The girls visit went really well. The great news is that I was given the clearance to move forward with giving the girls cow's milk. Woohoo. No more formula. Looking back, the girls only had to have a small amount of formula for 2.5 short weeks and I didn't even have to buy a can, we just used the 2 cans of samples we were given for free.
This solidifies the beginning of the weaning process. I am currently pumping 5-6 times a day and I want to slowly start dropping pumping sessions and allowing the girls to have small amounts of whole milk to make sure they handle it well. By the San Diego trip in 3.5 weeks I want to be down to 1 or 2 pumps a day to be able to enjoy the vacation rather than setting the day in 3-4 hour increments of time where I have to pump.
Here are the girls' stats:
Addison:
Weight: 18 pounds 5oz 10th%ile
Length: 28 3/4inches 25-50th%ile
Head: 18 1/2 inches 90th%ile
Keep in mind, the percentiles don't reflect their adjusted age of when they should have been born. If they did that, the girls would be right on the top end of the charts with their head circumference off the charts. :)
Riley:
Weight: 18 pounds 7oz 10th%ile
Length: 28 1/2inches 25-50th%ile
Head: 18 1/2 inches 90th%ile
It is interesting to see Riley weighing in 2oz bigger than her older sister. I think this is because Riley really likes her carbs like her Gerber puffs and she also sleeps an extra 2 hours a day longer than Addison.
The girls got their vaccinations and did really well with just a few minutes of crying. They also had a repeat hemoglobin test since they were slightly anemic last time but now they are not. Yay Iron rich food. We are going to start moving away from the baby foods and start giving the girls more of our food. They do really well with finger foods and love to feed themselves. We also have to start the transition to the sippy cups. The girls love love love their bottles and haven't liked a single sippy cup yet so this will be a tough one. Riley does well with drinking out of a regular cup and even a straw so she may do better, but only time will tell. If anyone has any suggestions on this, let me know.
All in all, things are going well and the girls are right on track for their adjusted age. They will have a home visit from the developmental specialist in 2 weeks along with a visit with the physical therapist to check on their development. Hopefully we will continue to have good news to report.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
One Year Ago Today......
A year ago today I welcomed our sweet girls into the world. They came into the world 7 weeks and 1 day earlier than they should have, but the day was still a glorious one. My water broke the day before around 8pm and I had an ultrasound to let us know that both girls were head down and I could try for a vaginal delivery.
Here was the first time I met Addison at 12:33pm:
She only took a few short pushes to come into the world, all 4 pounds 6oz of her. Addie is my sweet happy girl. She has the most infectious laugh. She loves to be tickled and played with. She is great at stealing her sister's toys even if she has the same toy in her hand. Can we say, "the grass is greener on the other side?" She was the first to enter this world, roll over, sit-up, crawl and I can bet she may walk first as well.
Riley was our second born, our baby "B". I was happy to learn after delivering Addison that Riley was still head down allowing me to continue with the vaginal delivery and not have to have a c-section. Riley came out in a pancake position with her head and feet together in a pike style. She was tiny at 3 pounds 12 ounces but she looked happy and healthy to me. I didn't even notice how small she really was.
Here is my first view of Riley delivered 8 minutes after Addison at 12:41pm:
Riley is our strong-willed child. Doesn't every family have one? She knows what she wants and wants it right away. She loves to talk and get attention. She has the best smile with so many little teeth coming in. She loves the camera and will poss for you almost on command. She is a thinker and is great at fine motor skills. She will find the smallest speck of dirt on the floor and put it in her mouth. :)
This year has been exciting and challenging to learn to be parents with not just one baby but two. We get double the joy, but also double the crying and late nights. We take them all in stride and learn from our mistakes. We waited so long to be parents and Addison and Riley brought us exactly what we were looking for.
Happy Birthday sweet girls! We hope to have another great year with many firsts and new experiences.
Here was the first time I met Addison at 12:33pm:
She only took a few short pushes to come into the world, all 4 pounds 6oz of her. Addie is my sweet happy girl. She has the most infectious laugh. She loves to be tickled and played with. She is great at stealing her sister's toys even if she has the same toy in her hand. Can we say, "the grass is greener on the other side?" She was the first to enter this world, roll over, sit-up, crawl and I can bet she may walk first as well.
