow, sometime. Being a stepmom is really hard, I cannot replace her mother and I do not want to, so how do we fit in with each other, you know?

Well, whew! Back into the blog again! Let me post some pics on here and get myself to bed!

Cyrus having a rockin' time at the Clubhouse for Kids.
Those are my favorite shirts of theirs, in case I had not said so before!

Collin leans out the window of the toddler area where he played
much of the time since he isn't walking yet. Cyrus was running amuck elsewhere.

...And I just want to apologize to those who use IE- I do not know why in the world the type is in super HUGE font, but I will try to fix it. I use Mozilla Firefox, and it looks perfectly normal, so...

Three Meme's for Collin & Cyrus

2006-08-08T01:19:00.000-05:00

We have been tagged by Hallie & Heath! So here goes...

THREE NICKNAMES:
Collin: Collin-Ollin, Zombie (since he grunts and groans instead of talks), Pumpkin
Cyrus: Cy, Pumkin, Sneaky Cyrus

THREE PEOPLE THAT MAKE ME LAUGH:
Collin: Big sister Gaia, Grandpa C., cousin Jayden
Cyrus: Gaia, Mommy, Daddy

THREE THINGS THAT I LOVE:
Collin: my train, (anything with lights on it), computers, pushing buttons and making things happen
Cyrus: blankies, seeking out dangerous objects, books

THREE THINGS THAT I HATE:
Collin: being taken away from computers, eating foods that require chewing, getting into the pool
Cyrus: eating, eating, and oh yeah, eating

THREE THINGS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND:
Collin: why I keep getting taken away from the TiVo box, not being allowed to go face first off of the couch, chair, etc., that pushing on the button in the bath will cause the shower to come on and make me cry- again
Cyrus: why I cannot help empty the dishwasher, that I am not supposed to go after everything Collin wants, that my diaper is not supposed to be taken off and played with at my own will

THREE THINGS ON MY FLOOR:
Collin: me!, peek-a-boo blocks, my blankies during nap time
Cyrus: the clothes I take out of the dresser, the food I do not want to eat, my blankies left all over the house

THREE THINGS I AM DOING RIGHT NOW:
Collin: sleeping, sucking on my washcloth, rolling around in bed
Cyrus: sleeping, sucking my thumb, searching for my blankie

THREE THINGS I CAN DO:
Collin: keep my glasses on, crawl on all fours, get stuck in all sorts of things I thought I could fit in/on/under
Cyrus: walk everywhere, climb onto anything, take Collin's glasses off his face and hand them directly to mom with a warm smile

THREE WAYS TO DESCRIBE MY PERSONALITY:
Collin: serious, highly focused, easy going (does very photogenic qualify for a personality trait?)
Cyrus: sneaky, playful, self-aware

THREE THINGS I CANNOT DO:
Collin: walk, talk, chew solid foods
Cyrus: run, sleep through the night regularly, resist the urge to play with the cats

THREE FAVORITE FOODS:
Collin: spicy foods pureed so it goes down smooth, stars, yogurt
Cyrus: french fries, crackers, sweet peas & lima beans

THREE FOODS I DO NOT LIKE:
Collin: Sweet foods, fruit in sold form, anything that I have to chew
Cyrus: baby foods, cottage cheese, anything in more than minimum quantities (aka four oz.)

THREE BEVERAGES I DRINK REGULARY:
Collin & Cyrus: Milk, bottled watter, Pediasure with fiber

THREE SHOWS I WATCH:
Collin & Cyrus: Jacks Big Music Show, Blues Clues, Star Trek TNG

I tag: Loni, Holland & Eden, Jordan & Carson, Gillian via KEP,
Tanner

In Action!

2006-08-02T00:46:00.000-05:00

I have to remember not to wait so long between photo posts, far too many wonderful pictures to choose from! Cyrus is walking, and Collin is fearless. I wanted to recommend a product to those who may have problems with their child learning to walk. Walking wings have been great in teching Collin to get off of his belly and start truly crawling on all fours like a big boy. They will be very helpful later on when he is ready to start walking, but right now he just throws his weight forward and lifts his legs like a frog and then he is floating. Silly Collin.

Cyrus had strep throat not too long ago, but none of the pics I took of him covered in red spots turned out. He was a red freckled baby for about four days. Luckily, and I cannot explain how, but Collin did not get the strep. We are now only fighting off a little cold, runny nose and cough. But some things you just have to let your child get exposed to, pick your battles, otherwise we would be stuck in a bubble, and I cannot stay inside that long!

They are enjoying the lazy boy chair together. They are always hanging out together. So cute!

Argh, Captain Collin Sparrow!

Cyrus walking around like he always does these days! :)
His big sister Gaia encouraging him the whole way.

Collin has no fear, and might I remind everyone,
a poor sense of balance. So to walk into the room to see him here
was, well, an adrenaline rush.

But not nearly as fear inducing as this.

Daddy and Cyrus catching up on some QT with a good book.
I love that my boys love their books- have tons of
pictures with them, but too many to post here.

About a lifetime ago, we met up with our friend Tanner
at the local mall, where a wonderful toddler play area is.
Most of my pictures turned out badly, but this one was sweet.

Collin likes to be close to his brother, even while they are about to eat.
They love to watch Blues Clues or Jack's Big Music Show while they eat.

Collin and Gaia posing with big smiles for the Baby Paparazzi! Sweet!

Collin & Cyrus Who?

2006-07-23T16:55:00.000-05:00

Hehehe, just kidding, my way of getting it out there that I know its been forever since I blogged. I swear I do not know how all you other twin moms find time to sit down for a hour or two uninterrupted to keep up with your blogs. Now that Cyrus IS WALKING everywhere he can reach my computer and the kitchen table and walk off with anything not tied down. Collin just has a computer obsession and freaks out about getting to it if anyone is using one. By the time they go to bed at 9 PM and I have spent a little time with DH, I have no energy to think about what to tell everyone about how we all are. We are fine. Post. :P

Big sister Gaia is here for the month of July and is such an amazing helper this year. She is almost 10, so she can get a twin (usually Cyrus) in and out of the car seat, put them awkwardly in and out of the crib. She loves to discipline them, but I usually just thank her and let her know I will take care of that part. The boys love her dearly and always want to play with her and make them laugh. She is really good at making them laugh. She is in mourning over the fact that her pregnant mother (with her four child) is giving her yet another brother, bringing the score to brothers 5, sisters 0. She is getting so big and will soon be a pre-teen with all the joys and horrors that go along with being a pubescent girl- all you moms and women know exactly what I am talking about. Ah the first round of teenage behavior practically a generation before the boys. Hurray.

With the new Speech therapist we can concurred that Collin needs a hearing screen. At this stage and developmental ability he should be vocalizing and babbling consonants all the time. And my mother reminded me recently about how the heavy dosage of antibiotics Collin got his first few months could likely have caused some hearing loss. We have an appointment in September. But he eating well unless he is having to feed himself. He will sit in his highchair the whole 40 minutes and eat little to nothing if it is not stars or crackers on his tray. He wont eat fruit, veggies, or meat on his own unless I put it into his mouth myself. He is a carb boy, but at least he is not a sweets lover like Cyrus. Cyrus will eat on his own much better, still not enough to live off of, but better than having to pry his teeth apart to feed babyfood to, still. Are my entries just broken records of information? It certainly feels like it sometimes, LOL.

But like I said earlier, the big news is Cyrus walking. He walks more than he crawls, getting up from the middle of the floor and carrying things with him as he goes. We recently had to replace Collin's glasses for fresh ones thanks to the warranty. The paint was all scrapped off and so many scratches on the lenses, it was likely getting to be hard to see. Not to mention the fact that they broke the side temple right off.

Ok, well I will go back soon and post some great pictures that I have taken, so many to pic from. The Baby Paparazzi still is a shutter bug, I just haven't been printing or posting them.

He has what?

2006-06-16T00:23:00.000-05:00

We went to see the dermatologist the other day and found out that Collin has calcium deposits in his thumb. It is nothing to worry about and they will go away on their own, as they will begin to surface and fall off. Did I tell you that one already surfaced and fell off? It was really weird and freaked me out, but that was before the appointment. All the nurses and doctors came in to look at his thumb because apparently no one has ever seen calcium deposits on a thumb before. Usually they are on the heels and are caused by trauma, often from IVs in preemies. Collin had his thumb turn all purple and black for some unknown reason when he was only a week or two old (I think, it was so long ago!) and that was the "trauma" that most likely caused the calcium. Weird, but benign, so all is well.

