August Update

ALEX

Alex is doing really well and is coming right along with his therapy. Still no Gait Trainer, it has been almost 5 months since we ordered it and we continue to have set back after set back. I am trying to stay optimistic, but it’s hard because I am so frustrated with the whole process.

He got fitted last week with some new shoes as I like to call them. They are AFO’S which are a type of Orthodic to help the position of his feet and toes as well as keep his foot flat while learning to walk. The pair he has now, were to stabilize his ankles, but the new pair will be taller and go up onto his calves more. They should be in soon so we will have to see how well he does with them.

Last Friday he received Lidocaine Injections in his legs per recommendation of his Physiatrist. The shots are administered behind the knee while lying on his stomach. The purpose of the injection is to block his nerves going to his calf muscles to keep them from tightening. So far, it is working well. I am amazed at how squishy his calves are – but in a good way. I am so used to them being tight that it’s a nice change and he seems to be adjusting well. We really aren’t sure how long the effect will last but we are happy with the results so far. He is a trooper. He did so well the day he got the shots.

On top of all of that, he got casted as well – poor little guy! His OT decided last week to cast his left arm in hopes of him utilizing his right arm more. That is the whole purpose of his OT sessions. He doesn’t seem to mind the cast. He still bangs on his toys with his left hand - cast and all. He also thinks he can hold his cup and pick up foods with it! It is super cute. He is doing alright with his right hand, but it’s going to take a lot of casting to break him away from his left hand. He favors it so much!

 

Next Tuesday Alex will be going to “school”. He will be attending class for an hour and a half on Tuesday mornings as part of the Early On program through the state. He will be in class with 6 other children with special needs and they will participate in circle time where they will read and story and sing songs. Then they will move onto different stations where he will be able to play. He will see an OT and an SLP while his is there as well. I think it will be a great change for him rather than them coming to the house. Evan is also welcome as a sibling to come and participate which I am sure he will.

 

Alex has enjoyed his summer by swinging, playing in the sandbox and listening to his favorite songs. (He LOVES music!). He also likes when we blow bubbles out on the deck!

 

 

 

 

 

EVAN

"Best Summer Ever” is how Evan would have to describe his summer so far. This kid has had a blast with everything this summer from his new sandbox, to his swing set, to the pool. His new thing is going down the slides at the park. He can’t get enough of it!

 

He has learned to use a fork and a spoon very well in the last couple of months and actually throws a fit if I try to feed him. He likes to do it himself and I have to say, he does a pretty darn good job.

He is into EVERYTHING – and I mean EVERYTHING! I used to have him barricaded in the family room and he decided he would start scaling the couch to get out. He is a little stinker!

Evan is all boy. He loves to get dirty, always has bumps and scrapes on him and he is non-stop from the time he gets up until he goes to bed. He is exhausting but fun all at the same time. I could do without the yelling, screaming and tantrums though.

 

His favorite toys right now are puzzles, wooden blocks and crayons. He could care less about the colorful, flashy toys that make all the noise. He’s a pretty simple kid as long as he gets his way!

 

 

 

Georgia Family Visit

Last week a bunch of my husband’s family came into town from Georgia for a family reunion and we got to host some of them. It was a lot of work, but so much fun. We had about 7 people staying with us for 5 days with most of them being kids. It was a lot of fun and Alex and Evan enjoyed themselves.

The first two days it rained which was a bummer, but we made the best of the time we had together. My Niece Mindy has 3 little ones who are 4, 16 months and 5 months and with my two 2 year olds, there weren’t many quiet moments in the house. This is the best we could do at getting them all together for a picture.

 

Bailey, Ethan, Alex, Evan and Madison

 

 It rained the morning of the reunion as well, but cleared up just after lunch so the kids could play outside. The adults got to go to dinner that night and we went swimming the following day at the local campground.

Kid Free Dinner!

 

We also did some shopping at the mall and took a trip up to the Largest Christmas Store – Bronners. It was my Niece Mindy’s first trip to Michigan so we had to take her there as well as A&W for lunch.

One of their last nights, we had everyone (17 people) all over to our place for Taco night.

The morning they left, they were gone long before the sun came up and my house was super quiet that morning. I missed them already. My niece Jessica decided to stay behind for a couple of more weeks, so she is staying with us and I am loving the help. I think she is also enjoying herself. She has her own room, unlimited computer time and cable tv. Those things mean a lot when you have 7 siblings!

