15-month Checkups and Adam Video

Things went VERY well at the doctor yesterday! I took the babies by myself because Taylor had the stomach bug, and John had a meeting with his boss. I said lots of prayers for strength at the beginning of the day, and thanks to answered prayers, things went very smoothly!

Aaron: 21 lbs. 1 oz--30 1/4 in

Adam: 21 lbs. 4 oz--30 1/2 in

Avery: 20 lbs.--29 1/2 in

They each gained about a pound since the last checkup. No worries, as they are still on the same curve of the growth chart.

Developmentally, Dr. Watts said they looked like "normal 15-month old kids!" We've never heard that during a check up before! Yeah! She said she was very pleased with:

1. How well they have progressed developmentally;

2. The wide variety of foods they eat (anything from avocados, black beans, sweet potatoes to fruits and fish sticks!);

3. How well we are doing with their schedules;

4. The overall disposition of the babies. (Not one cry during the physical exam!)

They each needed two vaccines as well as the flu shot. In total, it was four shots each...yuck! I know you are probably wondering how that all worked...here's the scene...

Two babies are in the double stroller...I hold one baby down on the table... the nurse administers the shots... I scoop up the baby and comfort... after the crying stops (just a minute or so) a different nurse comes in and takes that baby to find stickers... I pick up the next kid and the cycle starts again!

By the time we got home, the kids were miserable. Their little legs hurt from shots, and they were so tired from having a minimal afternoon nap. This morning they were still sore and just laid on pillows for the first hour of the day. They snuggled their blankets, drank milk, and watched "Blues Clues." It was very unusual. I'm happy to report, however, that after getting up and moving around, they are all doing just fine!

Here are pics of them this morning. Aaron was hugging his sister.

Adam is our sweet, quiet child. Adam is the kid who plays with the toys the correct way, will sit and "read" books out loud, and gives the sweetest little kisses. Right now his favorite thing is changing the "radio" stations on one of their play toys. The toy has radio buttons on it, and he will pick a song, listen for a few seconds, and then turn it to another song. Meanwhile, he is dancing or rocking back/forth on his bottom. He is also quite adept at doing motions for "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Here's what I got on video. It's not quite the whole song, but you know kids don't perform on cue! (Sorry you have to hear my singing!!)

Whenever the boys "Bonk" their heads, it means they want to sing a song or hear music. Notice how Adam just zones out at the end....Wheel Of Fortune was on, and Adam has the patented "Power Stare" at the TV!!

Avery's Injury and More Pictures

The kids will go for their 15-month checkup tomorrow, so I will post their updated weights and sizes after our visit.

Last Wednesday morning Avery was crying and really favoring her right leg. You have to know that Avery has a very high pain tolerance, and rarely cries when she is hurt or gets shots. She would stand on her left leg and then put her right foot on top of her left. When she would try to walk, she would just sit down and crawl. Avery crying and crawling...NOT normal! So, I took her to the pediatrician to get it checked. Our dr didn't see anything, but Avery was still showing the same symptoms, so we were sent to Cook Children's Hospital in Ft Worth for x-rays!

After registration, Avery had her series of x-rays. When I took her off of the x-ray table and sat her on the floor, she immediately stood up and started walking around! What?? I picked her up, got her dressed, and put her shoes on her feet. She didn't want to sit in the stroller, so she PUSHED her stroller from the lobby all the way to the parking garage!! (Which is probably a good 200 yards or more!)

While we were waiting for the results, we went to the mall and Avery rode the Merry Go Round. Is it any surprise that the x-rays were negative and that Avery is fine??? I'm guessing she needed a Mom and Avery day out!

Here are some cute pics of her taken recently. She is quite the poser...

We took the babies to the Lord's Acre Celebration on Saturday. Here are some cute pictures of them! Adam is in the blue and green striped shirt. Those two pictures of him in Dad's cap are my new favorite pictures!!

Aaron and Trip to Mainstay Farm

First of all, I have to tell you about Aaron! He has made such great growth in the last two weeks...it is amazing! We had to go to Child Study Center on Oct. 10th for an assessment. This is something set up for NICU Grads from Cook Children's hospital, and it is done by their adjusted ages. For example, it was their 12-month adjusted age assessment, even though they are 14-months. (14 months minus the two months they were born early...)


There were three tasks that the therapist had each baby complete. She would work with one child at a time, demonstrate a task, and then see if the child could copy her. They had to put three small cubes in a cup, get a small M&M out of a long-neck bottle, and color with a crayon. All three kids were able to complete all three tasks, but Aaron was by far the quickest! He amazed me because I have never seen him do any of those things. Mostly, Aaron walks around, steals other toys, pulls Avery's bow out of her hair, and laughs alot! He is a very funny child, but it is really hard to get him to sit and "learn,"--or so I thought!


Aaron has also really taken to sign language, and is the pro around our house. He can sign "More," "Bite," "Thank You", and "All done." He also is very verbal...whatever you say to him, he tries to say back. He uses the same intonation in his voice that you use, even though the words aren't clear. We are so proud of him! Each kid definitely has different strengths!


