Hello

I know it has been a long time. Last week was kindof crazy. We had to replace our van windshield (it had a crack going through half of it) and then our computer harddrive crashed. So I'm posting from my father-in-law's computer. I was working on two Christmas presents and lost them both. Very bummed!!! But that is what we get for not backing it up. We are going to try and replace our harddrive over Christmas. Anyway...that is why I have not blogged lately. I wish I could post pictures but I'll have to wait until our computer is working again.
The girls are doing well. We are visiting family. We just needed to get away and have a little break (and help). :) We are being very careful.
Olivia and Emma had their early intervention before we left. Emma weighs 8 lb. 7 oz. and Olivia weighs 12 lb. 15 oz. Emma is 21 1/2 inches long. Olivia is 24 inches long. They are both doing really well. Emma ranges from 1/8 to 1/4 in oxygen. Mostly lower but sometimes we lean towards the cautious side. We do not want her burning any calories to breathe and it is really hard to get an accurate reading during the day - she is so active.
I need to make this short but I will write more later.
Love you all!
Merry Christmas!!!!

Note from Olivia Michelle

Gurgle gurgle smile laugh hi this is Olivia Michelle I'm using my middle name so you don't get me I am at Grandpa's computer everyone is asleep except Grandma and me I had my bottle and burped 4 times Grandma clipped my nails so I wouldn't hurt my sister Emma when we play hands hitting each other mostly I hit her but I don't hurt her really it's just play
We had a really long trip we came the safe way by 74 but there were flashing red and blue lights which were sparkling so they made us take a detour so it was a 6 hour trip instead of 3 and i/2 so we did make it but right before we got to Grandpa's Emma pooped and Mommy was between us in the back seat and could hardly take the surprise smell My big sis said " Mom, did you toot?" So after two movies and more we got there through the ice storm

My Dad was a great driver and the passrenger seat beside him was so full of suitcases and Emma's oxygen stuff that the neighbors asked if we are moving and then the McDonald's window person asked if we were moving and THEN the second McD window person asked the same thing!!! My Dad kept answering NO We're going home forCHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

Grandpa had some chili hot on the stove using the tomatoes that Aunt Evelyn canned and Uncle Charlie grew Thank God for them actually they just came in the back door They were surprised at me I don't know why I guess just because I am VERY ALERT and impressive After all I've been through a lot but Emma has been through more and is 2/3 my size but I adore her anyway

Well Grandma read me The Crippled Lamb about Joshua a lamb and Abigail a cow and the manger scene And we danced in the Living Room to her singing O HOLY NIGHT in a whispered tone cause Loren is asleep in the portacrib there

The Christmas lights are so pretty

Uncle Charlie brought Mommy some New Skin for her cracked finger from washing out my bottles ...


SO MERRY CHRISTMAS all of you Love and hugs and a little bit of spit up but nothing like i used to do Olivia Michelle I'm talking can you hear me?? bye

Successful day...