I just want to say that having them in my house for 5 days makes me miss them so much more now. I have always been close to my husband’s sister and her family. They moved to Georgia three and a half years ago just three weeks before we bought our house – which was only about 5 miles away from theirs. I was really bummed, but having kids of my own now and with them being so close in age to my Niece and Nephews kids, makes me want to live closer to them. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of us plan on moving anytime soon. L We are hoping to get down there before the year is over for a visit.

Here are some more pics of their visit:

The two trouble makers!

Ethan

Robbie and Ethan



Sister in Law Tappatha, Myself and My Niece Mindy

These 2 were inseperable



AnnaMarie, Madison, Bailey and Brook at the mall

Matthew, Matt, Eric and John

Bailey



Columbus Zoo

I apologize for being so far behind in posting to the blog. Summer is such a busy time that I haven't had a moment to sit down and record everything that we have been doing!!

We took a day trip to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on Sunday July 29, 2012. I wanted to go because they offered an Aquarium and I thought that might be fun for the boys. Needless to say, the Aquarium was a bit of disappointment but they liked what they did get to see. Nothing compares to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago or The Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach - both of which we will take the boys to in the future.

It was a beautiful day (a tad warm) but we had a really nice time. Evan walked most of the zoo which was very impressive because we covered a lot of ground, but he was done in the end and wanted to ride in the stroller. Here are some pictures of our adventure.





BITS -N- PIECES VOL. 7

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The month started off with both of the kids being sick. We had record heat on top of that over the 4^th of July so we didn’t really get to do a whole lot for Independence Day. With the boys having fevers and rashes we decided to skip out on the fireworks to not make things worse.

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July 6^th we went to see the Physiatrist. I never look forward to this appointment because we always leave the appointment pissed off and confused. We always seem to wait forever in the waiting room and then the Doctor always rushes through our appointment, never follows up on our last appointment and just seems downright rude. This time we were determined to get answers. We walked in with our questions in hand and were not about to let him leave until all of them were answered. Not only did he answer the questions, he was nice, joked around and took his time with us. The best part of the appointment is when he said that Alex was progressing nicely. My eyes welled up. Do you know how long I have been waiting for someone to tell me that? I felt like I could see it, sure it’s small progression, but it’s something and that something means everything when you are raising a special needs child. For the first time since seeing this Doctor last September, we left feeling good.

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July 14, 2012 – 2^nd Birthday Party (See Previous Post)

July 16, 2012 – Alex and Evan Turn 2! (See The Twins Turn Two Post)

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Last weekend my Mom and I had a Garage Sale at my house. Right after the birthday party, I moved the tables into the garage and started setting up the following Monday night. It took me ALL week just to get everything set up and priced. By the time Friday came, I was exhausted. We didn’t sell as much as I would have liked, but we made some money and that’s all that counts. I have decided to do a Mom2Mom sale in September since my strollers and swings didn’t sell. Hopefully it will be a success. I have some money now to do an 11 week Hippotherapy Program for Alex next year. (Hippotherapy is a form of physical, occupational and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input.) The program requires him to be 3 years of age in order to participate in the program, so that is why we have to wait.

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This weekend we are taking Alex and Evan to the Columbus Zoo/Aquarium in Ohio. We haven’t done much this summer as a family because we have been so busy with other things and I want to do something before summer is over! I am really excited because I think they boys will really like the Aquarium part of the trip since they have never been to one before. We don’t have an aquarium in Michigan, so it was either Columbus or Chicago. I would love to do Chicago, but I think we will wait until they are a little older to explore a big city!

I can't believe July is almost over. The days and months go by so quickly when you have children.

Birthday Party Pics

Well I am way overdue on posting to the blog and I do apologize.

As you know, Alex and Evan turned 2 on July 16^th. We threw a birthday party for them on July 14^th with the theme of Mickey Mouse and everything turned out so nice!

They both had a really nice time and it showed at the end of the night!

Alex enjoyed opening presents and playing with the tissue paper. Evan was all about running around and driving his new toy around the yard.

All in all, the party was great, the weather was nice and everyone had a good time! Here are some pictures from that day.

