Big surprise! Thomas has a cold. It started this afternoon with a runny nose. Now he is very uncomfortable & won't settle to sleep. His nose is a little faucet. Nathan seems a little better although his cheeks are so rosy--it looks like allergry rather than fever.
We went to the library today for the first time! I used the stroller and they both enjoyed it. We get lots of attention whereever we go.
My parents are here for the weekend and then a little. They see so many changes in the boys. Mainly, they are just bigger! They haven't seen them since August.
Must try to put big T back to bed again.
Yesterday, no pictures but a fun day. My friend Kathe, another EE at Raytheon, spent the afternoon with us. We checked out 2 used children's clothes store looking for a crib bumper for Thomas' bed. He wakes up occasionally with a limb stuck through the bars which is very upsetting to him. We found one and now I just need to find the time to put it on. Kathe stayed for supper. She is excellent with the boys. I feel very comfortable with her helping. Of course she knows all the tricks as her youngest grand-daughter is only 2.5 years old and she cares for them every weekend.
Today Jasmine packed her bags and moved to NH. Brenda Jones bought her from me. Jasmine is in the perfect home for her. She was never the pet donkey and she has gone to be with a small herd. Moose is entirely unhappy to lose his girlfriend. There is actually a lady from western MA who is very interested in the gelded version of Moose. He may be having a little visit with the vet soon. We'll see. Anyways, in the picture above, the boys are in Heather Pratt's arms. Heather breeds donkeys, paint horses, pygmy goats and dogs. She has been a wealth of information and help to me. I bought Jasmine from her a few years back. It is her aunt in the picture who bought the donkey. But the cool thing with that picture is that Heather has girl twins that are 9 years old. So it was very natural for her to take both babies for the picture! Don't the boys look adorable?
Also, on Fridays we have been walking with Lisa another EE from work and her son, Benjamin. So I thought today I would snap a picture so you could see our walking partners! Thomas had fallen asleep in the 2 minute drive to Gates Pond...check out his expression.
Just a quiet day at home. We went for a little walk this afternoon on our road and met yet another neighbor. She and her boyfriend are renovating a house just down from us.
Around 5 this morning, Thomas started bawling. In the hospital, they used rolled up blankets on both sides of the babies to give them a secure feeling. I have since kept that practice. It tends to keep them from rolling also. Thomas had somehow unrolled one of the blankets and somehow put it entirely and only over his head. I can not fathom how he did this but the blankets are now gone.
The boys did fine in Bible study tonight. Sunday, they were quite awful. Nathan is very restless which makes it difficult to hold him for any length of time. We bring the car seats in and try to keep them sitting in those for as long as possible. They just don't seem to be interested in small quiet toys yet, you know, the types of things they give babies for teething or even little books. We can keep them entertained for awhile just by moving them around so that they can see all the people and lights in the room. Sometimes we even give them a bottle, but never, never do they fall asleep. They whisper to me that sleeping in meeting is for babies.
Anyways, must hit the sack,
love to all,
Jennifer
ps in the first photo, can you tell who is who?
Sorry no DDOB yesterday because I had no new pictures. But yesterday was actually monumentous! The boys and I went to the grocery store by ourselves. I kept them in their car seats and just set them in the cart and piled groceries around them. We did make it all the way through the store! Many people just had to see my two cuties. People jlike babies. Thomas is entering his stranger scariness phase. If someone he doesn't know, looks at him too long, he bursts out in a howl. I try to not make a big deal out of it, just let him know that I am nearby. He did it twice while we were out. Both boys have even done it to Matt--which breaks our hearts. It doesn't last long but it makes you feel awful.
Today, we stayed home.
love,
Jennifer
I feel like I am fighting a cold, so here's hoping the boys (and I mean all 3) don't get it. I'm madly popping the zinc cough drops. This may end my long stint of non-sickness since the start of pre-natal vitamins!
These are some of my favorite pictures. Notice Nathan's hands in the second picture. Very standard for our dear little boy--both hands in up to his fist!
The boys are sleeping through the night a little too good. I nursed Nathan at 5 AM today and Thomas at 7AM and never heard them again until 8:45AM. We are suposed to leave Sunday morning at 9:15! We actually got ready in 45 minutes and made it just in time for the start of our service.
good night and love to all,
Jennifer
Here's a picture of Crystal Cheyne, her son Brady and our boys having a visit on Thursday. Brady was 1 year in August. Crystal and I worked closely in the Raytheon factory in Andover while building an antenna. We were both transferred there from Sudbury where we worked on the design together also. She is still working 3 days a week.
Friday, my sister Laura, my brother Tim and his fiance, Kelly came just for a few hours to see us. We were so glad they came. We had lunch together and just played with the boys!