So (first of all) I really like to start off my sentences with "so"... Don't ask me why. I just do. I think it is because I never get to finish a sentence anymore. What is it with kids?? And the WORST is when you are on the phone. That just screams to bug mommy as much as you can and talk more than that and pull on her and everyone together and let's all cry at once. Solicitors don't call much anymore. And my socialization is so low that I actually want to talk to them. So as I was starting to say...a successful day to me has changed. I used to get up, shower, makeup - the whole nine yards. Pick up toys, iron, laundry, dishes, read books, color, and possibly fit in a nap or get the extras on my to do list done. Now I'm successful if I get a shower before noon, feed, change and dress children, have enough clean bottles to feed the babies, and keep everyone from killing themselves. With Loren in the house, I might as well get up, walk through the house pulling open every drawer and just pulling things out and catapulting them across the room. I'm successful if I can keep her diaper on and if I don't have to fish any toys out of the toilet. I'm successful if I have caught her before she throws valuables away. She has already tried to throw away one of Alyssa's crocs, my cell phone, the remote control, just to name a few. (I just happened to open the trash can to throw something away and I've found them so who knows what else successfully got thrown away). A successful day is if I can keep Loren from smearing food on the wall behind her highchair. A successful day is if I can keep my two oldest from sitting on, squeezing too tightly, or whacking my two youngest with any object including a broom (Loren!). Loren is one of those "silent buy deadly" kids. But she takes the cutest pictures. Alyssa won't let me take any pictures of her. She can read this when she is older and know that it is the reason she doesn't have as many pictures as the other children. So as you look at this picture up above of Loren, just know that there is more behind the cute smile.
A quick update on medical....
Emma continues to do well. Olivia too. Alyssa and Mike had an ENT appointment. Alyssa has one ear with a tube and one with a hole that has not closed. Her ear with the tube is coming out. It is hurting her some but mostly if she gets water in it. She will go back in 6 months. If her hole is still there, they will do surgery to close that. I'm not sure what the plan is for the tube that is coming out. But overall, a good appointment. I was wrong about the date for immunizations. We will have those this Tuesday in Tremont. I'll be glad to get that out of the way. Emma is scheduled to have a head sono and appointment with the neurologist tomorrow morning. We are supposed to get an ice storm tonight so we will see how that goes. The temperature is supposed to be 17 tomorrow so I don't know if I really want to take the girls out in this weather. I'll update you on the results of this week when I get them.
Until I get another break in life to write, take care.

Fabulous

Yes, that is how the NICU doctor said Emma looks....Fabulous!!! What a great visit!!! She weighed 8 lb. 5 oz. (4 weeks ago she was 7 lb. 8 oz.), her length this time was 21 3/4 (last time was 19 1/2), and I don't remember the head circumference but it is bigger. He said even though she is not gaining much "weight", her length is great and indicates good long-term nutrition. He also said her head growth is great and indicates good brain growth. So yea!!! They don't want to see us again until February. That is great!! We talked about weaning her off of oxygen. He would like us try her a little lower. He told us what to look for. It was a great visit!!! This is a picture of my 3 laying on the table in the dr. visit. I had the 3 by myself....thought I might lose it but they actually did really well. They all adored Loren.
We had Alyssa's dentist appointment this morning. I held my breath (thinking of the "treats" we have been allowing her for wearing her patch). It was also a way for me to slowly allow her Halloween candy instead of letting her just eat a ton for a week. We had great news though...no cavities!!!! Another great thing! They also commented on how she was such a good girl. Oh...they also said that she is cutting her 6 year molars. He said one has already come through. She just turned 5 but maybe they come early.
Today was crazy though....amongst the chaos of the appointments. Loren got into the almost empty bag of cheerios and dumped everything (even the powder stuff at the bottom) all over the hard wood floor. Lovely!!! Then she pulled this protector thing off of the back of the fridge. Then she got into some soap and was putting that on her face. Then I went to pack the diaper bag and somehow formula had been dumped all over the bag. Then while I was at the dentist, Mike came to help me with the girls. I couldn't take them all in with me so he sat with them in the van. Well, we overdid the van with the movie being on (the van wasn't on) and the lights were on, the heat, etc. The battery died. So we had to jump that. Again fun. And last but not least....I was feeding Emma in the dr. apt. and she flung her arm and knocked the bottle out onto the floor. The disc slipped and milk flew all over the floor. Other than all that, we had a great day!! : )
So tomorrow is 2 more appointments. Mike and Alyssa will go together to the ENT and check out their ears. I'm concerned about Alyssa's because she has been complaining if the smallest amount of water gets in there (just in one ear). We'll see what they say.
My last "to do" this week is to get the girls their immunization shots on Friday. I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that yet but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Well, I must call it a night!

It has been rough...

