We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to celebrate over at Tara's parent's with all three babies in tow. Kevin's mom was going to host our family, but she came down sick the day before. Our nurse for the day was able to get Andrew ready by 10:30. It was a great day with family and time for us to be thankful for our many blessings. We're thankful every day, but it was good to think back over the past year.
Our babies are now 11 months old, and boy are they changing every day. There's so much going on with them that Kevin's been compiling a list to share.
Adelaide now has two teeth on her bottom and working on one or two on the top. We have several toys that play music, and Adelaide loves to bounce and bob her head when the music comes on. She seems to be the most musically inclined. She also crawls all over the place. Adelaide loves to crawl into Andrew's room, so we've put a gate up because of all the equipment in his room. She also enjoys crawling on us as we sit with them on the floor, which she's doing right now as we're typing. A few weeks ago, she weighed in at 17lbs. 9oz.
Mattie is doing very well with her helmet. Her head is shaping up nicely, and we anticipate it coming off at the end of December. Mattie is very thoughtful and observing. She's a watcher for sure. Mattie just got her first tooth. She was the last to cut one. She hasn't crawled on her own yet. We give her assistance by placing our hands behind her feet to give her something to push off. She can roll to toys on the floor, but we're working with her on the crawling. Mattie says mama very well. She likes to say it while crying when Tara leaves the room. Adelaide is also saying mama. Mattie weighed 16lbs. 8oz. a few weeks ago.
Andrew is doing very well. He's off the ventilator for 12 hours a day now. He has required oxygen while sleeping at night, so we're monitoring him and may need to go back to 10 hours off the ventilator. The big news is that Andrew has four teeth. He's got two bucky beavers up top that are so cute. He doesn't crawl as much as Adelaide, but his crawling is better. He can move around on hands and knees, goes from stomach to sitting up, and pulls himself up to standing position. We're guessing that he'll be the first to walk. Andrew still smiles the biggest smiles you've ever seen, and has a great disposition. He's been working with a Speech Therapist, and we've heard his voice several times through a speaking valve. He's even speaking through his trach as well. Andrew weighed 13lbs. 4oz. last week.
We recently took family photos to celebrate the babies first birthday and to use as a Christmas card. We're having a hard time deciding which one to use. We shot them at the Botanic Gardens, and they turned out wonderful. Keep an eye on the blog for future postings.
For a little fun, we gave the babies American Indian names in the spirit of Dances with Wolves. Adelaide (Voice like Thunder) Mattie (Stares at Face) and Andrew (Crawls like Worm).
Praise
The babies growth and development.
Andrew weaning off the ventilator.
The babies saying "mama".
God's provision for our family.
Crawling babies.
Prayer
Andrew's lungs would continue to strengthen.
Andrew would gain weight and strength.
Mattie would crawl.
Our nursing staff has been a little depleted. Please pray for qualified nurses.
For peace and joy in our house.
Kevin's still searching for a staff position. Please pray that the right job would come.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12
Keeping up with the blog has become harder and harder as the babies become more active and require more attention. We hope you continue to check in with us to see how the babies are doing. Our babies will be 10 months old next week. Can you believe it? Time has started to fly by. We'll be posting some new photos soon.
We have our first tooth sighting. Adelaide has cut her first tooth on the bottom. She drools quite a bit and loves to gnaw on the arm of her highchair. She's also the most vocal of the three. She has a great laugh, and we love to get her going. Adelaide also enjoys hearing herself scream out loud. She starting the motion to crawl and reaches for toys on the floor. She's really close to being mobile.
Mattie got her helmet last week. She did really well with the first fitting. She didn't fuss for the first few minutes. When she realized something was on her head, she tried to pull it off. She got used to the helmet after a half day though. We did have some trouble with pressure points on the helmet and had to leave it off overnight on the second night. Tara took her back in for adjustments, and she's now wearing the helmet 23 hours a day. We were going to paint and decorate her helmet, but after purchasing supplies from Hobby Lobby, and trying to paint the helmet; we decided to go with stickers. Mattie has butterflies and flowers all over her helmet now. The most exciting news for Mattie is that she finally turned over from back to front. And now, she does it all the time. She's really blossoming. She talks a lot more now, is more interactive, and loves being on her stomach. It's exciting to see them all develop.
Andrew had another vent clinic, and he is gaining weight at a better rate. His weight gain was more significant than the last vent clinic. The doctor has increased his feeds by 15ml. He's still taking two of his feeds by bottle, but has only taken the full feed a couple of times. Most times, the nurses will gavage the rest of his feed through his feeding tube. Andrew is now going 8 straight hours off the ventilator. He'll do that for another week, then move to 10 hours straight for 2 weeks, and then 12 hours straight for 4 weeks leading up to the next vent clinic.
Praise
Andrew's weight gain.
Andrew's increased weaning off the ventilator.
Adelaide's first tooth.
All the babies starting to teethe.
Mattie's adjustment to the helmet.
Mattie turning over.
Kevin has another interview with a different company on the 21st.
God's provision for our family.
Prayer
Continued growth and strength for the babies.
Andrew has had some increased oxygen needs lately. Pray that he wouldn't need the oxygen.
Mattie's head would shape in a timely matter.
Andrew would keep his food down.
