Under the Weather

Well, with the exception of low fever once, Jenna has managed to stay well from the time she got out of the hospital last May to yesterday. Jenna started having fever yesterday and is still experiencing it tonight. Jason and I chalked it up to teething all day yesterday and lastnight b/c of the usual signs~lots of drooling, tender to the touch, her desire to chew on different things. She has not ate much, is very uncomfortable and irritable and hasn't slept all that great. Today she broke out in a rash. LOTS of red bumps all over. She was also tugging at her ear a bit. I called the nurse and was advised to bring her in. Turns out, Jenna definitely has a viral infection. She has bumps in her throat too. :( It is in the early stage so we don't know what kind yet. The bumps do resemble chicken pox at its very early stage but the pedi assured me that she really does not feel that it is. We are to keep an eye on her bumps and send her pics tomorrow as a f/u. How nice is that? I probably won't have to turn around and take her out of the house to go tto the pedi again tomorrow, thankfully. Poor Jenna has been miserable. She just can't get comfortable so Jason and I have been holding her quite a bit. She has napped best while being upright in our arms. She has been very snuggly and has wanted extra comforting. I can't wait til she feels better and we can see that pretty smile of hers again!

So far, Blake has been fine other than being real concerned for his sister. Jenna has had a different tone in her cry and at times it has alarmed Blake. He has always looked after her and has always shown concern when she cries a painful cry. We keep reassuring him that she is ok. Because we have rocked her a lot today he has clearly been lonely for her in the play yard. We have gotten down to play with him of course but he keeps looking to her.

Did I mention how wonderful it is to have twins? And how great it is to have a boy and a girl at the same age at the same time? Truly awesome. They have been exhibiting lots of "twin" behaviors. It is late so I will share twin stories soon. I need to get rest while they are both sleeping peacefully.

Blast from the Past-Our little Valentines

This top pic is a scan of the Valentine that Blake and Jenna made for us last year (thanks to Anna and April). It was such a great surprise. And it couldn't have been given to us at a more perfect time. A month into our NICU stay, we were ready for a breath of fresh air. This is one of my favorite keepsakes by far. Just look at those tiny feet. And to think they were even smaller at birth.

I decided to make a comparison print of their feet today. (Just click on the pic and you can get a bigger view) Even though the placement of their feet is flip flopped on today's heart valentine, you can see how much they have grown. Look at Blake's BIG "paw". And Jenna has the cutest dainty "toody" still today.

Just wanted to share.

***I added to the previous two posts. Please revisit the "March for Babies" post for more info***

Jumpy Gym Play Date by Day Bubble Bath by Night

We were invited to a playdate by some "old" friends. Two of Blake and Jenna's NICU nurses, Heather and Daun, invited us to join them and their daughters (who I will refer to here as) "L" and "R" at Jumpy Gym this week. Heather and Daun took amazing care of the twins while they were in the hospital getting big and strong. Heather was pregnant with "L" and was due a week before Blake and Jenna's due date and Daun's little girl "R" was born four months before Blake and Jenna were born. Being close in age made for an excellent play time.

It was a bit challenging getting the kids out due to the wet and cold weather. Luckily, Jumpy gym isn't even a half mile from our house. We got all bundled up and were on our way. Once we got there and as soon as I got them out of the stroller, Jenna and Blake immediately went over and crawled into Heather and Daun's laps as if to say "hello old friend". After meeting the girls and saying hello, Jenna immediately started going from one toy to the next making herself right at home. After a few minutes of Blake looking around at this big playroom and at the other kids and mommies, he too started exploring. They had such a blast. They really enjoyed interacting with "R" and "L". Blake and Jenna are very social and are not in the least bit shy about saying hello to other kids or mommies. In fact, they were often found crawling into other mommie's laps to say hi. Guess they are little social butterflies in a lot of ways.

It was so nice meeting precious "R" and "L" and to catch up with Heather and Daun. It was great to be together under much more pleasant circumstances and to be doing the "mommy thing" with some friends.