Ever since the boys have become so active and all over the place I have all but abandoned my computer these days. I sat down and had dozens and dozens of emails tonight when I logged on and it just made me want to walk away. :P I have not been the baby paparazzi either, and that is sad. :( I will take some soon, it is time for a replacement picture for my wallet.

Cyrus is talking all the time now, repeating things we say. The other night he pointed at one of our cats and said "Ca!" We got all excited and I told him what a good boy he was and he said "Good Boy!" It was hilarious. Collin started his speech therapy this week and I LOVE his therapist. She is very good with him and she told me that the reason his tooth is all purple and bulbous is because he is not chewing anything. So she gave me this rubber toothbrush looking thing to stimulate his mouth so he would eat better and encourage him to chew. Wish us luck!

Theraputic Fun

2006-06-06T00:28:00.000-05:00

I have been a bit of a scatter brain lately and the other day I totally flaked out on an ECI home therapy appointment with the occupational therapist after having to cancel for Collin's tooth the other day. I have not been checking my email much and have been returning emails even less (Teri Lyn I WILL call you about our appointment!! Sorry!). Right now I have been doing some work for my mother in law and that has temporarily become a part time job. Luckily while Craig is still looking for a job he can babysit the boys while I am out for the afternoon. I am medicating my sorry excuse for an energy level with four shots of espresso a day (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) and it has made me feel like a normal person, able to get through the day without the debilitating need for a nap every time I sit down. I have been forgetting my camera lately too, and missed photo opps at my niece's birthday and the boy's first swim of the year. Then I feel bad about not having pictures to post... the cycle of guilt causes me to not want to post and then I drop off the face of the Internet. Hehehe, oh well, it is not like I am all that important in the blog world anyways.

Anyway, I was about to go on my morning walk with my sister in law like we have been doing every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday when the little voice in my head said "check your calendar!!" and sure enough a physical therapy appointment fifteen minutes after I would have walked out the door. It was a very good and encouraging session too, so I was very happy I remembered. Collin was getting off of his tummy while crawling a lot and Cyrus was taking lots of steps back and forth from me to the therapist. They were so worn out by the end of the hour that Cyrus was laying down on the floor with his blankie sucking his thumb and Collin was yawning and sucking on his blankie/wash rag. Craig calls me later while I was "working" and asked me what I did to our children. This caused a mild panic inside me wondering what had happened to them, but it turned out they just took an extra long nap. Poor little guys.

They are more fun everyday. I can finally see why people say they wish their babies would stay little. I would still like them to feed themselves, however.

Cyrus and Collin are fascinated with a small waterfall at the
Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth.

I think Cyrus is laughing at something his Aunt Jillaine is doing,
but this wasjust an adorable picture. Too cute for the
Baby Paparazzi not to share.

Collin smiles at his cousin Jace, while Cyrus reaches for
his ball cap. No Cyrus, not for you...

While I was gone one afternoon, Craig took a picture of his
discovery of Collin & Cyrus' discovery. Apparently when he first
saw them they were both in the drawer, pulling out all of their PJ's from
their home, but by thetime he got back with the camera
Cyrus had escaped. You didnt catch me,
no proof! It was all Collin!!

Answers or More Questions

2006-05-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

I know I have catching up to do, such is my life being the procrastinator that I am, but I was hoping someone could offer up some info about Collin's mouth. Look at the picture below, yes we are going to the doctor about it but I thought maybe someone would know what that black/purple mass is. Is it an infected tooth? Is it the reason he doesn't like to eat anymore? Is it an alien breeding in my child's warm moist mouth? Well, okay maybe not the last one but really holy cow people that is nasty! I found it this morning while playing with him, which of course makes me feel like a bad mother for not finding it earlier.

Craig got a clear shot of poor Collin's tooth/mass at the back of his mouth.
WTF? Is this the reason he hates to eat? Please comment!

Cyrus is almost walking now, taking a handful of steps on his own. He walks from chair to couch, person to person, and loves to walk all over the house with help. He does not know how to get up to standing from sitting without a chair or something to pull himself up. He is talking all the time, bottle (bah-bah), toes, blankie, and tons of baby babbling as he points to things.

I caught him laughing, what a great smile! The bump on his head is from a
recent fall while trying to pull a cup off of the kitchen table and losing his balance.

Collin is an airplane on, his big sister, Gaia's knees. She loves to play with
whoever is more interested in being cutest at the time.

I will get a better entry in later (isn't that just like a procrastinator?) but I have some things to do before getting Collin to the doctor, again. Between Collin's thumb (which has been referred to a dermatologist) and this, we are getting way to familiar with the pediatrician's office.

Xanga Returns!

2006-05-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

I have not made a real post on there yet, but I just wanted to let everyine know that my original Xanga site is working again and I will be posting on it tonight! Yippee! But do not worry to all you Bloggers, I will still keep up the mirror blog. :) I am just so happy to have my old blog back.

Keeping up Appearances

2006-05-18T23:53:00.000-05:00

We have been keeping busy with our very mobile young men these days. We go walking with my sister in law and her kids three days a week now to keep in shape, get out of the house, stay in touch with my family, and oh yeah, get out of the house! Cyrus is climbing on everything these days and if I do not figure out something for him to have "permission" to climb on soon he is going to end up behind the couch or in the ER. The boy loves to climb, what can I say, he takes after his parents. :)

We went to my parent's house for Mother's Day, which was one of the most out of sync days I have had in a long time! Not only did I set off my car alarm AND my house alarm, but I forgot my camera, some things for the boys and dropped just about everything I picked up that was not a child. It was a nice day anyway, I mean really, if you cant laugh at yourself...

Collin's thumb is still weird and spotty but some of the spots are "surfacing" but they are still not bothering him and so everyday I debate whether to take him back to the doctor. I have not yet because I know I will end up paying for another visit where I leave with nothing. They are due for their 18 month check up and maybe I will wait for that to bring his thumb up then, get as much done in one visit as I can. Cyrus is having more fun walking these days but still does not stand on his own for more than a second or two or walk by himself yet. He babbles and talks all the time, which is better than the screaming, and I keep hoping Collin will follow suit. Collin has followed Cyrus in his eating habits and now it is a fight every single meal to eat. Oh, oh, I need to take pictures but I finally found a sippy cup that the boys have taken to. Last week we had some old friends from last Fall's Tiny Tots and Cyrus kept trying to drink from their sippy cup. Carson and Jordan were very nice about Cyrus' theivery and now we have sippy cups! Woo Hoo one more step to meal time independence! Today they had Gouda cheese, crackers, and jalapeno venison sausage for dinner (with water in their new sippy cups!). Yum!

The boys go out on their maiden voyage of their new wagon.
They held on for dear life but enjoyed it. I look forward
to taking them for walks!

Just the sweetest smile you can get!

Some of our friends from Tiny Tots came by last week and
here we see Carson enjoying some cookies.

Jordan sits happily with Mommy, Shawn, and like her sister also
enjoying a plentiful amount of cookies.

Cyrus found his way into the dryer the other day. He was so proud
and Mommy knew it was time to keep them out of the laundry room.

Oops! What ever did I do with my star?

A family photo... All we are missing is the big sister!

First Words and Funky Thumbs

2006-05-04T00:56:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I didn't say anything earlier since I have been telling everyone in person. Cyrus has been talking! He says up, down all the time and lifts his arms up in the air. This morning I came in and he is standing at the crib railing saying down, down, down. He also says ball and is trying to say on, off, referring to putting the lids on the babyfood jars when I am feeding him. So his first word in context was ball but what he loves to say is up, down. Hurray Cyrus! Woo Hoo!

I took Collin to the doctor Wednesday morning and of course they had nothing pertinent to tell me. If it gets worse come back, if it spreads or if Cyrus ends up with it, come back. Other wise just keep an eye on it and do not worry. Well, I decided that I would share the "rash" with all of my loyal viewers (you get the good, the bad, and now get the ugly) and see if anyone might have an idea of what this might be. I am going to track it (not to worry, I wont be putting pics up of Collin's thumb for the next few weeks) and hopefully it will just go away. But after my experience in the NICU, just going away can be a lot to ask.