Today, was a calm day. The boys had slept through the night for a few nights in a row and then they started to wake up again (Thomas usually around 3 and Nathan around 5). Matt found an excellent twins website that we wished we had found months ago. It suggested that if the above happens to try getting one more cereal feeding in before bed. It worked last night--they slept until 7AM. So now they have cereal at 9AM, 4 PM and around 8PM.
We went for a walk all together this afternoon. We met another neighbor, Evie, short for Evalina. Very friendly, but she didn't seem to fond of our donkeys....Jasmine is in the Wantad right now. I've gotten 2 different calls the last couple of days, but no call backs. Lets hope!
Good night and hope everyone has a good Sunday.
love,
Jennifer
Sorry about the lack of DDOBs. I totally forgot Wednesday night and last night I really needed to go to bed by the time I had a chance to write it.
Yes, I know this picture is not the greatest of the boys, but it has significance. John Anderson, who I mentioned we went to visit on Sunday, gave us 5 Rose of Sharon babies when we moved to Berlin in 2001. John has a very green thumb and his gift to all pregnant ladies is a rose of sharon baby. There are several of these bushes in his old neighborhood! Anyways, for some reason he gave us 5! Maybe we'll have 5 children someday...I can only hope. Unfortunately, one of the babies died (hope this doesn't signify anything) but the 4 remaining are doing wonderful. In fact, this is the first year we had a bloom. I looked out today and saw 4 lovely blossoms on the same bush in the picture.
The boys are doing well. I think we hit a growth spurt because all I'm doing these days is feeding and feeding and feeding some more. We now have giggling which is a riot to get going. We had a visit yesterday from our friend, Crystal and her baby, Brady. We had planned to go for a walk, but it kept raining. So we just enjoyed lunch and playing with babies. Today, Laura, Tim and Kelly are coming just for lunch and the afternoon.
More later,
love,
Jennifer
All about Nathan tonight!
In the second photo, he had his thumbs tucked in his overalls--sort of hard to tell that from the picture, but it was really quite cute. Actually, just about anything they do is cute! The toys Nathan has in the first picture, the cube and the kick piano, have really been a big hit the last week or so. Their dad did some research and found that these were highly rated.
A good day today. Both took really good naps.
love to all,
J
We had a visit this morning and at lunch with a minister we've both known for years, Bruce Shaw. He has just returned from a trip to the orient. We really enjoyed hearing so many different stories about those people finding the gospel. It was his first time to meet our sons. We are thrilled that he could. He will be leaving Virginia now and heading to preach in the Chicago area. He is switiching places with Jim Holt! It's actually to his father's house that we go every Sunday morning for worship.
On our way home this afternoon, we stopped to visit with John Anderson. We had seen him briefly at convention so wanted a real chance for him to see our boys. He was very glad we came. We only stayed about an hour as I stupidly left the diaper bag behind!
On Saturday, two different neighbors stopped in to see/meet the twins. In the morning, Pat from behind us came over. Then in the afternoon, Helen (who put our donkeys away EVERY single night while the boys were in the hospital) and her daughter, Kimebrly stopped in for a baby/donkey/sheltie fix. Something interesting I noticed....Nathan who doesn't like to make eye contact when he is over stimulated (like when he sees a new face) will do it if he is sitting on my lap. He must feel secure enough. I am trying not to hand him over to a new person immediately. I want to give him a chance to take in the new situation. Thomas does better at this, but his motions with his hands will become a little jerky. This is because their central nervous system is immature. Maybe this is true in all babies, just different degrees of it.
Good night and love to all,
Jennifer
ps no temper tantrums recently from the big T. His latest experiment with his voice amounts to small shrieks. This is cute. He'll continue to do it if you return the small shrieks....
Another beautiful day in September! The weather has been so nice. We enjoyed our walk this morning around Gates Pond. The boys slept for some or it. Hope you like these pictures. I think they are some of the best ones we've taken. Matt got home just in time to take them with the sun setting in the backround. No way is that a sunrise. We don't do mornings. In fact we don't even do mid mornings.
I really liked Julie from Early Intervention. She has good experience and 2 children of her own. She's been with EI for 1 year, but has EI type experience in her past. Her degree is a bachelors in early childhood development. She was really good with the children. Both boys really responded to her...so much that she said she had not been flirted with like this in quite a while. She pointed out things I didn't notice and accepted things I pointed out. She spoke to me in technical terms which lets me know that she thinks I have a brain. Sometimes in the hospital, this wasn't always so. I asked her about Thomas' tantrums. She said that he could just be experimenting with voice. She said that the only thing that I really can do is not allow it to get to that point. I tried today and we didn't have any episodes. I've got to go to bed. love to all, J
Okay, so maybe I shouldn't call it DDOB when it hasn't been daily....sorry. I completely forgot to take any pictures yesterday and the day just seemed sort of ordinary so I opted not to send a DDOB. It's funny that I can follow the same routine two different days and at the end of the day, one can be considered really good and the other really long. I hate to say bad, but some days aren't all rosy. Today, we had a restful day. The boys did well napping. We picked up Matt at the car repair place and then went and got groceries together.