Blake and Jenna had a blast! After a while, Blake realized he had lots more spcae to explore and to put his crawling into motion. As soon as he realized it, he took off. He started at one end of the gym all the way to the other in a crab like crawl, all the while making a "hmmph hmmph" noise. It seemed as if he thought is was in the Winter Olympics the way he was so into the task at hand. He had a ball! Then, when Jenna took note of what was going on, she started doing the same. Mommy? Well, mommy was getting a good look at what is in her near future.....trying to keep up with two toddlers! one going one way, the other the other way. Whew! and I think I'm getting a work out at the gym? Ha! At one point Jenna and Blake met up in the middle and crawled parallel from one end to the other. It looked as if they were racing. I actually got a little video coverage of it. I'll have to see about posting it. It was fun to watch.

We definitely look forward to more playdates with "L" and "R". AndI'm sure the kids would love to go back to Jumpy Gym!!

After a full day of playing, it was bath night. The kids are really too big for the baby tub these days so we have been bathing them in the kitchen sink. I like it much better since I can stand instead of leaning over. The kids enjoy baths, especially bubble baths. At one point Jenna put a bath toy in her mouth and when she pulled it away she had a bubble moustache and goatee-so cute! During Blake's bath, he had lots of bubbles in his hair so I made him a bubble afro. Here are a couple pics of both.

Til next time, have a good one!

March For Babies 2010

Jason and I are excited to report that we have formed a team for this year's (March of Dimes) March for Babies. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. There are half a million babies born too soon each year. Of those half a million, 50,000 are micropreemies. Like Blake and Jenna, micropreemies are babies born under 3 pounds and before 28weeks.With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies®, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.


This year, our team, "Miracles on 32nd Street" is walking in March for Babies on May 8th. Our name originated from Blake and Jenna's birth place (St. David's Hospital located on 32nd Street) and because we feel that Blake and Jenna are living proof that miracles do really happen. After a very long 122 days in the NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit, both Jenna and Blake became healthy and were able to come home with us.


We are so grateful to have had you all as our support system during a most difficult period of our lives. We would be honored to have you join us in showing our support for the March of Dimes. For those of you who we have not yet met but have followed our journey through our blog, we thank you. We gladly invite you to join our team as well. And if you are viewing our story for the first time, we would be happy for you to join us in showing support to other families.

If you would like to show your support but are unalbe to attend the walk, you can still be part of our team! The walk is 3.2 miles long and starts at Auditorium Shores on Riverside. It is a stress-free event in that you can walk, jog, run at your own pace. Furthermore, you can walk any amount of the distance. You will witness many groups of family and friends walking in honor of thier children, nieces, nephew, grandchildren, cousins, friends. We hope that you will join us in celebration of Jenna and Blake and in hope for other families.

Please visit our team website at:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1373878

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jason or I via blog, email, or phone.


**For more information about the March of Dimes or March for Babies, visit marchofdimes.com

Cart For Two-"Priceless"

Ok, so Costco has THE best shopping carts for carting around two kiddos AND a cart full of things.

So, I decided to take the plunge and venture out to Costco with the kids today. It required a bit more planning than usual with it sprinkling off and on all day. But....with needing to buy formula, wanting to get the best deal, and the kids and I having cabin fever, it was time! I was just hoping the whole way there that we wouldn't experience a torrential down-pour once I got them in the cart. I took the kids to Target one day a couple months ago b/c, again, we ran out of formula quicker than i thought we would. It was a mess! I had one baby in the front seat and the other in their infant cariier in the actual "cargo" part of the cart.It didn't work out well for a couple reasons. One beings that I had to practically hold Jenna in the front seat cause she wasn't quite big enough at the time to sit in the seat on her own. Then, I had to try and stuff things in the tiny spaces of the cart that were left over after loading the kids in it. Months ago, I had seen a woman in Target with two toddlers in the "seat" of one cart. Luckily for mom, they were small enough to have their legs in one leg hole each. At the time, I thought, ha, how clever! Now however, while I still think it was clever, I now also know when you have two, you HAVE to find ways to make it work. Being clever, or creative, is a must at times-haha.

As I was saying, kuddos to Costco! If I didn't know any better, I'd bet they designed their shopping carts with parents of twins in mind! ;) Sure, the whole cart is "super sized" which in turn makes the "front seat" larger, but to beat all, they have FOUR leg holes! AND two safety belts! SIGH.....nice. And Blake and Jenna fit in the front seat just right together and even have some room to grow. Okay, perhaps the highlight of your day would SEEM to beat mine, but this added "freedom" with shopping and getting things done is priceless to a mommy with twins!