The raised bump at the tip of his thumb is the worst.
Most of the other bumps can only be
felt if you put pressure on them.

Just another angle for your viewing enjoyment. The doctor said
they couldstick it and see what is inside, but it puts Collin
at risk for infection.Um, thanks but no thanks. I will
wait for something more to happen before I stick
my child with needles again.

NICU Reunion 2006

2006-05-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the NICU reunion at Cook Children's Hospital where the boys stayed, and we made it back for our second reunion. Last year was fun, but the boys were still on oxygen and I was all by myself so it was difficult. This time they were aware and interactive, and to top it off my mother came along and helped take care of the boys while we mingled. We had a great time seeing some of the nurses that I had not seen since the last reunion, a few since the NICU. Time seemed to go by pretty quickly and before we knew it the reunion was over. Cyrus got his hands on someone's cup and dumped ice and water all over himself, causing us to have to change him. I wanted to put a link to last year's NICU reunion on here, but I am still having problems with Xanga on my computer. (*Cries* I miss my Xanga site; I worked so hard on it, you know.) Later that evening we had a visitor from Craig's most recent job, Jarred, come over and meet the boys. They had a great time and the boys really took to him. What a busy Sunday! (Psst- Adrienne, let me know if I messed up anyone's name ok?)

Which reminds me, the day before we all went over to see the Swain cousins and Collin was completely entranced by Uncle Chris' guitar. I got a great video clip of them. Cyrus liked it but lost interest after a few minutes while Collin watched him play the whole time. Perhaps we have a musician in our midst?

Today I noticed that Collin has these little white bumps on the tip of his thumb while I was clipping his nails (which has become increasingly difficult lately, just Collin though). They are small like pin head and hard like a bead. They could be nothing but I am taking him to the doctor tomorrow anyways. I will let every one know how it goes.

Miss Adrienne took care of both the boys while in the NICU,
and is an avid Collin and Cyrus follower so I came to discover.
She asked me how my trip was! So I had to get pictures of her
and the boys on here, the boys loved her too as
some of their best pics were with her.

Cyrus smiled for the camera! It is such a rarity these days.
Note the necklace from the previous picture has now been
taken out of reach. Yeah, hands of little Cyrus!

Miss Frances also took care of the boys and helped me deal
with some issues I had while they were still in the NICU.
Cyrus loved her and practically did not want to let go.

Miss Michelle keeps Collin away from her keys.
Both of the boys just loved those retractable badges.
It was so nice to see you again!

Miss Sheralyn reminisces with Cyrus but he is distracted by the
hot dog bun floating in the corner. Spooky! (Shh, you don't see the fingers!)

Miss Janet also took care of the boys, and I remember spending
a good deal of time near the end talking with her. I heard one
night she held Collin when he was having a hard
time without his mommy. Thank you Janet!

Tanner won a door prize, a potty prize! His very own Royal Potty,
all set now aren't you Tanner? Ok ready, set, GO POTTY!

And can you believe we won something too? By the time they
called Cyrus' name there weren't any real baby toys left, but
we got a cool nerf basketball hoop which the boys love. The nerf
ball is already in the trash since Cyrus took a big bite out of it
(I got all the pieces back from him, not to worry).

OK so it was not so easy getting all the boys together for a
picture.This is my best one, Teri Lyn, I hope yours are better!
Tanner's Dad Marcus tries to keep Tanner from running off, good luck with that. :P

Our friend Jarred came by for a visit and the boys thought he was
a newjungle gym. He was very nice and humored them playing
a bunch. Thanks Jarred. :)

Cyrus enjoys his peas, but I think he likes wearing them the most.

How does one child get so much on him in one sitting?

Collin was enjoying Cyrus making an incredible hulk of himself,

Mommy just snuck into the picture out of boredom.

While I Was Away...

2006-04-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share with everyone some of the pictures that the grandparents sent me while I was in Germany. Just a look into what the boys were up to...

Oh I also wanted to share this book, Small Steps Forward: Using Games and Activities to Help Your Pre-School Child with Special Needs, that my friend Jen gave me while I was in Germany that I have been reading. She works with families with Special Needs for a living, a family advocate if you will. Some people may not see how it applies, but I feel that it has been helpful in coping with preemies and them being behind, Collin in particular. And if it happens that either of them do end up with disabilities, then I wont feel so unprepared. With all the therapists and developmental delays, this book has been very helpful in making my time with them more productive.

Cyrus and Collin learned how to open the drawer between the seats at Grandma & Grandpa's house. It quickly turned into a toy box.

Collin and Cyrus enjoying some quality time with Grandpa. They were more excited to see him when he came home from work than they were to see me the day I came back from Germany.

Daddy came by for a visit too, which of course the boys loved. Hi Daddy!

Everyone at my Dad's work has heard about the boys since I was pregnant. So needless to say they were a big hit when my mom brought them up to his office to meet his coworkers. Here Cyrus seems to have attached himself to a pretty lady, just like Cyrus...

Collin seems perplexed by his goatee. What is all that hair? Looks like something I have seen on Daddy before, I think...

Home Sweet Home

2006-04-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

It has been over a week since I came back from Germany and only now have come to a point where I feel all caught up with my routine and life to get around to sitting at my computer again. Germany was awesome! I ate chocolate croussiants everyday and had German beer, visited multiple historical museums and locales... and slept at least 7 hours every night (until my last night, which we went out for a "night on the town" in Nürmberg, so I got less than two hours of sleep before getting up to make the two hour train trip to the airport). I loved it there but was happy to come home and was missing my family. I got really sick the day after coming home and spent three days feeling awful and my wonderful parents kept the boys an extra two nights because of this. What would I do without them?

It is nice to be home and back to a routine, and this weekend Craig celebrated his 31st birthday. We had some of his family and friends over to the house and his mom took us out to dinner for some great Mexican food. The servers made Craig stand up on his chair and swing a towel while they chanted a happy birthday to him. This however, the boys absolutely hated and Collin and Cyrus wailed and screamed through. We ended up having to take them out of the highchairs and cuddle them to calm them down. It was so cute and sad and funny all at once! The servers felt so bad they gave each of them a balloon and their own bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup on top.

Let's see so what are the boys up to these days? Well, Cyrus is walking with assistance consistently now while holding only one hand. He is so close to walking on his own, I bet he can taste it! He can cruise the furniture like a master and often mows over Collin in the process. And speaking of Collin, Cyrus has taken to beating on Collin with toys and pulling his hair. The other day I had them in the same crib for their afternoon nap and Cyrus bit him on the leg really badly. Poor Collin has a mouth and teeth shaped purple and blue bruise; it's a good thing Collin is a tough little guy to take all this punishment. (I swear I do my best to keep Cyrus at bay!!) Cyrus can also go fetch his blankie when told and point to his ears, eyes, feet, and sometimes his nose. He is saying all sorts of stuff now, but no actual words in context yet. But I am proud to hear him babble mama all the time. He can try to say things like ball and foot, using the first consonant for words. I think I have been saying too much to them at a time and now that I am simplifying my sentences to them he is catching on faster. He is still a pain in the rear to feed but will open his mouth for yogurt, guacamole, and some finger foods like peas, diced carrots, green beans and all sorts of cracker/cookie things. It just depends on his mood whether he takes baby food or not, so it is touch and go whether he is self-fed.

Both of them are taking a ton more Pediasure now, 4 or 5 ounces at naptime and then up to 16 ounces at night!! I give them a bottle at bedtime and then before I go to sleep I replace it with a new full bottle and they drink it themselves as they want without my assistance. Yes people, it is wonderful! Even if they aren't sleeping through the night, they aren't needing me anymore to be fed!! I will not say that they are sleeping through the night though-since it cursed me the last time I said it. :P

Collin is getting his speech therapy evaluation in May which I am looking forward to. He got his new glasses which are snazzy but need to be adjusted to sit right on his face already. He is wearing them well, and Cyrus is going after them less and less. Collin is starting to come up into sitting on his own, a really big step we have been waiting for. He can sit up on his knees by himself, but that is not using his trunk muscles nearly as much as sitting on his bottom. He is still commando crawling but will get up on all fours when it suits him to play or crawl just a few paces. He is being very vocal and making more consonant sounds but nothing consistently, yet. Oh yeah, he is finally learning to fall without bumping his head. His balance overall is getting better, and more and more he will go from standing to sitting without flailing about. He has no fear of falling however since he seems to keep on trying to do things. He can pull himself into standing and cruises the furniture some but when we try to walk him he is very awkward and does not like to bend his left leg while standing (otherwise he bends it just fine). He hates to get changed and is quite a wiggle worm getting dressed or have his diaper changed. Au naturale must be his preference! LOL

Whew! Another atrociously long post, and I do not even have pictures on here yet! You guys do not mind though, do you? :P

Jen and I drinking hot wine at a café in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was a beautiful town that was almost completely closed for Good Friday. Don't you wish you worked in Germany too? They take days off for every holiday you can think of.