With Cousins Layla, Brook, Annamarie, Benj and Sierra



Evan used his spoon to eat all of his cake and ice cream!

Alex dug right into his cake!



The Twins Turn Two

Happy 2^nd Birthday to my beautiful boys, Alex and Evan.

I think back to my days in the NICU with them and never being able to see this far into the future. Everything was day to day when we were there and I was just wondering when we would all be home together as a family. There was no planning or looking ahead. It was hope and faith that got us through the long days.

Well, here we are two years later and our days spent in the hospital are long gone and seem so far away. We have celebrated holidays, milestones, a first birthday and now a second. We go for walks, go to the park, get together with friends and do weekly therapy appointments.

There are crying fits and tantrums being thrown, hugs and kisses given out daily and cuddles that warm my heart. Just today, Evan reached over and offered Alex a bite of his cracker....and Alex took it.

My boys share the same birthday and very different personalities, but the one common thing that I already see clearly is the love they have for one another. Evan shows it a little more than Alex for obvious reasons, but I know it’s in Alex’s heart. They speak to one another in their own little language, they make each other laugh, Evan will pick up a toy for Alex if he drops it from his stander tray or he might switch it out to give him something different to play with. If I sit Alex in the big chair in the family room, Evan usually comes over so he can sit next to his brother. Now when I put them in their car seats in the car, I always say “Hi Brudder” from Alex to Evan and they both smile from ear to ear. It’s something they expect now. I hope as the years pass and Evan learns a little more about his brother that he will continue to love him and help him out when need be.

It’s not easy having two 2 year olds. The screaming fits are a bit overwhelming at times, but I think not having both of them run around and play together is the hardest thing for me to have to deal with. I feel like both of them are being robbed of having a playmate and I have had a few people comment on how crazy it would be if both were running around like Evan. I would give anything to have that for my boys... Anything.

I am hoping that this is getting harder for me now so that it will eventually get easier in the future. It’s hard to tell. I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. Everything is a waiting game and only time will tell.

Last year at this time, they were both still taking a bottle, eating baby food, Evan was only crawling, Alex couldn’t really roll or sit up very well. They are now on a regular diet, Evan is running around, Alex is rolling and sitting with some assistance and both are self-feeding with their hands. We are working on utensils next!

What I am hoping for in the next year is that both boys will be potty trained, both will be talking, Evan will be riding a tricycle, Alex will be sitting on his own, possibly crawling, standing or taking a few steps. I am really hoping Alex will also be using his right hand more and both boys will be full self feeders.

It’s amazing to see what children can learn and do in such short periods of time. My twins are different in so many ways, but they have each amazed me with their own individual accomplishments. It’s important to me that they are recognized for these as individuals.

We are truly blessed to have Alex and Evan in our lives. In two years they have turned my life upside down and inside out and I wouldn’t have it any other way. God has always challenged me throughout my life, but this is his greatest challenge yet and as far as I can tell, I think I am succeeding.

Birthday Extravaganza

It’s kind of my thing to always write a post on Friday the 13^th and this one would be no exception.

It has been a busy couple of weeks. The kids have both been sick, so dealing with that and the unbearable heat last week, it was quite the feat. We didn’t get to go to Fireworks, but Eric and I did manage to go on a date. We had a nice dinner and went to The Tigers Game last Friday. We even hit up the Casino afterward for a few minutes. It was a really nice night. My sister and niece watched the boys and even stayed the night so we didn’t have to be home early!

The past couple of days I have been getting ready for Alex and Evan’s 2^nd Birthday Party which is happening tomorrow. (Their actual birthday is Monday) Cleaning, decorating and keeping up with daily life is exhausting, but I am proud to say that almost all of it is done. Tomorrow should be a breeze. I just have to set up the tables and chairs and blow up a few balloons. I even have the garage cleaned out and ready to go as a back up if it rains, but I just checked the weather and it’s only a slight chance. I planned well this year!

The theme is Mickey Mouse, and I absolutely love the decorations and cake. It all looks so nice. I will post pics in my follow up post next week. We will have close to 30 people (only family this year) and I am just super excited to see everyone and have a great time.

Happy Early Birthday to my handsome little men. We are so proud of both of you and can’t believe you are 2 already!! XOXOXOXO