Riley was our second born, our baby "B". I was happy to learn after delivering Addison that Riley was still head down allowing me to continue with the vaginal delivery and not have to have a c-section. Riley came out in a pancake position with her head and feet together in a pike style. She was tiny at 3 pounds 12 ounces but she looked happy and healthy to me. I didn't even notice how small she really was.
Here is my first view of Riley delivered 8 minutes after Addison at 12:41pm:
Riley is our strong-willed child. Doesn't every family have one? She knows what she wants and wants it right away. She loves to talk and get attention. She has the best smile with so many little teeth coming in. She loves the camera and will poss for you almost on command. She is a thinker and is great at fine motor skills. She will find the smallest speck of dirt on the floor and put it in her mouth. :)
This year has been exciting and challenging to learn to be parents with not just one baby but two. We get double the joy, but also double the crying and late nights. We take them all in stride and learn from our mistakes. We waited so long to be parents and Addison and Riley brought us exactly what we were looking for.
Happy Birthday sweet girls! We hope to have another great year with many firsts and new experiences.
Quick Monday Weigh In:
This is a great Monday morning knowing that my girls are 1 year old today. We had so much to do to get the party ready so I didn’t focus on my eating as much as I was earlier in the week. I had stayed at 144 even for several days but then over the weekend I went up .4 of a pound. I am happy that my weight didn’t go up much at all with the extra calories I consumed.
So overall for the week, I was down. 2.4 pounds even with my .4 increase. I hope to continue losing around 2 pounds per week until we go to San Diego allowing me to lose 8 more pounds before the trip. Wish me luck.
Today I am going to focus on the girls actual birthday and put together a post remembering this day a year ago.
So overall for the week, I was down. 2.4 pounds even with my .4 increase. I hope to continue losing around 2 pounds per week until we go to San Diego allowing me to lose 8 more pounds before the trip. Wish me luck.
Today I am going to focus on the girls actual birthday and put together a post remembering this day a year ago.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Birthday Party Festivities
We had such a great success at the girls party. As a parent, I learned the stress that goes along with putting together a big party and taking care of 12 month old girls at the same time. I had a few melt down moments leading up to the start of the party but once things got going, I was happy to just sit back and watch my girls enjoy their day.
The girls' nap schedule was a little off and I worried that they would be too tired but they actually did really well. I only think we heard a few cries at the end of the party. We feel so blessed to have happy healthy one year old girls that bring us so much joy.
Here are the pictures from the big day:
Riley and my Mom:
Party decorations:
Riley with our Friend Michael:
Addison with Aunt Joan:
Taking a bottle break:
Enjoying the festivities:
Riley with Daddy and our neighbors:
Brea and me:
My cousin John's daughter London playing with the balls:
Cake Time:
Riley:
Addie:
Riley Yum Yum:
My two favorite:
Addie using her cake as a leg rest
And the beautiful messy face and hands
Riley with my Dad:
Present Time:
Our big money!!!
Their favorite present - Tissue paper:
Brea and Riley:
If you made it through all the fun, great job!
Thanks to everyone who showed up an thanks to those that helped us set up and clean up. The day was so much fun and the girls are now sleeping peacefully after such a long day.
Happy 1st Birthday Girls!!!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!!
The girls' nap schedule was a little off and I worried that they would be too tired but they actually did really well. I only think we heard a few cries at the end of the party. We feel so blessed to have happy healthy one year old girls that bring us so much joy.
Here are the pictures from the big day:
Riley and my Mom:
Party decorations:
Riley with our Friend Michael:
Addison with Aunt Joan:
Taking a bottle break:
Enjoying the festivities:
Riley with Daddy and our neighbors:
Brea and me:
My cousin John's daughter London playing with the balls:
Cake Time:
Riley:
Addie:
Riley Yum Yum:
My two favorite:
Addie using her cake as a leg rest
And the beautiful messy face and hands
Riley with my Dad:
Present Time:
Our big money!!!