At lunch with Jen (center) and her friends/co-workers Barb (left) and Tamara (right) at a local place on base in Ansbach. They were very cool chicas! Wassup ladies!

Here I am standing on a bridge in the cold (wearing my highly talked about coat) in Nürmberg. We did some great shopping, visited the Nazi Documentation Museum, and I had some excellent treats and pastries.

Craig's 31st birthday with all his kiddos. It is hard to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time, much less have them all smiling.

Collin in his new glasses. They are the same shape as his old ones, but these are a brown/copper frame instead of blue. He gives them the thumbs up, kinda.

Collin is looking at something over his glasses like a little scholar. I thought it was cute. By his foot is a cool wooden caterpillar toy I got the boys while in Germany.

Cyrus loves guacamole! Could not get enough of it and would scream if I tried to take the spoon away from him. I just wanted to refill his spoon but I guess he could still taste the reminents...

This was just too cute. My niece Jayden is the "middle" child of our family being the only kid who does not have a cousin her own age. So while Gaia and Jené were off playing she spent most of her time visiting with Collin. They had so much fun!

Vacation Time

2006-04-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow I will be staying two nights with my mother so she can get into the groove before I leave for Germany Monday morning. I am so excited, but as I was getting the boys ready for their evening routine it sort of hit me that this will be the longest I have ever been without them since they were born. I was all sad and ended up letting them stay up an hour past their bedtime (which by then Cyrus was super cranky and insisted that they go to bed!). But Craig and Gaia (who is here for her Spring Break) left out this morning for a camping trip with one of her friends from school for the weekend so it has just been me and the boys all day. Seems like forever since I was home by myself (myself being with the boys), but I liked it.

The boys have had a cold all week from getting back out into the world after being in hiding all winter. They have horribly runny noses and a cough and they do not want to eat (the bane of my existence!). But since they are sick I have let them live off of yogurt, crackers, wagon wheels, stars, and baby food fruit puree both to make them feel better and to keep my stress levels down. Of course they are still getting bottles three to four times a day, but I don't have to mess with that anymore since they hold their own bottles so I don't count it. :P Poor Grandma will be taking on sick little boys while I am away, but they are still very happy babies so that makes up for it too.

Oh yeah, and lately Collin's glasses have had one lens keep popping out because the screw was loose, and on Sunday we finally lost the lens completely while on an outing to Home Depot. Good news is we had an eye Dr. appointment on Wednesday and have new glasses on order (the old ones were too small anyways). Poor Collin's SUPER nearsighted eyes are now -12.00 and -8.00 (legally blind without his glasses). No wonder Collin loves books so much! And I thought I was blind with only a -6.50 and -6.75 (FYI: my prescription is too strong for those groovy no rimmed glasses because they break from their own weight or something, grrr)!! The Dr. has told us to put off on the eye patch for now, which is good that I do not have to mess with it, but probably means we will be planning a surgery if his new prescription does not correct his lazy eye before the year is out. Which reminds me, Hey Bobbie, what is Hallie's prescription? You probably said it before in your blog, but I cannot remember...

Oh oh, I cannot believe I almost forgot to mention it...Collin is getting his first molar! Finally Collin is doing something before Cyrus (aside from being born that is, LOL) Grandma noticed it after the eye Dr. Appointment the other day while he was laughing upside down. Yeah, they love to hang upside down...

So, since I am leaving and wont be posting until I get back into the states, here are a few pics to help pass the time. I will likely be looking at them myself from my friend's computer in Germany. Hey Grandparents- you better email me pictures of the boys everyday!

Cyrus loves to eat the soap, and so I gave him a handful of bubbles to enjoy. And he made an old Man Cyrus Goatee out of it!

Collin got his own soap bubbles too. So easily amused, my babies, just like their mother!

The boys are still small enough to fit in to the baby swings together so the Baby Paparazzi had to shoot it. We were on our very first park outing since coming out of hiding with Aunt Jillaine and the boys' three cousins.

And here is the other view of them enjoying their swing ride.

Collin was having a wonderful time swinging in the big kids swing with Aunt Jillaine's best friend Stacy.

And the Baby Paparazzi was feeling left out of all these pictures so snuck into one with Cyrus.

Here is cousin Jace, about a year younger than the boys. Woo Hoo, a perfect playmate for all family functions. Isn't he a cutie!?

Sometimes all you need to do is sing funny songs, make funny faces and sounds and wave objects in front of their faces and you get adorable results (and worn out Baby Paparazzi's!).

This little specimen is much easier to please...

Here Collin was wreaking all sorts of havoc on Daddy's work because he was just long enough to reach the mousepad on the lap top. But it was so cute to see him imitate his Daddy...

Wow, I am really going to miss my family...

"Garden Tub"

2006-04-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

When we bought our house part of the appeal was the garden tub in the master bathroom (and between that, the master closet and the kitchen we were totally sold on the house!) where I had oh so naively planned to give birth at home in water like a good hippie chick should. And after the boys came it was all run run run, and stress stress stress that I kind of forgot about my precious tub. I finally got around to using it to relax, candles around the tub and all but found it to be far too short to stretch out in and so I only used it a couple of times. Well I have recently been putting my garden tub to some good use and I am proud of my accomplishment. What do you think?

So its on record...

2006-03-29T12:25:00.000-06:00

We went to the pediatrician last week for their check up and booster shots. All is well and they are on the charts, barely for their birth age. But they are getting huge! We got the fifteen month info sheets which said they should be eating all table food right and off the bottle now if they were term babies. Well they most certainly aren't! And I am glad too because that would be an insane hassle right now. I should be brushing their gums still but I do not need toothpaste- well what about that stuff that came with the baby toothbrushes? Most children re walking, running and climbing by now and have a rapid increase in their vocabulary. Vocabulary? What vocabulary? Of course Cyrus is well into the imitation stage and is easily swayed to blowing to clapping or shh-ing or whatever. And temper tantrums, hmmm, I think Cyrus is well on his way to that one too.

Collin: 20 lbs. 12 oz., 29 3/4 inches, 42.5 head circ.
Cyrus: 23 lbs. 6 z., 30 1/4 inches, 47.8 head circ.

Yeah for the Baby Paparazzi

2006-03-29T00:17:00.000-06:00

Cyrus and Collin love to be held together. Daddy gets to reap the benefits of big smiles.

Here we see the boys going crazy over their first real viewing of a Baby Einstein video. They were entranced and kept going back for more.

Cyrus enjoys his dolphin, which used to be in the crib with him in the NICU. When they were first born, they were about the same size as the dolphin. My how they have grown!

Collin cannot resist being absolutely adorable for the Baby Paparazzi. We are very grateful for his cooperation, smiley baby!

Cyrus can be quite a fussy one when he wants to, and here is a peek at one of his more frustrated moments. I wont pick him up, poor Cyrus.

And here is Collin's imitation of a French accent, "hauh, hauh!" Because you know it isn't French if you do not say that at the end of your sentence...

Cyrus was "reading" the book, even turning the pages like a big boy and Collin came over to get a piece of the action. Cyrus generously obliged to share his book, a rarity this sharing thing.

I claim no responsibility for this- I was taking a shower! But Craig got a pick of the boys taunting one of our cats, Raiju (rye-zhue), and he was letting them!

Well, the cat did for a minute at least...

Another endearing photo of Collin, trying to convince our house guest to pick him up. Of course he shone those pearly whites when he saw the camera.

Grandma Swain came over to watch the boys for the day while I took Craig to the hospital for his gall bladder surgery. Cyrus loved using Grandma as his own personal lazy boy.