Here are some pics of Aaron...


















Saturday, my parents, sister, and nephew took the kids to Mainstay Farm in Cleburne. It is a pumpkin farm with hay rides, slides, mazes, etc. It is a neat place and will really be great for the kids in about 3 more years. They were too little to do most things, but we did get to go on the hay ride! Here are some pictures from that day.















Here are also some cute pics of the babies helping Papaw build a wagon, them in the tent with my mom, and of my parents with them at breakfast.

State Fair of Texas

Before I begin....Please keep Ms. Chelsea and her family in your prayers. Her mom died early Sunday morning after a long, courageous battle with cancer.

















Today we (Dad, Taylor, and I) took the kids to the State Fair in Dallas. It was so much fun! As I reflect on today, it was another one of those many days where I am truly amazed at these 3 children! They are SO good natured, so easy-going...it seems no matter the circumstance.

We loaded up around 8:30 and were parked by 10:30. Avery and Adam napped briefly, but Aaron didn't sleep at all. We were concerned because Aaron tends to let you know it when he hasn't gotten enough sleep or food! But, not one cry out of him the whole day! The kids just people watched, ate many different kinds of food, watched Dad win prizes, and even won a prize themselves! They got to pick a duck out of the water and get a corresponding prize size. Adam and Avery got a small prize and Aaron got a medium prize. We came home with 5 more stuffed animals!

We walked through exhibit buildings and let the kids push the strollers for a while too. We left around 2:00 this afternoon. It took Aaron about 4 minutes to be asleep once we got in the car! Adam and Avery fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Once we got home the kids just played, ate a good supper, got baths, and now are sound asleep. What a blessed, wonderful day!

Pictures: Eating corny dogs and fried oreos, Aaron loving the Water Mister, sleeping on the way home (Avery put that blanket on her head). Video: The kids pushing their strollers.


















Adam

More snapshots and videos

I took these pictures last night. Aaron and Avery were going nuts in the playhouse! It was really funny. We also took a picture of all three of them....what is that look of terror on Adam's face?

The first video is of "Gate's Open!" (Read the post from Sunday for details). The 2nd video is Avery rocking on their rocking horse.

Walking, Babbling, and More...

All three kids are walking everywhere!! My favorite thing to do is to crawl behind each of them saying, "Mommy's gonna get you!" in a deep voice. Then they just walk faster and faster! Avery laughs her deep belly laugh, Adam squeals, and Aaron gets so excited that he sometimes just falls down! John's favorite thing is to lay in the floor with the babies. Each will come over to him--they wrestle--and then they will walk off to do something else. They are SO much fun right now!


We have areas of our house "gated off" for safety. The babies can't get into our bedroom (apparantley Alex's food bowl is too much to resist), the kitchen, or down the hallway to their rooms. This way they have the whole living, dining, and foyer (and 1/2 of the hall) where they can play and be safe. At nap/bedtimes we will take down the gate in the hallway and yell to the babies "Gate's Open!" and here they come!! They just stop playing with their toys and take off walking to their bedroom. It is hilarious!! You can also say "Time to Eat!" and they all go stand by their highchairs. I need to get it on video to upload.


We have been working on sign language with the babies. Adam can definitely sign "All Done" when he is finished eating. Avery has signed "More" before, but does not do it often. I know more and more signs will come to them as we continue to work on it. They can all sign "Bonked his head.." for 5 Little Monkeys! (Is that really sign language??)

Here are some snapshots for you to enjoy! As you can tell, Aaron likes to climb--that is him in the window and on the dishwasher. Adam in his diaper and socks--too cute! And happy after breakfast. Avery with BAD hair (you have to look carefully, it looks like she stuck her finger in a light socket), and playing with their marraccas. (I don't think that is how you spell it!)

Eye Exam and Homecoming Pictures

First of all....the kids all had eye exams last week. They looked so funny with their eyes all dialated! You may not be aware, but preemies are prone to eye problems. Their vision was checked in the hospital and at 3 months old, and this was a follow-up after their 1st birthday.


Aaron's vision was great. He should not need to go back unless we notice a problem. Avery was at the high end of the normal range for farsightedness. She has to be checked again in one year. Adam had two slight issues. First, he is unable to move his eyes right/left or up/down without turning his head. It is called Dwayne's Syndrome, and has to do with the eye muscles working against each other instead of together. He may just cope with this, but if we see any crossing of the eyes or laziness, he may require eye muscle surgery. Secondly, the lense in his right eye is not quite "M&M" shaped...it is a little flat. The eye dr. said it may distort his vision as he gets older. There are things we may need to try later: wearing an eye patch on the other eye (forces the lense to strengthen), glasses, or worst case...lense replacement. We think he sees fine now, but he will need to return in 6 months to see if anything has changed. These are all minor things and we are continually so thankful for their overall health!


Now the fun stuff--------


Last Thursday night we took the kids to their first football game. Avery got to have her picture made with the JV cheerleaders.


































Monday night was the Homecoming Parade. The kids had so much fun! They didn't care much about the parade, but loved seeing all the people and getting so much attention. And here is a picture of Taylor!