Their favorite present - Tissue paper:
Brea and Riley:
If you made it through all the fun, great job!
Thanks to everyone who showed up an thanks to those that helped us set up and clean up. The day was so much fun and the girls are now sleeping peacefully after such a long day.
Happy 1st Birthday Girls!!!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
1st Birthday Pictures
Caution...this will be extremely picture heavy.
Am I really posting 1st birthday pictures? I guess it is already that time. Their party is Sunday the 25th and their actualy birthday is Monday the 26th.
The girls had a blast getting into their cupcakes and making a big mess. It was hard to get them to stay in one place and not crawl away but we did catch a few shots.
I want to say thanks to my girl Trinity for making their flower head bows even though the girls kept pulling them off. We probably put them back on their heads about 15 times and they were never in the "proper" position according to the way Trinity says to wear them. LOL We tried, I swear. :)
Enjoy:
1st shot, deer in the headlights by Addie
Riley
Addie
Patty Cake Girls
Riley
Sweet Sisters
Riley
Cake Time:
Am I really posting 1st birthday pictures? I guess it is already that time. Their party is Sunday the 25th and their actualy birthday is Monday the 26th.
The girls had a blast getting into their cupcakes and making a big mess. It was hard to get them to stay in one place and not crawl away but we did catch a few shots.
I want to say thanks to my girl Trinity for making their flower head bows even though the girls kept pulling them off. We probably put them back on their heads about 15 times and they were never in the "proper" position according to the way Trinity says to wear them. LOL We tried, I swear. :)
Enjoy:
1st shot, deer in the headlights by Addie
Riley
Addie
Patty Cake Girls
Riley
Sweet Sisters
Riley
Cake Time:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Finally
I have two things to report about the word "finally"!
The big news is that Addison finally cut her 1st tooth. One week shy of turning 1, this girl decided she didn't want to be toothless for her 1st birthday. She has been extra fussy lately and we have had trouble getting her down to bed, so this explains a lot. I had almost got to the point where I wasn't checking her gums very often since she was not cutting teeth like her sister, but last night I stuck my finger in her mouth and felt the sharp edge of lower right tooth poking through. Yay Addison!!!!
Riley is still going strong with 6 teeth and I'm sure a few more are getting close.
The next topic about the word finally, is that I finally finished my masters degree. My degree is an MBA with an emphasis in health care administration. I am so happy to not have deadlines over my head anymore. No more papers, no more research, no more school!!!! Woohooo. The girls and I will have more free time together after work and on the weekends. I feel proud of myself for sticking through school for the last 5 years of my life. So much has changed and throughout all the change, I kept my focus and took each step to getting my graduate degree. Jesse is so close as well. He has 2 weeks left and he will be in the same boat. He also has 4.5 weeks left of teaching school before he can enjoy the summer off. What a lucky dad!
The big news is that Addison finally cut her 1st tooth. One week shy of turning 1, this girl decided she didn't want to be toothless for her 1st birthday. She has been extra fussy lately and we have had trouble getting her down to bed, so this explains a lot. I had almost got to the point where I wasn't checking her gums very often since she was not cutting teeth like her sister, but last night I stuck my finger in her mouth and felt the sharp edge of lower right tooth poking through. Yay Addison!!!!
Riley is still going strong with 6 teeth and I'm sure a few more are getting close.
The next topic about the word finally, is that I finally finished my masters degree. My degree is an MBA with an emphasis in health care administration. I am so happy to not have deadlines over my head anymore. No more papers, no more research, no more school!!!! Woohooo. The girls and I will have more free time together after work and on the weekends. I feel proud of myself for sticking through school for the last 5 years of my life. So much has changed and throughout all the change, I kept my focus and took each step to getting my graduate degree. Jesse is so close as well. He has 2 weeks left and he will be in the same boat. He also has 4.5 weeks left of teaching school before he can enjoy the summer off. What a lucky dad!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday Weigh In
Surprisingly enough, the weight is still coming off. At this point, I am in the slow and steady boat. Last Monday I was 146.8 and this Monday I am 145.6. Down 1.2 pounds for this last week. I have allowed myself a few cheat items like a cinnamon and sugar bagel at work on Friday, El Pollo Loco with my family on Saturday night and some fat free frozen yogurt.