May You Live in Interesting Times

2006-03-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

Life never ceases to amaze me, and for the past two years it has been a rollercoaster of disasters and miracles. Well, the momentum has forced its way down for the time being, as Craig just got laid off from his "new" job. This also means we lost the wonderful, life saving insurance we have been eagerly awaiting. We had one month of the new insurance and it expires at the end of March. Luckily it was in time for Craig to have his gall bladder surgery, which was Friday, so even the painful $530 for the single month of insurance was worth it. He is doing fine, the surgery went smoothly, and he was in and out of there in about six hours. Still sore and working his way back to textured, non liquid sustenance, but doing well overall. We really thought things were moving in a positive direction with his job and the insurance, but apparently we needed more to test us... On what and why I do not know. But as the old proverb/curse goes, may you live in interesting times. Well that is us.

The boys are doing well, luckily no big problems with them outside the insurance issue. Collin is going to be acquiring one new ECI therapist, Speech. How do they know a baby needs speech therapy, you ask? Well, at this age speech is closely related to fine motor skills and eating habits/ abilities so they will focus on getting him caught up in those areas while doing sound and syllable therapy. Collin is still not making many syllable sounds except na na na, otherwise he just grunts and moans his desires and requests. Collin is also still crawling on his tummy, but getting onto his hands and knees occasionally to play so hopefully that will be the next thing he accomplishes. He is pulling up on things constantly but does not know how to fall and has had some crying spills on our ceramic tile floor in the kitchen. I have decided that I hate the ceramic tile floor... We have also lost a number of dishes to it. But he is still a happy baby as ever, smiling and laughing, even sleeping better. He hates to be woken up to eat now, so I let him sleep until he tells me and so more and more he is getting closer to just sleeping through the night. At least we have pretty much gotten out of the 3:30-4:00AM feeds and I am getting more sleep time these days. However, with the stress and drama that has been in our lives on the past two months, sleep has been hard to come by without having the boys to interrupt me.

Cyrus is a champ, sneaky and very intelligent. He is ready to walk, but does not want to, constantly sitting down while we walk down the hall holding his hands. He even stands alone for a few seconds if he is being entertained enough to distract him from the fact that he is standing. He is opening doors, reaching for doorknobs, getting into anything that is not baby proofed. They are such a handful these days I cannot be on the computer while they are awake unless I put them in the playpen or excersaucer, etc. Cyrus charms everyone who comes into his range of vision and smiles and much as he babbles. He is ready for his carseat to be turned to face forward, but he loves to play in the mirror while in the car, so I am going to wait until Craig has fully recovered form his surgery before making that leap. I suppose Collin is ready too, just not as big so we will turn both seats around to make things consistent and then things will be as they are until the boys are old and big enough to be out of carseats all together. Wow. Time flies when you have twins.

As for myself, I am leaving for my Germany vacation on April 10 be back in the states on the 17th. Again I cannot stress enough of my gratitude to my Friend Jen and my parents who have fully funded this vacation. And this may give Craig some time to focus on job hunting if necessary without having to worry about the boys. My mother is looking forward to having them at her house for a week as much as she is worried about having them at her house for a week. :P I just do not have the time I used to do things and get them done, now that everything seems to have jumped into overdrive. Getting on the computer is more of a chore than it used to be since I prefer to spend my afternoon nap time getting things done around the house (when I too am not napping with the boys), and evenings are to unwind and relax. We still aren't getting mommy and daddy dinner until 8:30 or 9:00 pm, but we are trying to make it earlier. Heck, I am just lucky to eat dinner period.

So big long update that I want to add pictures to but I hear babies awakening in the nursery. So that will have to be some other time soon. Pity too because I have a bunch of new pics I want to share.

Free at last...FREE AT LAST!

2006-03-16T16:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had our last RSV shots and are no longer in hiding!! Hurray! Woo Hoo! Yes! Rock On! Whatever are we going to do with our new found freedom? I have no idea. LOL

But the boys are healthy and able to go see people and places again, of course within reason (meaning no going to Wal-Mart at peak hours or playing in the kids play area at the mall), but the first things on my mind are getting back into Tiny Tots with McMom's and signing up for Mother Goose at the library. I am very excited to be able to go out again, but my energy levels right now are pretty low, so it may take a little while to get there. As silly as it sounds, I have been waiting so long, and now that it is here, I hesitate to run right out the door. *shrugs* It will wear off I know.

I have trouble being on the computer these days while the boys are up, since they love the coputer and whine and cry to sit in my lap and pick the keys off of the keyboard. Collin is batting at the bench right now and moaning his zombie moans to get me to pick him up. I better post the pics and go. Just wanted everyone to know the good news- we are free!

Aunt Jen came over from Germany for a visit (and a job interview). The boys loved using her as their own personal playgym.

Collin had the plastic (and lit up) shotglass in his mouth and dropped it just as the picture was taken.

Poor kitty Raiju is hiding from Cyrus who is enjoying being able to pet the kitty. Glentle, gentle now Cyrus.

Picture (web) Pages, Loads of Fun with Picture Pages...

2006-03-14T02:10:00.000-06:00

Is everyone singing the Picture Pages song in their heads right now? Hahaha, excellent! *eg* Well it is amazing how being busy with life can lead to neglecting my blog, how time flies. I have received calls, emails and stern looks from people reminding me that I haven't posted in a while. And although it occasionally stresses me out to try and post more often than my energy levels allow, I love the fact that people check the blog so often that they get annoyed by my not posting. So thanks my loyal Collin & Cyrus fans!

Nuritionist came this morning, so here are the updated stats:
Collin: 20 lb. 2 oz., 29 7/8 inches (yes, he is taller than Cyrus!)
Cyrus: 22 lb. 9 oz., 29 1/2 inches

So what have we been up to in over a week? Well, to pick up where we left off... sleeping through the night is well, not quite there. Some nights I have the inner strength to let them cry it out, and others I have given in to either my own selfish desire to sleep or pity on my poor pathetic sounding children. Not to mention the fact that I had a house guest here from Wednesday to Sunday sleeping in the room next door to the boys. I felt bad for her having to listen to them cry in the middle of the night. But she is home now and I can again, return to letting my children suffer. But I must get them sleeping through the night before April 10th, since that is when I leave for Germany for a week and Grandma will be taking over for me. *everyone cross your fingers for Grandma's sake (and sanity)*

And speaking of suffering, Cyrus is a sharp, quick witted child who picks up on imitating things very quickly. My little charming yet mischievous youngest son has recently taken to joyously blowing on the spoon EVERY TIME I TRY TO FEED HIM! It is a glorious mess and I end up covered in whatever he had for breakfast/lunch/dinner that day. Well this afternoon it became so bad that I was a hair's breath away from losing it and just stopped feeding him his lunch. Too bad you arent eating enough Cyrus, I cannot take your reindeer games any longer. So for dinner he had finger foods consisting of peas, carrots, diced chicken and the staple wagon wheels and stars. He did not eat very much, but he had a ton of fun while I felt stress free while having to feed only one baby. It was awesome! He got an extra couple of ounces in his bedtime bottle (which he took all of) and that was that. Ok, so if I am going to start feeding this precocious child finger foods every day, um, what else should I feed him? Suggestions anyone? Please! I know I can do all sorts of research and reading up on it, but to be honest I am just to lazy at this time in my life to do much of anything and would greatly appreciate any info from people who have already been at this stage of development with their children. :P

What else? Ah, Cyrus is so close to walking! He cruises back and forth along the furniture, and we walk around while he holds my fingers until he tires and either lifts his legs or lets go to fall down. He is also very good at opening drawers, cabinet doors (I have taped a few shut as a temporary measure until I can get them baby proofed, but the tape will only last a few days as Cyrus has already started picking at the tape corners...), and always seems to reach a few more inches than I think he can, leading to yet another shelf to be cleared off in the living room. My computer is now permanently at the kitchen table (along with my plants) and they can get to the cords from under the table so I do not know what I am going to do. Cyrus is a charming and smart little man who can fake smile, fake cough (thanks to Grandma!), give raspberries, click his tongue, lick his lips, and even blows into our kazoo with glee. He is impatient with Collin who has not yet figured out how the kazoo works and just wants to clap with it.