Thomas has started this new bawling routine. When he starts to cry, if I don't see to him immediately, he just turns on the sobbing turbos. He turns deep red, huge tears fall, and he is LOUD. I feel awful that he thinks he has to go to such extreme. Any words of wisdom? Of course, the main thing to curtail this is to give him what he wants immediately which at 5 months, I wouldn't think this would be considered spoiling. But on the other hand, I can't always do that. He has a brother. I have tried a few wacks on the butt, but that only makes me feel worse and he cries harder.
I have been pureeing peaches this week for the boys. Nathan has figured out that if he coughs with a mouthful, that he gets his mom all messy too. He still frowns at the taste of peaches, but Thomas does pretty good about taking it. I've been feeding them rice cereal with milk at 10AM and peaches with rice cereal at 4PM.
Tomorrow we are going for a walk around Gates Pond with our friend Lisa and her boy, Benjamin. Then early intervention (EI) is coming at 1pm. We will be meeting a new educator. For those unfamiliar with EI, it's a state-run program that gives aid to children under the age of 3 who are considered at risk for learning and motor disabilities for which our boys are, being that they were preemies and are twins. Boy, do you think I could make that sentence any longer? Nothing at all has alarmed them, in fact our pediatrician is very impressed with their continued progress. The group consists of social workers and educators. The first lady we had, quit after 1 month. It wasn't us....I'm sure.
Well, I must get to bed. I've been telling myself that I am staying up to late. It just has been easier to get a few jobs done at night when all is quiet. During the day, once in a great while I get 15 to 30 minutes to get this or that done. Today, both shelties got a bath. My goal during the day is first and foremost to take care of the boys. But if I get a chance, I like to get one thing done on my never ending list. now I am rambling...
lots of love to each one,
Jennifer
Each day (or at least I try for that), the boys get "floor time" which includes playing with their activity gym. Thomas was practically climbing on it and then as you can see he was pulling himself over with it. Nathan usually just lies under it, staring away from it but today I put the dangling toys above his feet and showed him how to kick the toys. He thought that was cool and continued on his own playing. Floor time includes, belly time and sitting time. All things that we practice!
The boys had their 5 month check up today with Dr. Cohen. Current stats:
Nathan 12 lb 13 oz 23 3/4 " long
Thomas 14 lb 7 oz 24 1/2" long
The doctor recommended we increase the cereal feedings to 2 or 3 times a day especially with Nathan who spits up large amounts. He also said to mix the cereal with fruits starting with P. So tonight, they had pureed peaches with their cereal. Thomas was so unimpressed with the change in diet that he kept coughing like he was gagging on it. A bit dramatic, I might add. Nathan made faces, but swallowed the peach concoction down. Another interesting detail to our visit was after about 1 minute laying on the crinkly paper on the table, Thomas started bawling. I think they are connecting that sound to unpleasantness. Overall, the pediatrician was very happy with their progress.
I am having so much fun with these two little people. I am so thankful to have them.
much love to each,
Jennifer
A busy weekend! My sister, Laura, came to visit Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. We had a nice time together. Matt took a flight down to Philidalphia Saturday morning and drove our new Toyota sienna home. 2004, all wheel drive with 30,000 miles. It has GPS and a cool camera mounted on the back to help you back up. It also automatically slow down if you get within 100 feet of the car in front of you on the highway. It beeps and allies the brake if the car ahead slows down quickly, too. Now we just need it to beep at Matt when he starts to speed so that I won't be the one sounding like the old nag... : ) Like I never speed.
The boys are doing super. Have I mentioned lately that they are sleeping from about 7 or 8 PM to about 6AM. Thomas may not nap long during the day, but they sure have this night thing figured out for which I am thankful.
Good night!
J
For the few new people in our Baby Fan club, DDOB stands for Daily Dose of Babies. This is a (almost) daily email I send out of recent pictures of the boys and sometimes a blurb on their well- being. If you are not interested in getting this, then let me know.
Today, the boys went for blood tests to check their red blood cell count. My mom accompianed us (thankfully) and was a pillar of strength. The nurses tried to go through their heels again which means the blood truely drips out and they catch it in a tube. I gave them permission to try Nathan's arm given that they didn't go searching....they had to go through his heel. Unfortunately the blood clotted in the tube before the test was completed rendering the entire exercise fruitless. The doctor says just forget it, we'll keep on with the iron supplement in their diet. Tuesday, they have their 5 month checkup.
We are sorry to see G & G leave in the morning as our days have been precious together.
Good night and love to all!
Jennifer