We have our first tooth sighting. Adelaide has cut her first tooth on the bottom. She drools quite a bit and loves to gnaw on the arm of her highchair. She's also the most vocal of the three. She has a great laugh, and we love to get her going. Adelaide also enjoys hearing herself scream out loud. She starting the motion to crawl and reaches for toys on the floor. She's really close to being mobile.
Mattie got her helmet last week. She did really well with the first fitting. She didn't fuss for the first few minutes. When she realized something was on her head, she tried to pull it off. She got used to the helmet after a half day though. We did have some trouble with pressure points on the helmet and had to leave it off overnight on the second night. Tara took her back in for adjustments, and she's now wearing the helmet 23 hours a day. We were going to paint and decorate her helmet, but after purchasing supplies from Hobby Lobby, and trying to paint the helmet; we decided to go with stickers. Mattie has butterflies and flowers all over her helmet now. The most exciting news for Mattie is that she finally turned over from back to front. And now, she does it all the time. She's really blossoming. She talks a lot more now, is more interactive, and loves being on her stomach. It's exciting to see them all develop.
Andrew had another vent clinic, and he is gaining weight at a better rate. His weight gain was more significant than the last vent clinic. The doctor has increased his feeds by 15ml. He's still taking two of his feeds by bottle, but has only taken the full feed a couple of times. Most times, the nurses will gavage the rest of his feed through his feeding tube. Andrew is now going 8 straight hours off the ventilator. He'll do that for another week, then move to 10 hours straight for 2 weeks, and then 12 hours straight for 4 weeks leading up to the next vent clinic.
Praise
Andrew's weight gain.
Andrew's increased weaning off the ventilator.
Adelaide's first tooth.
All the babies starting to teethe.
Mattie's adjustment to the helmet.
Mattie turning over.
Kevin has another interview with a different company on the 21st.
God's provision for our family.
Prayer
Continued growth and strength for the babies.
Andrew has had some increased oxygen needs lately. Pray that he wouldn't need the oxygen.
Mattie's head would shape in a timely matter.
Andrew would keep his food down.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 28
We've been enjoying the great Texas weather with the babies over the last few days. We spread a blanket under one of our trees in the backyard and all three babies took naps. Adelaide seemed to enjoy the time the most. She had a very excited look in her eyes, and she kept licking her lips and kicking her legs before she finally fell asleep. We're excited that The Three Peets are now 9 months old.
Adelaide is turning over with regularity now. She also cries out when you step away from her to get attention. She gets very slap happy at night, and with just a little dance or a funny face, we can get her laughing. It's a scream to watch her. She will help pick her bib out by reaching into the drawer to select one. Adelaide is taking 3 solid food meals a day and weighed 15lbs 7oz. at her 9 month appointment. She was also in the 100 percentile for height.
Mattie continues to catch up to Adelaide in weight. She's now 15lbs. 1oz. She's also ranked high in height. Mattie turns over with help, but she's getting close to doing it on her own. We think she's teething too. Mattie's been chewing on her nipple and cries while eating some times. We've decide to get a helmet to shape her head. She's been fitted and will get her new helmet on October 4.
Andrew is now off the ventilator for 4 hours twice a day. He does very well, and we love having him mobile. He still has spit up issues, and is a slow grower. Andrew weighs a little over 11lbs. He has gone a day or so without spitting up, but no longer. Andrew turns over by himself. We finally got a speech therapist to see him, and hope to have occupational and physical therapy lined up soon. We've had a difficult time getting any agencies to come to our town.
Praise
Andrew doing better and better off the ventilator.
Mattie improving developmentally.
Adelaide and her slap happy self.
Kevin has had a phone interview, and 3 back to back interviews with one company. It looks promising. He also has an "in" with another company that has an open position.
Growth and strength for the babies.
Tara's been getting steady jobs as a tutor.
Prayer
Andrew would hold down his food and grow.
Mattie would feel better.
Strength for Tara.
Adelaide is turning over with regularity now. She also cries out when you step away from her to get attention. She gets very slap happy at night, and with just a little dance or a funny face, we can get her laughing. It's a scream to watch her. She will help pick her bib out by reaching into the drawer to select one. Adelaide is taking 3 solid food meals a day and weighed 15lbs 7oz. at her 9 month appointment. She was also in the 100 percentile for height.
Mattie continues to catch up to Adelaide in weight. She's now 15lbs. 1oz. She's also ranked high in height. Mattie turns over with help, but she's getting close to doing it on her own. We think she's teething too. Mattie's been chewing on her nipple and cries while eating some times. We've decide to get a helmet to shape her head. She's been fitted and will get her new helmet on October 4.
Andrew is now off the ventilator for 4 hours twice a day. He does very well, and we love having him mobile. He still has spit up issues, and is a slow grower. Andrew weighs a little over 11lbs. He has gone a day or so without spitting up, but no longer. Andrew turns over by himself. We finally got a speech therapist to see him, and hope to have occupational and physical therapy lined up soon. We've had a difficult time getting any agencies to come to our town.
Praise
Andrew doing better and better off the ventilator.
Mattie improving developmentally.
Adelaide and her slap happy self.
Kevin has had a phone interview, and 3 back to back interviews with one company. It looks promising. He also has an "in" with another company that has an open position.
Growth and strength for the babies.
Tara's been getting steady jobs as a tutor.
Prayer
Andrew would hold down his food and grow.
Mattie would feel better.
Strength for Tara.
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