Speaking of Collin, he is making headways too. He is ready to crawl on his hands and knees but is so fast on his elbows now that he doesn't want to yet. It is hilarious watching him slither across the tile floor, practically dragging his feet behind him as he pulls himself along on his arms. I think he is trying to sing with me these days, but I cannot be sure. His biggest problem right now is that he does not know how to fall. It is like watching a rag doll drop when he loses his balance. SMACK! Almost always knocking his head against something, but most of the time he just gets back up again. He has not figured out that he can bend his knees to get down from standing and looks like he is doing Downward Facing Dog when getting back onto the floor. He is still wearing his glasses well, even though they are too small for him and he needs new ones. We see the ophthalmologist at the beginning of April so... Collin loves to pet the cats, he is quite gentle with them, but scares them off with his cries of excitement when he is around them. The cats pretty much run for cover when they see Cyrus (we are teaching him to "be gentle"). Collin loves the computer and shines and cries to get in your lap if you are at one, which now means if I want to be at mine while the boys are awake I have to immobilize him somehow (i.e. playpen, excersaucer, jumperoo, etc.).

Whew! Well that is a lot of stuff! I could go on but it is really late and we have two appointments in the morning. So here are a few pics to enjoy. :)

Collin and Daddy playing on the computer together.

Cyrus enjoying his first all finger foods meal. Yeah!

The fruits of their labor... I have now lost an additional four pairs of pajama pants to the same mysterious phenomoenon...

Our friend Tanner playing with the boys. Woo Hoo! Visitors! :P

As you can see, Tanner really enjoyed himself. :P LOL

All smiles at Grandma's house, of course!

Sleeping Beauties

2006-03-03T00:55:00.000-06:00

Oh dear friends, family, bloggers and friends of friends- the boys are sleeping through the night.

I feed them at midnight and they have not been getting up before 7:30 or 8:00... I feel like singing the Hallelujah Chorus! I am sleeping, really sleeping for the first time EVER in our house. When we moved in I was pumping every three hours, so it has been just the way things were, being at home meant no real sleep. Now I look forward to going to bed (not that I can actually fall asleep before 1 AM, but once I do...), just knowing that I am getting more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep. It could not have come at a better time.

It could be related to giving them breakfast, but I started doing that at the same time as I started really buckling down on letting them cry it out. Like my friend KEP says, it was horrible while it lasted, but well worth the tears. I am still not quite used to it, but the boys are doing so well these days. With the new Benecalorie stuff I can give them the foods they really like, peas, green beans, squash with out stressing out that they only have 45 calories in a jar. *POOF* 145 calories now, thank you very much. My philosophy as far as the calories goes is this, as long as the four ounce jars have at least 80-90 calories, I will not supplement anymore.

They are finishing the jars every time now, and I have started giving them table-ish foods with their meals. But they are chokers, I mean they choke on stuff a lot. I would say just about every day I get the fun of seeing one of my boys turn bright pink in the face with their mouths stretched out in that oval position that says something is stuck in their throat. Half the time all I have to do is hold their arms over their heads and pat them, the other half is me reaching into their mouths to pull out an entire wagon wheel (which is about the size of a silver dollar). I think they have actually regressed in this area. They are starting to choke on stars and cheerios these days too. If it aint pureed, they will choke on it. I have become so accustomed to it, seeing the choke doesn't even phase me anymore, like auto pilot I do the tricks that cause them to swallow, or hopefully just bring back up the piece they were choking on. Occasionally Cyrus has thrown up an entire meal, which makes me mad that all those calories we just battled to get down him are lost. Oh well, he eats again in four hours anyway.

I have one more exciting thing to tell everyone. The light switch turned on the other day in Collin's head concerning his glasses. He suddenly loves having them on! He has taken a bath with them on, and the other night he even started crying when Craig took them off to go to bed. It has dawned on him how much better life is when you can see! Cyrus still tries to pull them off, but not as much now that they are so mobile, he has much more interesting things to get his hands on. Like my plants (now on the kitchen table). Or my computer (also kitchen table). Or the kitchen table cloth (gone). Or the cat in his sleeping nook (poor kitty is trapped). All the shelves and coffee tables are clean and empty from about three feet now. It wont be long now before Cyrus is walking, and Collin is getting close to getting off his elbows and onto his hands while crawling.

Sorry no pics, my picture drive is still where my computer used to be. This time you get content. Lucky you!

UPDATE: Oh I just had to open my big mouth! Telling everyone that they were sleeping through the night, since they had done so four nights in a row. See all that I wrote four hours ago (time check: 4:57 AM)? Now I am wide awake because of them crying at their standard time, for almost a half hour now. I peeked in, saw no one was trapped in the crib bars or anything, and went back to the suffering of listening to my children cry and not going in there to comfort them. They are starting to fall back asleep now (dare I say it!)... too bad I wont for a while. Dammit.

It is working... I think

2006-02-25T21:23:00.000-06:00

So the battle to get Collin and Cyrus to sleep through the night continues and I have hardened myself to endure more nights like last night, but I jump ahead. Monday night was the second beginning to the sleep through the night ordeal. First it was give them water and rock them back to sleep. Then it was no water, but rock them. Then just coming in and patting them, letting them cry after. Now it is all them, while Mommy fights back the urge to go in there to "save" them from themselves. One will wake up and cry, then go back to sleep in a few minutes. Then the other may start up, and then they both are screaming. The desire to go in and calm them down is SO strong and it hurts to stay in bed. Last night it started up around 3:00 AM and did not completely stop until 4:15 AM. But I am determined to get this over with for two reasons: 1) I need to sleep, but everyone knows that 2) I am going on vacation in April and need the boys to sleep through the night for Grandma to keep her sanity while taking care of them for a week.

Yes, you heard me people- I am going to be out of town for a whole week in April! Okay, a day to get there, a day to get back, so about five days, taking jet lag into account (I hope). My best friend is currently living in Germany (at least until June) and she has been there for two years. I have always wanted to visit and things came together for me to do so thanks to my family and her generosity. I know some people may ask me if I am worried about being away from the boys for such a long time. My answer is no, not really. I know I will miss them and I am sure I will be calling often to see how they are, but I NEED this vacation and am so excited that I am going to Europe. I just hope my passport gets here in time.

Collin and Cyrus hang out with Daddy before bedtime.

All smiles for the laundry. Maybe if I teach them how to do the laundry...

I just wanted to show everyone how the boys use pacifiers. They are teething toys.

Oh, hi people! :)

2006-02-17T23:31:00.000-06:00

Some weeks it is so easy to post at least once a week, sometimes there is just so much going on that I am not at my computer regularly. I had so much to do this week that that the boys and I went out everyday! I cannot think of the last time I left the house so much in one week; must have been before we went into hiding. We had our RSV shots this week (only ONE more month!) and the boys have been doing great. I even started feeding them breakfast baby food now (mornings are so horrible, but I have buckled to my responsibilities) so now the boys are eating three squares a day. Let us hope that is the breeze that will send them over the edge to sleeping. Collin has been better about wearing his glasses recently for some reason. He has been more interested in standing and getting around so perhaps that is it. He needs new ones but we have to wait for our new insurance to kick in come March before we can. Ah, the sweet smell of quality insurance... it will be a life saver.

It took a little coaxing but we finally got Collin to crawl through the box.
Cyrus and Daddy eagerly await his arrival at the other end.

Cyrus could not crawl through fast enough. And he did it again and again...

...Until he sat on the box.
Collin is mesmerized by the baby on the box, he kept babbling to her.
Ah, so much fun in the packaging! By the way, Cyrus' footy pajamas glow in the
dark, little dinosaurs. Too cute!

A Big Mac in a Cup

2006-02-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

The nutritionist gave me a few samples of "a big mac in a cup" (330 calories in about three tablespoons) and I love the stuff. I can now give them their favorite foods like green beans, peas, and squash with decent caloric intake. The boys don't notice it and so I can slip it into their food and POOF tons more calories! Since they are still eating the same amount as they have been for ages now (8 oz of babyfood, and 10-14 oz. of Pediasure a day) I am so thankful for this stuff and I am going to get a prescription for it so I can use it regularly.

I know everyone is sick to death of my rantings on not sleeping, I know I am sick of dealing with it. The boys are regressing, and are now up every fours hours or so. I guess I have been slacking so much that the boys are in control. But I think Cyrus is on a growth spurt... is that a good rationalization? My mother thinks he is teething, should give him the teething tablets and then back to bed, buddy!

Here's Collin... Tada! He is in a walker (I know I know) eating Cheerios.

Like the matching outfits? Guess what Cyrus is about to do...