It is nice to know that I can still enjoy a few treats and continue to lose weight. Right now I am just about at my goal of losing 15 pounds before the San Diego trip. Now it looks like I can lose an extra 5 pounds if I stick it out and continue to make progress. We leave for San Diego in 5 weeks from today so a pound a week would put me right at a 20 pound loss. Now that is a significant lose for my body and I know that this style of eating is more of a lifestyle change rather than a diet and I can continue on this path with no issues. Ultimately I would like to lose another 15-17 more pounds to be at my goal. For now, I am just happy with my progress and continued success.
It is nice to know that I can still enjoy a few treats and continue to lose weight. Right now I am just about at my goal of losing 15 pounds before the San Diego trip. Now it looks like I can lose an extra 5 pounds if I stick it out and continue to make progress. We leave for San Diego in 5 weeks from today so a pound a week would put me right at a 20 pound loss. Now that is a significant lose for my body and I know that this style of eating is more of a lifestyle change rather than a diet and I can continue on this path with no issues. Ultimately I would like to lose another 15-17 more pounds to be at my goal. For now, I am just happy with my progress and continued success.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
March of Dimes 2010
This morning we got up super early to be downtown for the March of Dimes walk by 7am. The girls were really wondering what was going on since they normally go back to sleep after waking up for their 1st bottle rather than jumping into the car.
We got down to he walk site with no hiccups and got ourselves registered. We waited on Brea to show up. She had made our team shirts that had the girls NICU pictures with their birth weights on the front and their "now" pictures on the back. We didn't give enough time for the task so Brea made iron on prints of their pictures. Next year we will have custom shirts made. Despite our procrastination, we got a few comments on our shirts.
Here is Brea and me together with our shirts. It is hard to see the pictures but they looked much better in person:
The girls were very tired and cranky when we started the walk. By this point, they were well past their morning nap time and all the noise and stimulation was wearing on them.
Here is Addie with Brea right before the start:
And Riley with Daddy:
Ready to go:
Riley
Addie
After we got going, the girls had a bottle and we had them lay back in the stroller and after some fussing, they took a nap for about the 1st mile or so. Once they woke up, they were happy campers and had fun seeing all the people doing the walk.
It was an emotional day to see all the survivors along with the babies that didn't make it. I had tears in my eyes several times throughout the race. I kept thinking back to when I did this walk in high school when the "cause" didn't mean much to me. Now after having preemie babies, I have a new appreciation for the little miracles we do have.
Here is a shot after the race and a smile out of Addie
We look forward to doing this again next year when the girls can walk some of the walk with us. Thank you to everyone who supported this cause and made a contribution to team Addison and Riley this year!
We got down to he walk site with no hiccups and got ourselves registered. We waited on Brea to show up. She had made our team shirts that had the girls NICU pictures with their birth weights on the front and their "now" pictures on the back. We didn't give enough time for the task so Brea made iron on prints of their pictures. Next year we will have custom shirts made. Despite our procrastination, we got a few comments on our shirts.
Here is Brea and me together with our shirts. It is hard to see the pictures but they looked much better in person:
The girls were very tired and cranky when we started the walk. By this point, they were well past their morning nap time and all the noise and stimulation was wearing on them.
Here is Addie with Brea right before the start:
And Riley with Daddy:
Ready to go:
Riley
Addie
After we got going, the girls had a bottle and we had them lay back in the stroller and after some fussing, they took a nap for about the 1st mile or so. Once they woke up, they were happy campers and had fun seeing all the people doing the walk.
It was an emotional day to see all the survivors along with the babies that didn't make it. I had tears in my eyes several times throughout the race. I kept thinking back to when I did this walk in high school when the "cause" didn't mean much to me. Now after having preemie babies, I have a new appreciation for the little miracles we do have.
Here is a shot after the race and a smile out of Addie
We look forward to doing this again next year when the girls can walk some of the walk with us. Thank you to everyone who supported this cause and made a contribution to team Addison and Riley this year!
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