Happy 6 Month Birthday!!

Wow! It’s hard to believe that 6 months ago today David and I were driving to Seton Medical Center for what we thought were kidney stones. Wrong!! I had something a little (yes, just a little) bigger than kidney stones. I say it’s hard to believe it’s been 6 months, but the NICU experience itself felt like three years. The time we have had Aiden and Evan home has really flown by. Evan is now about 10.75 pounds; Aiden is about 11.5 pounds. Both boys are about 7 times their birth weights!! They are doing wonderful as far as their health is concerned. They have regular pediatrician visits for check-ups and Synagis. They get their eyes checked regularly. Evan sees the endocrinologist every couple of months. And, the occupational therapist sees them 2 times per month. No more lung doctor!! We are blessed to be celebrating this half birthday today!



Little Evan




Big Evan




Micro-Preemie Diaper Compared to their Size 2 Diapers




Little Aiden coming home from the NICU




Big Aiden

1/18

Crying… We have heard quite a bit of it lately. Don’t get me wrong, Aiden and Evan are both very good, happy babies. But, just like all babies, they have their fussy moments. Evan has a very loud cry (you would never know he was on oxygen up until a month ago). He sticks out his bottom lip and pouts. Aiden has a soft whining cry. He does not have near the volume that Evan has. It is such a blessing to have babies that can cry! This probably sounds silly, but I think our experience gives us a different perspective of crying babies. I remember the first time I heard Aiden cry. I had opened the door to his incubator and thought I might have heard a cry. I wasn't sure. It was so soft and weak. Then, he made a little louder, stronger sound that I knew for sure was a cry. David and I were so happy! It was the first “real baby” thing we had experienced. Then, we waited weeks and weeks just yearning to hear Evan cry. He was on the ventilator for so long and could not cry with the tube down his throat. He had some good reasons to cry! One of the complications with Aiden’s heart surgery was possibly clipping the vocal chord. After Aiden’s surgery we waited about a week before we finally heard him cry again. Each day we went without a cry, we worried more and more that he just might not be able to do such an ordinary thing. It may sound silly, but we are so proud our boys can cry! We don’t always love it when they do cry, but we know the alternative. And… cries are not the only sounds they are making now. There are a lot of coo’s, ahh’s, and ooh’s in our house. We have a lot more smiles than cries.

Evan in his car seat.

Aiden - His shirt says it all!

1/15

Big News!! Aiden and Evan slept through the night for the first time last night. It was mostly due to our decision NOT to wake them up to eat at 3:00AM. We have noticied at the 3:00AM feeding that they are starting to sleep more soundly. Their bodies are starting to adapt to a "sleep at night, awake during the daytime" schedule. This is good for our sleep habits, but I get nothing accomplished during the day! Well, I get a lot of diapers changed, babies fed, bottles washed, etc.

The boys are also starting to really develop personality. Evan is pretty calm but when he gets mad, he gets MAD!! He takes more naps during the daytime than Aiden. He has never mastered holding his binky in his mouth, so he has resorted to his thumb. He loves his thumb! Aiden, on the other hand, can be compared to Maggie from the Simpsons. The binky is a big comfort for him. He fights sleep. His eyes are always glued open during the daytime - very few naps for him, and it is a challenge to get those. I think he is afraid he will miss a feeding or something. They both love to eat!

Aiden - fighting sleep

Aiden - wondering when he'll eat again

Evan - the notorious thumb sucker

Evan

1/13

All Smiles!!!!

Aiden

Evan


Well, not all smiles....

1/9

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. There really is no news to report. Aiden and Evan are just regular little babies now that have to be extra careful about germs. They are all into smiles now. We have the camera handy at all times, because the cutest smile could come at any time. Evan's new best friend is his thumb. He has it in his mouth all the time, and he really likes to look at his hands. Aiden still prefers his binky over his thumb, but he will settle for the thumb if he has to. They both love to listen to music and think it's really funny when Mommy and Daddy sing along. I've gotten pretty good about taking them places by myself now. I think my arm muscles have just gotten bigger, and that makes lifting the 50 pound stroller easier. Pictures to come...

12/25/09

What a wonderful Christmas!! We had a great first Christmas with Aiden and Evan. They were so excited about their gifts that they slept through opening presents. They were finally able to meet their great-Papa and great aunt Della this week. My (Janel's) Papa and Aunt Della came all the way from New Mexico. David's parents came in on December 23 to celebrate Christmas with the boys. My parents got stuck in the Oklahoma blizzard, but will hopefully get to come soon! We are so blessed this year!

The best presents ever!

Happy Evan

What a wonderful Papa!!

Santa's Little Helpers

12/18

Little Cowboys

The boys are doing great!! We absolutely love having them home. We had doctors' appointments yesterday. Aiden is now at 9 pounds 3 ounces and Evan is up to 9 pounds 1 ounce. They are getting so big. Evan had his cardiology appointment yesterday, and everything in there (his heart) looks good. The cardiologist also said we could stop his oxygen. That is good because he has not been on it in about 2 weeks. The sneaky guy got really good about taking it off of himself. They are both getting more interactive each day. Aiden really likes to smile now and is starting to making "cooing" noises. Evan is in love with the ceiling fan. He'll watch it for a long time. The biggest obstacle now is getting them through the winter without getting sick.

Here are a couple of pictures of the boys.

Evan

Aiden

Our first walk.

They never knew we left the house!

AE pics 11/24

My oh my how the boys have grown! They are doing well and getting bigger every day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!