It's been a looooong time.....

Sorry for the delay in posting. But in the last couple week, and me being absent since the kids got home.

So the kids had a pretty nasty lil upper respatory infection for a couple weeks. Blake came down with it first (and hardest). Jenna caught it from him a coupld days later and the party was ON!
Due to Blakes priory history with lung issues (pulmanory hemmohrage 3 days after birth) it really worried us and the Dr.'s didn't want to take any chances. Soooo we had lots of Dr. visits and watched them both very closely.

All in all, the kids were amazingly good to us while they were sick. Blake had this nasty cough that would cause him to start gagging and sputtering. It really freaked mom out. They didn't cry too too much. They just wanted to be held and comforted the entire time, so they was no break at all. If one was set down or not cuddled, then they would start crying. It also completely destroyed any semblance of a sleep/feed schedule. So it was pretty much 24hr baby for two weeks. As you can imagine it's pretty much impossible to hold and comfort them every min of the day, so it was pretty trying.
Unfortunately I was wrapping up a big project at work, so I wasn't really able to take any time off to help the fam. My boss is super cool, so I was able to work from home several days, which helped tremendously. I don't know how anyone could do this alone, and still maintain their sanity! Impossible I say....

So anyways.... Through the weekend the kids started to feel better. Reduced cough, better sleep, taking full bottles, no more throwing up. On the plus side, the antibiotics they were taking gave them diaria. As crazy as it sounds, it was a welcomed change from constapation. It was really breaking our heart to hear one or both scream bloody murder each night trying to pass a brick. You would not believe the size of these "stones" that they were poopin out. :( Really breaks our heart.
We have tried changing forumla, the cereal, giving them pune juice, milk of magnesia, and every other tip and trick we could find. NADA..... So we are dredding a return to that.

Monday morning brought the sunshine! Both of the kids woke up all smiles and laughes. It was really really a wonderful change and set the mood for the rest of the day. Mom has been having a much easier time during the day, now that one can play independantly and they are taking naps again. I tried to do my part by giving Kim some full nights sleep to try and recharge the batteries.

Another good change was that they can now go on walks again and get out of the house. It's crazy how much they enjoy going on walks. If you put them in their car seat or in the stroller, you had better be ready to get the show on the road, cause they are, and they are NOT afraid to let us know. :) We hit the road and they completely chill out. If they haven't napped in a lil while, they'll kinda look around and then drift off to sleep. Because they like to sleep so much while in motion, we've started taking them on walks as soon as they wake up. Otherwise they think they can nap, and then wake up as soon as we get home. The downside to that is that they sleep, but don't get really good rest. So they are up when we're done with our walk, but not rested, so they can be kinda fussy.

Well, thats all for now. I'll try to post more often.
Take care all.
-Jason

1:34AM Is Sleep Anywhere In Sight????

It's been a week now that Blake has been sick. Jenna has been sick for about three to four days. Sleep deprivation has got to be worse now then it was when they just got home and were "new borns". Now they just aren't sleeping because they are either coughing, have a fever, aren't comfortable and are just out right feeling rotten. Much worse then before.............two sick babies. Jason and I have been taking shifts. I usually take the 11 or midnight to four or five and he takes four or five to about nine. During our "shifts" there really hasn't been any sleeping. Usually one is up coughing or crying and many times both are at the same time. Tonight however, I'm not sure whats going on. Right now they both just want to be up. I"ve had about 20 minutes of sleep between the both of them twitching and coughing and fussing. So, we are sitting on the floor with the lights on low and they are laying with their stuffed animals and listening to night time music. I certainly do not want to engage in playing or entertaining. Just trying to get them to realize it's time to sleep.

Tuesday, Sept 8th

The most exciting new thing to report would have to be that Jenna has started "talking". She is cooing and babbling.....and smiling more than ever. She turned a new leaf last Monday. Jason and I were there to witness this new change, we were so excited then and are loving hearing her "talk". I was really starting to worry. Jason admitted to me that he was beginning to worry too. She is really a different baby in a lot of ways. She just seems comfortable and enjoys looking at peoples faces and smiling back at them where as before she would exchange smiles but would often look in your direction but not directly at you. We are so very excited. I have such a feeling of content when I hear her little coos.

Blake continues to be a highly vocal one. Especially when he is excited or is bored. He is so active and does not like to stay in one place for too long. This is proving to be a challenge-haha. He has been coughing a bit here and there for a week or so. It was more of a "clearing his throat" kind of thing. The last two days though is has changed and is a bit congested at times. I've checked his temp several times but fortunately he has had not fever. It got worse lastnight so I called for an appointment this morning. With his history and chronic lung disease, I am not about to mess around about getting checked. Dr. Fasci says his lungs sound good and that it could be the is showing signs of allergies. We are going to keep a watchful eye and monitor for certain things.

Hallelujah, we are switching from high calorie formula to regular baby formula. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! Jason and I are so happy about this. J and B haven't been "regular" for over tow months. Then when they finally do go they scream so hard, you'd think they were being hurt. That and nothing was helping to regulate them. I can't wait to see how things will be with this change.

A Few New Pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/blakeandjenna/September?feat=directlink

Check them out....
Jenna "Pretty in Petals"
Blake discovered his feet!!!
"Exersaucer Fun"
and more!!!!

Good News September

The "twinadoes" saw the neurologist on Monday. After an assessment of both he said that had he not been told, he'd never guess Blake and Jenna were "24 weekers". That says so much for their growth and development. Blake was checked as a follow up from this prematurity. Jenna was examined as a follow up from her IVH (bilateral Intraventricular Hemorrhage) and PVL (Periventricular leukomalacia). He did not feel it necessary to order a MRI since she is not "symptomatic" and does not exhibit any behaviors that indicate issues at this time. He looked at the MRI that was done back in March right before she was discharged. He said that it shows moderate damage (PVL) but overall he considers the IVH as mild. He does not "see" any muscle tone issues, mobility issues, or cognitive issues. All in all they both look great and we couldn't be happier. As we've experienced and have been told since the beginning, time will tell. We celebrate every day, Blake and Jenna's progress and wonderful growth.

New stats are in......Jenna weighs 14lbs 13ounces and Blake weighs 14lbs 10ounces. Jenna is 24 inches long and Blake is 24.4

We are tickled that Jenna seemed to really turn a corner today....after having a massive "doody". She was cooing and smiling lots! More than we've seen and heard. Jason and I have make the executive decision to change from high calorie preemie formula to a sensitive regular formula. After nearly two months of no regular BMs and painful episodes full of screaming and tears, we can take no more. We can't stand seeing them go through these painful moments anymore. We've tried prune juice, apple juice, milk of magnesia.....nothing is keeping them regular. They have been gaining 2lbs a month for a while now. Dr. Fasci wanted to wait until 9 months. We will talk to her again soon to touch base.

They are both rolling over much better now and are quite active. They enjoy playing in their exersaucers. We've been enjoying our morning walks too.

Kids are calling......