Mark, Julie, and the Twins

Sunday, November 20, 2011

We are having SO MUCH FUN!! Just when we don't think it can get any better, it does! I was rereading my 9 Months Old Blog and everything in there is still the same. But we do have a few exciting things to add to this months update. Erin is now Army crawling. She is able to quickly move across the rug and get her toys (or dog, brother, dog toy, you get the idea). One of her favorite things is the wheels on her pump pole (which is an IV pole). Every time we roll her pump out, she heads right for the wheels. It's not something we want her to play with so we cover it with a blanket. Erin is getting much better at sitting up by herself. She is able to sit for a few minutes with a Boppy around her. I am so proud of the sitting up progress she has made in the past few days.

Erin is eating 2-3 tbsp. baby food (We skipped cereal because neither baby really liked it.) twice a day. She LOVES carrots and green beans. She isn't a fan of bananas or any other sticky fruit. We still go to Mary Free Bed twice a week. Erin is working on swallowing and figuring out what to do with her tongue. We use a NUK brush and electric baby toothbrush (Who knew they had such a thing?) to stimulate her tongue. She likes it and we use it during feedings (along with using the spoon). We aren't moving forward with bottles and will wait for her to start sippy cups.

She has let me rock her to sleep almost every night for the past couple of weeks. Erin doesn't like to be strapped in her bouncy seat while she is eating. Instead, she wants us to hold her. She settles right in on our lap and sucks her pinkie finger.

Erin 16 lbs. 1 oz
Will 17 lbs. 1.4 oz

On Thursday, Will and Erin went for their RSV and Flu shots. There were only 15 babies in our doctor's office who qualified for the RSV shot (which is actually 5 shots at a time) and we were two of them. We will go once a month between November and March to get shots. Each round of shots costs $3,000 per baby! It is so expensive because the shots are so hard to come by. We are thankful for having insurance. These shots could possibly save Will and Erin's life. It is easy for us to forget that they have weak immune systems and chronic lung disease. They look and act like normal babies. But, with the Cold, Flu and RSV season upon us, we are thankful for shots that can help keep our babies healthy (along with frequent hand washing and hand sanatizer).

Can you tell it was bedtime?

Will is rolling over!! He can quickly go from his back to tummy. He actually sleeps on his stomach now because he rolls over. He is still a thumb sucker. He has two teeth also! They came in about a week after Erin's teeth. We didn't even know his teeth had popped through. I've said this before, but he is such a good baby! So easy-going, happy and content.
Will is sitting up for a long time now (with the help of a Boppy). He likes to play with the toys around him. He holds a rattle in one hand and bangs on it with the other hand. He has the biggest smiles lately! I mean they are huge!! He kind of has orange hair right now. It is very cute.
Will eats anything. We are kind of worried that he eats too much and doesn't know when to stop. He loves all of the baby food and always finishes his bottles.

Both babies are still getting 190-200 of mostly milk. I am proud to say that I am still pumping! It's been 10 months now and it is part of my daily routine. I've noticed a decline in my milk (due to pumping every 5-6 hours vs. 3-4 hours) I do pump 5-6 times per day, but I am still producing enough to provide each baby with 3 of their 4 bottles with milk. My goal was to pump for a year and it seems like this might be possible. It's just another one of the many, many things I am thankful for.

We were trying to get them to smile for their pictures. But, it was almost bedtime and WE had used up all of their smiles.

A blast from the past. This was one of the first pictures we had of Erin smiling.

Will had an IV in his head because he was probably getting a blood transfusion (He had 14 while in the hospital.) I would call it his unicorn horn. You can see how his skin looked yellow from the TPN.

On Monday, November 7, Mark and I had the honor of attending the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction. Nineteen chefs from local restaurants shared some of their signature dishes. We visited with our NICU doctors, nurses and other staff, met new people, sampled food and bid on many of the Silent Auction items. The second half of the night was the Live Auction. Each of the chefs donated a dinner package for 10-30 people. These packages were AMAZING and they sold for between $1100-$4000. WOW! In the middle of the Live Auction, our story was played and then Mark and I got on the stage to make a speech. When we looked out at the crowd of 400+ we were shocked to see the audience on their feet. They were giving US a standing ovation. That was the moment that both Mark and I started crying. Words can't even describe the pride we were feeling for being Will and Erin's parents. Mark gave an amazing speech and then the donations began for Fund the Mission (our story was the Mission). Within 5 minutes, $46,150 was donated to the March of Dimes because of babies like Will and Erin. We are so thankful that we were chosen to be their parents. Mark and I are lucky to have had these opportunities to teach people about prematurity and to share our story. That we raised over $214,000 for the March of Dimes!

Here is Mark's speech from the night. We joked that he got to make the speech because all of his lines from the FOX 17 interview got edited out. :-)

"Thank you for coming out tonight and listening to our story. When we look at our twins we are so grateful for the medical advancements that have come out of March of Dimes. The doctors and nurses that helped our babies Dr. Beaumont, Dr. Braunreiter, Dr. DeJonge, Dr. Doctor, Dr. Gelfand, Dr. Kinney, Dr. Knee, Dr. Langen, Dr. Shaw, Dr. Connors, Dr. Margherio, Dr. App, Vicki Cook, Dea Shaffer, Mega...n Zubrickas, Renee Sommers-Beagle and Jude Stover can’t do their jobs without the March of Dimes doing the major research and countless little things they do to help the families behind the scenes.

We also can’t help but think of the future of our children’s children. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm and the way to acquire enthusiasm is to believe in what you are doing, believe in yourself and to want to get something definite accomplished.

This was our Fund the Mission table with pictures we brought from home.

That last part was a quote from Dale Carnegie. Don’t let the enthusiasm that you have here tonight for helping babies slow, the March of Dimes needs your help. Our story has a happy ending, but not all stories do. With your support tonight we can help more babies have a healthy start in life."

This room looked fantastic! You can see all of the Chefs stations set up around the room. The picture was taken before anyone had arrived (other than the local news reporters who are in the pictures.)

Our parents were able to come and celebrate the fun night with us.

Mark had to buy this for Will. It seems appropriate because they would listen to the Tigers games together. Will's new Tigers picture is hanging over his crib.

Megan was one of our five primary nurses. I am so glad that she has gotten involved with the March of Dimes. And she has become a great friend of ours (along with our other primary nurses). It's because of them, that Will and Erin are here with us today!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Full Story

Here is the full story that aired on the news last night.
http://www.fox17online.com/videogallery/65927235/News/March-of-Dimes-Auction:-Family-Story---11.7.11

Monday, November 7, 2011

March of Dimes - Signature Chef's Auction Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9997gRpGic&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thank you FOX 17 and the March of Dimes. We raised over $214,000!!!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Few Random Shots

Allie had fun holding two babies!

Our little woods man!

They love when Grandma Pam says 'Uga-Buga' in a deep voice. For some reason they smile every time.

A Hiking We Will Go

We are so lucky to live in Grand Rapids. We have an awesome nature center less than three miles from our house! Since the weather was a beautiful 65' fall day, we decided to take the kids hiking at Blandford. They had fun and so did we! Thanks to Colleen for letting us use your backpack. It's being put to good use. I am thankful for Once Upon a Child because I've found a lot of great deals there! One item being a brand new backpack for only $15! We will definitely get our money out of that purchase!