Thomas seems to be on the mend with his cold. He still has a very runny nose but appetite and spirit seem to be improving. Nathan still hasn't hit the upward turn of this nasty little journey. He is actually getting laryngitis (thanks to G. Rider's genes)...when he cries it sounds so pathetic. As if it didn't before. He definitely seems to be worse at night. He is asleep now but that doesn't mean much. They still have the spots on their cheeks. I feel a little better today. We did make it out to Target to get Halloween costumes.

EI came today. Julie really noticed changes in Nathan over the last 2 weeks. We had also thought he had grown and he definitely shows better back/neck strength. We have been working with him though. Instead of it being the odd time that he remembers to use his muscles to pull his head up with him into a sitting position, now it's the odd time that he forgets. We are very happy about this. Some other interesting things I learned today:
If they talk to you especially if they are looking at you at the same time, repeat back what they said. This tells them you hear them and encourages them to speak again. We are to speak to them using vowels sounds....ie baby talk is good! Because it is vowel sounds that we expect them to be making now or soon hopefully. da da, ma ma, goo goo, etc...

I must get to bed, I am going bleary eyed.
love to each

Unfortunately, the "wicked" sore throat developed into a nasty cold plus a little! I feel rotten and the boys are so congested and cranky! I can't blame them, I feel cranky too. The congestion woke Thomas up 3 times during last night. I found some pedicare decongestent that seemed to help him finish the night. Matt is madly taking zinc cough drops and popping Vitamin C like jelly beans. Both boys seem to have a little viral dermitous on all sets of cheeks. It doesn't seem to bother them. They aren't eating or sleeping as well as normal. Thomas doesn't seem to enjoy his food and starts fussing long before I think he is full. I wonder if things just taste strange to him? Matt so kindly cooked us supper tonight--steak and eggs.

About the attached picture....we never all sleep in bed together. As soon as one baby stops moving, the other starts...so that NOBODY sleeps. I think I can count on one hand the number of times we napped together. I was going to just take a picture of the 2 sickies and Matt said you better climb in--you qualify!

Must get to BED.
love to all,

I forgot to tell you their latest weights taken at the doctor's office yesterday:

Thomas is 16 pounds!
Nathan is 14 lb 10 oz.

We are getting ready to pack up their swings so thought we would take one more picture of them in the swings. Then I had fun finding the old picture.

I have a "wicked" bad sore throat and Thomas' nose seems a little stuffy....so off to bed for all of us.

love,

Today the twins had their first flu shot. They will get a booster in a month or so. They also received their first shot to protect against respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. This is a very common virus that causes cold-like symptoms in adults but can cause hospitalization in babies who have had lung disease (Nathan). Both boys received the shot as their prematurity and "twin" status put them at high risk. The boys will get a shot every month through March or April. Apparently, each shot costs $1000 so Blue Cross Blue Shield isn't too happy with us!

Well, I cooked chicken breasts for the boys on Saturday and put pieces of it through my little hand nut grinder. Then I mixed it in with a little cereal and formula and down it went! Today I mixed it with their sweet potatoes. It was not pureed but the chicken was basically shredded so the boys are getting both a new taste and a new texture. It is their first time to really eat meat! They eat so well. Thomas makes these little hmm sounds out of pure enjoyment the entire time he eats. He just opens him mouth and swallows. I tell you, I don't even think he tastes it. Ruff Ruff.

The first picture, Thomas had cried his heart out and was all worn out. He was waiting for his dinner and I wasn't going fast enough. Then he just stopped crying and sat there stunned. Notice his arms are straight out. Fairly typical position....his "extension" problem. He does play with all the toys on his tray when he isn't past the point.

Nathan on the other hand, was having a ball playing goalie....

Good night!
love to each,

We had one hand-me-down high chair that the boys just don't seem comfortable in (I think the back is to straight) so I found one of our shower gifts--a booster seat that attaches to the kitchen chair. It's a big hit! Both boys fit nicely and enjoy sitting in it. Thomas is such a good eater that nothing comes dribbling out but Nathan is a little harder to feed sitting in his new chair. The bouncy seat tips him back just enough that gravity helps matters. So we just use a bib with little N.

We had a short outing to the library today. We are back to sweet potatoes--both boys just love them. We've had so many laughs with Thomas today. He just can't decide whether he wants to laugh, cough or blow bubbles. What fun! Nathan is incredibly ticklish which his father enjoys doing.

love to all,

Here are few more favorite pictures from this weekend.

We've just been enjoying our walks so much recently. A change in scenery and some fresh air seems to be good for all of us.

Thomas is on the verge of making raspberry sounds. He tries to do this and cough at the same time resulting in a lot of drool all over but as we all know, baby spit is sterile. He also has an interesting habit of picking up his feet and simply dropping them in his crib. So, with his crib just on the other side of our bedroom wall, we hear thud, thud, thud several times during the night. At least we still know he is alive!

I was feeling like my babies are way behind tonight. They want to do things like roll over or sit up but they just can't. So my mother took out my baby book and read to me that I didn't sit up unattended until 9 months old and I wasn't a preemie! She said, in general, her babies did not do things early. This made me feel better.

good night!

A 30th Birthday DOB

I have attached a couple of other pictures from this weekend. I have a few more to share....hope I don't bore you!

Jackson showed such an interest in his cousins. It was his idea to hold Thomas. Also, we found Jackson snuggling with Annie on any soft surface available. I would ask, how did Annie get up here? He would always say, I lifted her up. This is no small feat. She weighs around 20 pounds!

I had a lovely birthday today. Matt brought home an ice cream cake that was adorned with 30 candles including a lovely black "over the hill" candle that played a sad tune. Matt also came home with 2 beautiful gift bags. Here I was imagining they were from some of my friends at work...but no, I pulled out the cards and they both said "mommy" on it. I couldn't help it...I cried. It was so thoughtful of Matt to do this. Nathan gave me a pretty glass sun catcher that has cardinals on it. Thomas gave me a wall hanging that says "If at first you don't succeed do it the way your mother told you to". Matt brought home German food from the HorseShoe Pub Oktoberfest for our supper tonight--delicious!

We've been going for walks each day. It's wonderful that it has finally stopped raining. We did a few errands today. All the women oh and ah over our beautiful boys. I can't help agreeing with them!

Must get to bed.
love to each,