Sorry it's taken me awhile to write. It has been rough lately. I have been sick for 2 weeks and I finally gave in today and went to the dr. He put me on a z-pack, cough medicine ($53.89)- I didn't get that one, and prescription nasal spray and told me I need to use a humidifier. I guess I have a upper respiratory infection or something. He said he wanted to treat it pretty aggressively. Not the best thing to have with twins with Chronic Lung Disease. Lovely!! I hope the girls do not get it.
So....catch up. Let me start with a little of how my week went. It was not only rough because I was sick but because other stuff kept happening. For example, I went in to get Loren out of bed in the morning. She was standing there with her diaper off - only her shirt on. So she handed me her diaper. And then I saw it - poop all over her sheets. Yep...Good morning Mom!!!! Thankfully she did not touch it or eat it. You have to find the bright sides.
Well, I won't bore you with anymore of that. I'm going to update the medical side of this and then I'm off to bed. I haven't been sleeping much at all. It's hard to sleep when you are hacking your head off.
Emma and Olivia had their 6 month check up. Olivia is doing very well. She has even caught up developmentally. She rolled over this week for the 1st time. She is a whopping 12 lb. 10.5 oz. It was so cute in the office. Both girls were laying on the table just talking away. Very cute!!!
The girls are actually an adjusted age of 3 months. Emma is about the developmental age of 4 months. That is still good. She is ahead of the game. And considering she laid on her back in the NICU for an extra 2 months, she is going to be a little further behind. Plus she is much smaller and therefore not as strong as Olivia. But she is still doing well. She talks and smiles and does about the same as Olivia. She is just not as strong in the arms holding herself up and she hasn't rolled over. She'll get there. Growing will help.
Which brings us to her growth. Since she has had a cold, she has not picked up any weight in a week. Not great! She actually lost a little. She weighs 8 lb. 3.5 oz. This is where a cold takes affect on her. She works very hard to breathe and burns calories doing that. She is up in oxygen and dealing with bloody noses very often. She is eating great and has still not puked so that is good. We have a NICU appointment next Tuesday so we'll see how that goes. Please pray that she will get over this cold. That we all will.
I'm looking to switch urologists. I haven't heard anything about my kidneys and I know I don't want this treatment for the next 4 years or however long they want to monitor me. They go through the trouble of doing a Cat Scan and blood work and then don't call. Maybe I'm high maintainence but I'd like to know what is going on with my body. When I've called they have acted like I was an inconvenience and they tell me they'll get back with me and then they don't. Yep, my time is too precious for these games.
I think that is all the news I have. I have 5 dr. appointments next week. It will be a little rough. Alyssa has a dental and ear appointment, Mike has an ear appointment, the NICU one for Emma and immunizations for both girls. We'll see if I can pull it off. The following week I have a head sono for Emma. I'm not sure what else. I try not to look at the calendar until I have to.
Have a great night!!!

Daddy's view...

This is me...Bethany. Mostly I'm the one blabbing away on this and you don't hear much from Mike. This is a part of an email from him to another person with part of his thoughts which I love to hear and thought you might too. Enjoy...


The journey we've been on has been quite a ride, with God pulling, twisting, and stretching us in many ways. I liken it to the art of blacksmithing. The blacksmith takes a form of metal and sticks it in the fire embedded in the red hot coals until it reaches a point where the metal can be shaped with a hammer against an anvil. This process of sticking the metal in the fire and pounded with a hammer is repeated over and over again until the metal is shaped to the blacksmith's liking. In metallurgy, when metal is heated and pounded impurities tend to come to the surface and are easily flaked off the surface as scale when cooled. Another interesting thought is that the same metal that started the shaping process is still there, but now is structurally different at the metal grain level, and it's now a little more purified than before.

We do appreciate your prayers. Indeed, Praise the Lord!! One thing we've learned on our journey is to keep faith and God will take us where he wants us, and in the mean time make us the people he wants us to be (as long as we allow him to). That doesn't mean it will be an easy road, but the end result will honor God.