Well, I will answer the questions about Christmas and New Years first.
The girls are definately spoiled. They had many gifts, and for us they were our gift. The girls are getting bigger, and are now mostly wearing 0-3 month clothes. Another strange event, is that on their checkup just before christmas, Alyssa is now weighing more than her sister.
For Christmas, we went to my inlaws for christmas eve, then opened gifts to eachother and from us to the girls on christmas day at our house. At about 5 pm we went up to Wichita because my mom's birthday was on saturday. We opened gifts at her house, then left on saturday because Gary had to work on Sunday. Everyone seemed to enjoy seeing them, and the girls actually opened a few of their gifts, with my help of course. They would grip the paper, then I would either turn the present or lean back so the paper would rip. It was quite cute and we got some good pictures of it. I will post those later.
For New years, we slept. That was the highlight of our New Years. We fell asleep at 11pm New Years Eve, and slept in other than getting up to feed the girls.
This last weekend, the girls rode with me and my friend Amanda on horses. We used those papuse packs and rode around a small lake on private property. It was rather fun.
Looking back over this year, a lot has happened. I got pregnant, which I was told could have not happened. Having the disease PCOS, it could have made me infertile, and the fertility treatments do not always work. I was extremely lucky because it worked on the first treatment, and then it worked so well that I had two beautiful girls.
My cousin's family lost their little girl during my pregnancy. It was difficult going to the funeral, but it was a beautiful one, and I am sure that she will continue to live on through her parents and brothers. Her healing grace raised awareness of heart disease and showed the family about the meaning of life a little more, and showed all of us the value of a day, a hour, a minute, and a second. Something that we will probably not forget anytime soon. Ava, your memory will live on, and you will remain loved.
Alyssa and Sierra were born 6 weeks early, had a 2 week stay in the hospital, Sierra got braces on her feet, and the girls have both been given SoonerStart to try to catch up to their peers in their development.
Gary and I celebrated our wedding anniversary during the girls' stay in the hospital, so we celebrated the anniversary of the day we met on December 21. We stayed in a bed and breakfast where we had dinner served in our room, a massage for 2 in our room, and a one night stay in a very nice suite. The bed and breakfast was here in the city, and my mom had come down for the day to watch them.
Also, my mom got engaged to be married and has decided to have the ceremony in July of this year.
I will post the pictures later from the holiday. I hope that everyone had a good holiday, and has a great new year. May the blessings of the season be with your family as it has been with ours, and I look forward to continuing to share the experiences of our daughters with you in this year and the years to come.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Photos
As mentioned in my last email, my retrieval system to get my photos from my camera is down. However, I have found a way around that, so here are some new photos. The first ones are from when my mom was here last. (She tries to come once a month to see the girls, Gary, and me.)
The next set of photos came when we went to see my grandma. We went the week before Thanksgiving. My cousins son, Kaden, is looking so well. It was great to see him and his parents. It was also great to see how great of a big brother he was to Ava and will be to Brody. He really impressed my husband and I by helping his mom change my daughter's diaper.
And Cousin Amy bought a pretty outfit for both Sierra and Alyssa. Alyssa is in her outfit in the picture above with Miles, and Sierra is pictured below.
The week after Thanksgiving, we were visited by my uncle, David.
The week of Thanksgiving, our plans were cancelled. Instead of going to my fathers as we had planned, we went to Dallas and saw my cousin Shaun, his wife Erica, and his father Phillip.
The next set of photos came when we went to see my grandma. We went the week before Thanksgiving. My cousins son, Kaden, is looking so well. It was great to see him and his parents. It was also great to see how great of a big brother he was to Ava and will be to Brody. He really impressed my husband and I by helping his mom change my daughter's diaper.
The girls had so much fun meeting Miles, my Grandma (aka Nana, not pictured), and Marilyn.
And Cousin Amy bought a pretty outfit for both Sierra and Alyssa. Alyssa is in her outfit in the picture above with Miles, and Sierra is pictured below. The week after Thanksgiving, we were visited by my uncle, David. The week of Thanksgiving, our plans were cancelled. Instead of going to my fathers as we had planned, we went to Dallas and saw my cousin Shaun, his wife Erica, and his father Phillip.Friday, December 5, 2008
SoonerStart
Well, I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. I started back at work recently, and with that and school is making it hard to post.
Here is an update on the girls. Earlier this week they had a weight check and nutrition appointment at WIC. The good news is that they are gaining weight. Sierra is now 8lbs 5 oz, and Alyssa is 8lbs. They are still a little under weight, but seem to be gaining so it is not so much a concern any more.
However, with them not having the weight that they should have had, their muscles did not develop quick enough, so now they have some development issues. Primarily because they were early, but also due to the weight issues.
