Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Keeping it Light

Here are some adorable pictures of the girls laughing at their Daddy. I have all kinds of sad, depressing posts running through my head, but I'm just not up to it right now, so I guess I'll try to keep it light. I just spent three days at a conference in Lansing. It was the first time I have been away from the girls for a whole entire day since they were born! I didn't know if I would be able to do it, but I actually enjoyed the time away. Lucky me, I have some great friends who live in Lansing who let me crash at their house (Thanks Donna and Tim!). Donna and I actually went out to a movie last night. And I got to sleep through the night 2 nights in a row, without listening to a baby monitor. It's amazing the difference that you get in the quality of sleep! I do get to sleep through the night at home, but it is a different kind of sleep when you are taking care of babies.

The girls had their 15 month appointment with the pediatrician on Monday. John took them with my mom's help. It was the very first doctor's appointment that I didn't go to! I did arm John with a list of questions and told him the info that I wanted him to write down for me. Holland weighed in at 17 pounds 4 ounces, and Eden at 15 pounds 2 ounces. I really thought Eden was closer to 16 pounds, but oh well. The doctor was pleased with both of their growth, and they are continuing to move up on the charts approaching the normal curve for their actual age. Holland is actually on the charts in head circumference, and length, and is pretty close in weight. Eden has further to go. Who knows if she will ever truly be on the charts for her actual age, given that she has the cards stacked against her. Children with CP are generally smaller and have a harder time gaining weight than other kids. I would just like to keep them in the same size clothes. What a pain it will be to try to keep track of two different sizes!

Both girls are learning so much and showing off new tricks all the time. Holland has about 4 words in her vocabulary. She says "mama," "baba" (which could mean bottle or baby?), "getcha, getcha," and "kisses." She also makes kisssing noises with her mouth, clicks her tongue, blows rasberries, and chuckles "hahaha" when we do it to her. She loves pictures of babies, baby dolls, and Eden, and wants to give them kisses and pat them on the back. Eden just recently learned to pass Cheerios from her hand to her mouth, a big accomplishment that we were eagerly anticipating! She is also holding her own bottle on occasion. Her newest and favorite trick is what we call "ojitos" (means small eyes in Spanish). This is what we say when she squinches her eyes up at us. She will do it in response to us, or just to be cute and get our attention. She also continues to do a lot of imitation, such as nodding her head yes and no, opening and closing her mouth, and pointing her index finger and shaking it around. Eden loves her toys. Right now her favorites are two maracas (one in each hand that she bangs together), the Bobble and Giggle Pals, and the Roll-a-Rounds Turtle. She is very systematic in her play, and likes to pop up one animal at a time, and take out one ball at a time, then we put them back in and she does it all again:)

11 comments:

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

I hope everything is ok.

Glad to get an update of the girls.

They are always so beautiful and the picture of them laughing at their daddy is the best!

Anonymous said...

You've come a long way baby!!!! Just to be able to leave the girls and maybe have some quality "self" time. But you also have great help and support with John and your Mom. The girls are just getting more adorable with time:) Your story holds much inspiration for others, keep up the smiles, laughter and love you give. Love to all Candy

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you got a little getaway time, sometimes it's all you need to get a breather and come back at it renewed.
That Nana is a great woman to help John out so you could go! Bless you Nana!
The girlies are so funny and adorable...time is blasting by us, their second Christmas is coming up! Ohhhh and Santa..those will be interesting photos!! I can't wait! Love and big hugs all around, Mamma Jules

Kendra Lynn said...

I'm glad you got to get away for a couple days, Billie. Every mommy needs that getaway time. I hope you came home feeling rejuvenated and rested.
I'm glad the girls are doing so well. :) They are beautiful.

I know what you mean about keeping track of two different sizes of clothing. Merry and Kelsey are ONE size apart in their dresses AND their shoes. I have two of almost everything, and its hard to figure out which dress belongs to which girl...whew.
I feel for ya.
Love you lots.

Kendra

Anonymous said...

Wow, I'm jealous you got to sleep through the night. I don't think I can really remember what that is or how it would feel. The girls are beautiful, as usual, and are growing so quickly! I miss you guys dearly and can't wait to see you - though that won't be for some time. I so look forward to your posts, Billie, they really make my day. Much love - Jess

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear about your getaway weekend; I'm sure it was good to get a little adult conversation and re-charge your batteries.

Don't worry about the girls possibly wearing different size clothing. It happens sooner or later to many multiples. Our Katie has been about 1/2 size bigger than Maggie for several years. They don't really share clothes anyway, even the tops that fit either girl. I keep them all in the same drawers, but they remember which outfit belongs to which girl, and are uncomfortable about wearing each other's things. Even if I want Maggie to wear something that is now too small for Katie, most of the time she refuses!

I guess they are developing their own identities, and I should support that, but sometimes it's a nuisance. I'm glad we get a lot of hand-me-down clothes, so it's not breaking the bank to maintain separate wardrobes for 3 five year olds - two girls and a boy.

Best wishes to all of you,
SheilaC

Anonymous said...

hi guys! i too am happy to hear you got to spend a little time with donna and tim. i bet it was great to have a little time for yourself. the girlies look adorable and i am sure they had a great time with daddy (and nana of course)! i can't wait to see you guys at thanksgiving! much love,
lisa

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear of the girls' progress, Billie. You always post such cute pictures. Digital cameras are so great, aren't they? You never get stuck with a "dud" .
Glad to read, also, of your recent "get-away":much needed, I'm sure.
We love you all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip on the bobble and giggle pals. I just bought one from your link. :-) I'm curious to know, did the CP diagnosis get confirmed by the PT or is this just from the MRI comment? Also, my micropreemie was also wearing those hot pants (forgot the name, the crawling pants to make the legs more inward- I call them hot pants because hers were hot pink) and they really worked great! -E

Billie said...

E-
The PT actually told us in advance of the MRI that we should prepare for a diagnosis of CP. The MRI really just confirmed what we already suspected. And that was 3 months ago. The CP is even more apparent at this point. At 15.5 months (12 months adjusted) Eden is not able to sit up, even with support, and has a hard time holding her head up for any length of time. Luckily the CP doesn't affect her arms/hands/facial muscles. She has good fine motor with her hands that is improving all the time.

Hey, we call them hot pants too because Holland's are also hot pink! I'll post a pic soon.
Billie

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