Happy Adjusted Birthday!

2006-02-07T00:25:00.000-06:00

Well today marks the one year adjusted age for the boys, due date Feb. 7, 2005. They are crawling, babbling incessantly, eating baby food, holding their own bottles, sitting up, laughing, smiling, playing... It is so hard to believe they have come so far from a year ago. My little boys are growing up so fast and I LOVE IT! Why you may ask? Because they are growing up of course! I mean these little preemies have overcome the odds in so many ways, it is such a blessing to be able to watch them everyday. Even with all the trials and issues we continue to face, I feel so very lucky for everyday I have my little boys in my life.

More good news- the nutritionist came by yesterday and said that Collin has gained a ton of weight since last month! Woo Hoo! All that calorie pushing seems to be working, thanks to Beech Nut baby food, extra calorie powder, and 30 calorie Pediasure. She even said that Collin measured longer than Cyrus! What a growth spurt, little man. Collin is now 19 lbs. 3 oz., 29 inches long; Cyrus is 21 lbs. 1 oz., 28 3/4 inches long.

The pipe dream about me sleeping through the night apparently was a temporary ordeal, because they are up two times a night now. Cyrus was up this morning at 7:30 AM! What was he thinking? And since I have been lazy, I have been feeding them and going right back to bed. I guess I should buckle down and try again .Craig keeps getting on my case about not sleeping, saying I should go to bed earlier. But in my mind, broken sleep is no better with an extra hour or two, even if I could get my night owl butt in bed before midnight. We shall see. If I can consider getting up at 10:00 AM sleeping in (and for those who do not know me so well, that was NOT sleeping in before the baby's were born), then maybe I can get the boys to sleep straight from 1:00 AM to 8:00 or 9:00 AM. Because we all know that is far more likely than me going to sleep before midnight.

And now for your viewing pleasure...

Baby Butts!! This adorable pic would have been SO much better if I could have
gotten my knee out of the way in time (they are fast little baby butts), but whatever. Its still pretty darn cute. Now you all can tell who is who right?

Here they are hamming it up to the Baby Paparazzi again in their playpen, which takes up much of our kitchen. Collin doesn't look taller then Cyrus...

Everyone does it, I took a picture of it. Cyrus with a mohawk. I meant to take a pic of Collin too, but Cyrus always grabs at Collin's hair when I do that. He distracted me from my shampoo photo opp. Next time. The boys are just about ready for another haircut... see Cyrus' hair is so long that it curls over, again.

Time for an Update

2006-01-31T23:09:00.000-06:00

The boys are getting better, I spilled some amoxicillin the other day and had to wait almost two days before the pediatrician's office would fill it. But they are sleeping beautifully!! Yea!! Sing praises for sleep! As long as I feed them around 1 AM then I can sleep until 9 AM. That is almost eight hours of sleep, people! Holy Cow! Last night Cyrus slept through his 1 AM feeding and then was up at 5 AM screaming with hunger, which woke up Collin who decided that was time to play. *sigh* They were a little off their schedule today.

But the good news is that they are eating a little better during the day, not quite making up for losing that 4:30 AM feeding, but getting there. I realised the other day that I still feed them every three to four hours when they are awake. I am trying to put them on a more strict schedule; up at 9 AM with a bottle for breakfast, nap time starts at noon (ideally til lunch since they only take one nap a day), lunch at 2 PM, dinner at 6 PM, then bathtime and in bed by 9 PM. They have a bottle "snack" between meals and before bed. It seems to be working so far, at least to some degree. The bedtime routine seems to be the best thing for them. They are all over the house these days so need those nightly baths.

Tonight the boys were all excited for their nightly bath.
They were watching the tub fill with water.

Collin was blinded by the bright light of the sunny warm days of Texas January.
Freakin' 80 degrees in January, what is up with that?!

Just had to show everyone this adorable pic of Craig and Gaia alseep on the couch.
I found them like this when I got home from the grocery store Friday night.
(Yes, I spend my Friday nights at the grocery store these days...)

Feeling better, finally

2006-01-27T00:55:00.000-06:00

It has been a difficult week for all of us and I have not had the energy to post. But things are finally looking up and we are feeling better. Tonight the boys did not have a fever at all, and I am not feeling as icky as I had been the past two days. Between the amoxicillin and the antihistamine/decongestant the boys are sleeping better. They have horrible snotty noses still and I think their noses are getting raw from all the running and wiping. Poor guys. Still not all into eating yet but... THEY HAVE SLEPT THROUGH THEIR 4 AM FEEDING TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!! Hallelujah! I even got the floors mopped today since Cyrus has figured out how to get around all the barriers that are not baby gates. I am going to feed Cyrus and go to bed now. Hope everyone is staying healthy.

Daddy was spending some quality time with the boys after work.
They always light up when they see him.

They are making their way to the living room after their bath.
It is good practice for them, Collin is really getting faster.

More Drugs...

2006-01-20T21:52:00.000-06:00

After consulting the pediatrician nurse over the phone we set up an appointment to see Dr D. this afternoon. He checked them out and after determining that the boys do not have strep or an ear infection, he put them on amoxicillin hoping to get the bug that is causing all this. They are miserable and not sleeping except in the car (even that is interrupted with fits of coughing). And to top it all off I think I am getting it too...
So I pulled out the big guns and went to my parent's house for help. Hopefully the extra hands will give me a chance to rest up and get better before I get sick. I cannot afford to be sick right now (of course when can I?). Wish us luck! I hope everyone else is staying healthy, if my boys can get sick while staying home so much, then anyone is at risk!

Sicky Icky

2006-01-20T01:01:00.000-06:00

All my men are sick, Craig came home from work early (meaning he left at his scheduled time) with all the same ickyness as the boys. The medicine that the pulmonologist just isn't cutting it anymore and I have had to go back to the OTC cough & cold stuff, including Tylenol for their fever. Poor Collin is coughing so hard that he cries and Cyrus being kept awake by coughing as well. I feel so sorry for all my guys, I am doing everything I can think of, I hope they can get some decent rest. The boys didn't want to go to bed because they weren't feeling good and have been coughing in their sleep. I know I am trying to get them to sleep through the night, but I may end up feeding them at 4:30 Am just to get some medicine down them. Now all I have to do is keep myself from getting this, whatever it is...

Almost there... Hurray!

2006-01-19T12:48:00.000-06:00

Last night was even better than yesterday, at this rate they may be sleeping through the night by next week! *knock on wood* I tried to let Cyrus cry it out this morning, but could only take ten minutes or so if his crying. (I know I was weak, but it was so sad!) I held Cyrus for maybe two minutes and he was asleep again. Excellent! So I went back to bed and they did not wake up until 9:00 AM, AGAIN! Collin slept through the night (wonderful, thank you Collin!), and I am getting so excited that this may be the end of my sleep deprived insanity (Of course something else will cause me to go insane, but at least it won't be the lack of sleep.) And get this, after feeding the boys at 12:30 AM I got into bed by 1:00 AM and was so excited to be in bed that I could not go to sleep! What is up with that? LOL

Poor Collin is getting sick. His cold has progressed to a mild fever at night and a runny nose like a faucet. I have been suctioning him every few hours to help keep him as clear as possible. He is on a decongestant and antihistamine, but it does not seem to be helping. It has been great for Cyrus however. *shrugs* I am hoping he gets better over the next few days so I do not have to take him to the doctor. They will probably say he just has a virus anyway, and send us on our way.

Just wanted to share this adorable pic of Cyrus. He was begging for Cheerios.

Better than the last...

2006-01-18T12:34:00.000-06:00

Night two is over and they did great! I gave them their midnight feed, went to bed by 1 AM, and like clockwork Cyrus woke up at 4:30 AM. I offered him water and then held him before putting him back into bed, doing the same for Collin immediately after. This time, however, I did not go back in when they woke up at 5:00 AM, I gritted my teeth, turned the monitor down a bit and just waited. They went back to sleep and did not wake up again until almost 9:00 AM! Thank you Universe! The power of prayer is amazing!

I felt refreshed and almost as if I had a good night's sleep when I got up to feed them. Wow. I forgot that I could wake up and feel like I could stay awake a while. Of course now that the boys are down for their nap, I am feeling the need to go lay down too. I am trying to put them on a more strict schedule, and perhaps that will help as well. Noon to 2:00 PM is nap time. Let's see if the boys agree...