Oklahoma has this program that I mentioned above. It is for children like mine that are behind in their development. It is a free program that offers weekly nurse visits, doctor visits, and visits by physical, behavorial, and speech therapists for up to age 3 for these children. To get in the program, a persons child has to be at least a cumulative total of 50% behind. My daughters qualified. It is one of those things that I am looking at in different ways now. While I did not want them to get this diagnosis, it is a good thing that since they need it they qualify. For that, and all they help we get from family and friends, we are blessed.
Thanksgiving was ok. Two weeks prior we went up to Kansas so the girls could meet Amy, her mom Cindy and dad Tom, and their Nana (my grandmother). Everyone, including the kids, got a kick out of the twins. They were loved instantly. What can I say, I have the BEST family, both in my husband's relatives, and in my own.
For thanksgiving, the girls got to meet more people. We went to see my cousin Shaun and his family. It is rather special for me since Shaun and I grew up more as brother and sister than cousins. His father was there for me when mine was unable to be, and my mother was there for Shaun in the same way. Again, everyone fell in love with the girls. They behaved rather well, and have even with the large amount of people that they have met. They remain calm through it all and still mainly fuss only when they need attention.
Well, the girls are now 14 weeks old. It has been a crazy road so far, and I know that there will only be more as we go on, but I would not trade it for anything. I would not like to repeat it, but I am also glad that I have this opportunity to be their mother. I continue to try to do the very best for them, and continue to just do, learning new things every day in their care. The strange thing is that it is not the basics that I am learning, but quirky things. For instance, the soft spot on a childs head is used to tell hydration. If it is caved in, then the child is dehydrated and needs fluids quick.
Since I am not breastfeeding anymore, I am only pumping, I have to mix the breastmilk with formula. I gave a bottle of this mixture to Sierra one time, not knowing that the breastmilk had gone bad. Sierra refused to eat it and continued to fuss. We gave her a new bottle with milk from a different container, and it was fine. So, there again, I learned that even if I can not tell, my daughter will tell me. Gosh, they are so smart.
Well, it is getting late. I am going to try to get some sleep (maybe) while I can.
Here is an update on the girls. Earlier this week they had a weight check and nutrition appointment at WIC. The good news is that they are gaining weight. Sierra is now 8lbs 5 oz, and Alyssa is 8lbs. They are still a little under weight, but seem to be gaining so it is not so much a concern any more.
However, with them not having the weight that they should have had, their muscles did not develop quick enough, so now they have some development issues. Primarily because they were early, but also due to the weight issues.
Oklahoma has this program that I mentioned above. It is for children like mine that are behind in their development. It is a free program that offers weekly nurse visits, doctor visits, and visits by physical, behavorial, and speech therapists for up to age 3 for these children. To get in the program, a persons child has to be at least a cumulative total of 50% behind. My daughters qualified. It is one of those things that I am looking at in different ways now. While I did not want them to get this diagnosis, it is a good thing that since they need it they qualify. For that, and all they help we get from family and friends, we are blessed.
Thanksgiving was ok. Two weeks prior we went up to Kansas so the girls could meet Amy, her mom Cindy and dad Tom, and their Nana (my grandmother). Everyone, including the kids, got a kick out of the twins. They were loved instantly. What can I say, I have the BEST family, both in my husband's relatives, and in my own.
For thanksgiving, the girls got to meet more people. We went to see my cousin Shaun and his family. It is rather special for me since Shaun and I grew up more as brother and sister than cousins. His father was there for me when mine was unable to be, and my mother was there for Shaun in the same way. Again, everyone fell in love with the girls. They behaved rather well, and have even with the large amount of people that they have met. They remain calm through it all and still mainly fuss only when they need attention.
Well, the girls are now 14 weeks old. It has been a crazy road so far, and I know that there will only be more as we go on, but I would not trade it for anything. I would not like to repeat it, but I am also glad that I have this opportunity to be their mother. I continue to try to do the very best for them, and continue to just do, learning new things every day in their care. The strange thing is that it is not the basics that I am learning, but quirky things. For instance, the soft spot on a childs head is used to tell hydration. If it is caved in, then the child is dehydrated and needs fluids quick.
Since I am not breastfeeding anymore, I am only pumping, I have to mix the breastmilk with formula. I gave a bottle of this mixture to Sierra one time, not knowing that the breastmilk had gone bad. Sierra refused to eat it and continued to fuss. We gave her a new bottle with milk from a different container, and it was fine. So, there again, I learned that even if I can not tell, my daughter will tell me. Gosh, they are so smart.
Well, it is getting late. I am going to try to get some sleep (maybe) while I can.
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