Over the weekend my friend Tara came into town and she brought gifts for the boys.

Tara is reading the first book she brought for them, Cyrus is listening intently, you can tell by his concentrating thumb sucking technique.

Collin is helping Tara read the other book she gave them. He loves books. Thank you so much Auntie Tara! We loved playing with you this weekend. :)

Tara and Mommy getting in one adult picture for the weekend.
I had such a good time with her, come back any time Tara!

First Down...

2006-01-17T12:19:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I don't know jack about football, but my first night of trying to get the boys to sleep through the night is over. I gave them their midnight feed and Cyrus woke up at 4:15 AM to eat, or at least so he thought. I offered him some water, which of course he refused, and then I held him a few minutes before laying him back down. He went back to sleep and then went through the same process with Collin about a half hour later. That happened a few more times until 6:30 AM or so, when I let them cry a while. Collin went back to sleep on his own and I had to go hold Cyrus a bit before he fell asleep. They slept until just after 8:30 AM where they ate four ounces for breakfast! I think that is the most they have ever had so early in the day. They even took another three ounces before going down for their nap at noon. Wow! :)

It was not as bad as it could have been, and overall I was pretty happy with how the night went. My mother has counseled me that getting them to sleep through the night means eight hours without eating, so last night was perfect in that respect and great for my sleeping schedule. So tonight will be a repeat of last night, hopefully with less resistance from the boys.

Check this out... Collin pulled himself up on his own today!

Yea Collin! I am so proud of him!! He wanted the board books on the coffee table.

After their bath, the boys were playing in the nursery before getting ready for bed.
They like the Tiger puppet that sings "London Bridge."

Weight Problem

2006-01-16T14:35:00.000-06:00

Today was our monthly Synagis (RSV) shot and to my dismay, neither one of them has gained any weight since their last visit. We spoke to the Pulmonologist Nutritionist who said that giving them healthy vegetables is working against us right now since they are so low in calories. She recommends that I put vegetable oil in their baby food and Polycose (a powder made mostly of cornstarch)in their Pediasure. She even said give them french fries if they will eat them! Oh the horror (I said I would never give my infants fast food)!!
Since they are eating so little and since I am going to try and get them to sleep through the night I am torn about what to do. Tonight starts "Hell Week" where I plan to stop feeding them at night, first few days taking away the 4 AM feed and then taking away the midnight feed. They get water, hugs, and singing but no Pediasure. Hopefully the first thing that changes is that they will eat more than an ounce or two in the mornings. Wish us all luck, I am not looking forward to this...

After this weekend...

2006-01-13T01:11:00.000-06:00

I spoke with my pediatrician's nurse today asking for help about getting the boys to sleep. She recommended giving them water, since they probably wont like it. If after a few nights that doesn't work then, just hold them, do not feed them, and if necessary put them in different rooms for a while. That way if they need to cry it out, they will not wake the other. Wonderful. Just wonderful news. This weekend may not be the best time to start this since I have company coming in, but I will start this big fun on Monday I guess. Not the magic pill I was hoping for, but perhaps it will get them to eat more during the day in addition to sleeping through the night.

Shawn, it is probably very similar to your girls suddenly having "broken" pacifiers. They will suffer for a little while but once it is over life will be much better. Wish me luck everyone, I will let you know how the first night goes...

Sleep Deprivation Taking Its Toll

2006-01-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

My boys are not quite a year old, based on adjusted age... So I have a question to everyone: When do most twins start sleeping through the night? I have not slept more than three to four hours in a row in almost a year now. Granted I have had a day here and there, but one night every two months or so is not cutting it. Friends, I think I am going to lose it if these little guys do not start sleeping soon.

Collin is doing okay, usually waking only once in the middle of the night and has on a couple of occasions slept through the night. He sleeps when he is tired and goes down easily. I have hope for Collin, but Cyrus is the real problem. He does not like to sleep, period. He will only take one nap during the day and if I am lucky, it will be an hour long or so. Today he went down for an hour and a half, however it was not until 3:30 PM. Before his shunt problem he was getting close to sleeping through the night, but he has regressed significantly. He gets up at least twice a night. Last night he was up and awake from 3:30 AM to almost 5:00 AM.

I feel my ability to remember things is failing (yes, even more than normal) and my energy levels are failing. The state of my house is failing and I fear that one day I will overlook something involving the boys that would affect their health. Does anyone have any advice on getting more sleep? A vacation is on the top of my list, but it is a short term solution. I am eager to listen to any ideas you have to offer, and let me also offer my mirror of this blog on Blogger so anyone can post comments without having to get an account for anything. It is not as pretty as this one, but I have had a year to tweak the template.

Big sister Gaia stayed with us over the weekend.

Collin and Cyrus love it when she is around.

Daddy spending a little QT with the boys before bed. They are mesmerized.

Collin is proud of himself for pulling up onto the windowsill. He has come so far so quickly!

Feeling Justified, instead of Paranoid

2006-01-07T22:54:00.000-06:00

Tanner's mother sent me a very informative article today stating that RSV is on the rampage right now in North Texas... thought I would share it since I cannot link to the source without getting a member login. Made me feel very proud that I have been so careful about the boys going out this season, shows that our caution was not overstated. Thanks Teri Lyn, I bet you feel pretty good too!

Babies at risk from contagious virus

12:54 AM CST on Saturday, January 7, 2006 By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV

RSV information
from CDC

Doctors say a severe outbreak of a highly contagious virus is affecting the most vulnerable in North Texas. Thousands of children have already become sick, with many who are hospitalized.

Non-stop coughing prompted Marie Pardo to bring her seven-week-old daughter Alexa to the hospital. "She had a hoarseness; she could hardly cry," Pardo said.

Alexa was diagnosed with RSV--respiratory syncytial virus--and she's not alone.

"We have seen 450 cases of RSV bronchiolitis, which is a large number," said Dr. Octavio Ramilo, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children's Medical Center Dallas. "The majority are very young babies, as you can imagine, and we've had a lot of hospitalizations."

Dr. Ramilo said this is a serious outbreak, and that assessment was brought into sharp focus at the hospital's asthma treatment room--packed with little patients getting breathing treatments for a virus that looks like a common cold in adults, but can be very dangerous in babies.

RSV infects almost every child before they turn two years old. Some 125,000 children are hospitalized each year, and 500 of them die. Ten percent of those who get RSV have long-term respiratory problems, including asthma.

Especially vulnerable are those born prematurely or with other health conditions.

The signs of serious infection include:
difficult or rapid breathing
wheezing
irritability
poor appetite

RSV causes airways to close and lungs to become cloudy and inflamed. Pneumonia can set in.

RSV is common during the winter season, when viruses spread because people are confined indoors. But doctors say they're baffled by the current outbreak considering the unseasonably warm weather in North Texas.

"Try to protect those babies," Dr. Ramilo urged. "During this season, don't let a lot of the family members manipulate the babies."

Marie Pardo is grateful she got her little girl to the hospital in time. "As soon as she gets to get this oxygen off, she gets to go home."

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com

First Pics of the New Year

2006-01-06T13:12:00.000-06:00

I got a couple of great shots today that I wanted to share. They were sleepy and therefore a little goofy, and right after became very grumpy. They are napping right now. *Whew* But oh these pictures are the best! I have to say that the Baby Paparazzi has very photogenic children. Just for posterity, Collin now weighs 18 lbs. 6 oz. 28 inches & Cyrus weighs 20 lbs. 3 oz. 28 5/8 inches long. They are 14 months old, and their adjusted age makes them 10 1/2 months old now.

This is the one I put on the website thumbnail to replace the pea pod picture.
Look at those amazing smiles! They were both laughing hysterically of course.

Another wonderful shot of the boys laughing at the toy I was tickling them with.
They are getting so big!

Cyrus got a hold of the toy I was using to make them smile.
The feet jingle. This was after both of them started going after
Collin's glasses, so I figured I needed a distraction.

(Pretty easy to copy & paste from one site to the other.)

Just for you... and for me.

2006-01-06T12:44:00.000-06:00

I am starting this blog, in part for my friend who cannot access my xanga site, but also because I want to try the Blogger setup. For now, until I decide what to do, I may just copy the posts from my xanga site to here instead of sending them via email. Just for you Bobbie! :P

I will personalize the template more when I have time (aka- when the boys are sleeping!)