The Dallas Arboretum

So Saturday we decided to make the trek to the Dallas Arboretum. They have some really cool pumpkin things and I was dying to get a picture of Emma and Levi in the pumpkins. Yes, I know I am weird!  So anyway. Before going we did not know that it was family fun day. Ooops. So lets just say it was crowded and twins draw attention. I cannot count how many times I said please don't touch them. They are preemies and can get sick easily. Since when did it become acceptable to touch other peoples children? Anyway.

We arrived and I unloaded the kids, the stroller, their bags, the camera, my purse and me.  We made our way into the arboretum and not two minutes after entering Levi started screaming. Not fussing but full on someone must be killing me screaming. That was fun. People were staring and I was trying my hardest to get him calm.  He literally screamed for a good 45 minutes. He wouldn't eat, he just wanted to scream. Finally I got him calm, he ate and then passed out. Needless to say our first trip to the arboretum was a little rough.  We did manage to get one picture with the pumpkins. So here is the picture I wanted!  Was it worth all the screaming? Maybe!l l

Oh and let me just say God was watching over us because in all the crazy unloading I left the car keys just sitting on the back bumper. Yes, they were there the entire time we were in the arboretum and luckily were there when we got back.  I had no idea that I even left them. Someday I will get better at taking them places!

Happy Halloween!

Saturday Morning Picture Dump

We had a busy week.  I will write more about our adventure with the helmet people! Blah!  Anyway! Here are some pictures from the past week.

Love them!!!  Have a great weekend!

PT and a Weekend Recap

Today we had Levi's Physical Therapy evaluation.  It was interesting but they
didn't tell me anything that I wasn't expecting. Levi does indeed have tortacollis. His head circumference is off by almost 2 cm on the right side.  Because of his stiff muscles in the left side of his neck, his head goes to the right and down a little. This has caused the right side of his head to be flat. Which has pushed his right eat and right forehead forwards.  Ouch. This momma was hoping wait no I was praying that we would go to PT and they would tell me that they could cure this! But no such luck. Why would it be that easy.  The nice PT woman said that she can almost guarantee that my baby boy will need a helmet. Boo!!! 

So we are off to the helmet people on Wednesday.  I spent most of the day looking up ways to make his helmet look cool!  Because my boy must look cool! ha!  The PT who I will now call *Jill said that Levi will now need to come back every week. So we have a standing appointment on Mondays.  She also gave us some fun exercises to do at every diaper change. Umm these are not fun and have so far resulted in screaming.  Ugh!  I hope that these will help his sweet little neck and he will be forever grateful for having a nicely shaped head!

We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Our family including my sister and her kids have been battling the stomach bug! I hope none of you have had it because it was not fun!  On Sunday everyone was feeling a little better so we got dressed up in some Halloween clothes and went to a local carnival.  Of course I did not get any pictures of us there! Oops. I am hoping we will all feel better this week in order to go to the arboretum and see all the pumpkins. I'm dying to get a picture of my babies in the pumpkins. OK so now I rambling so I will leave you with a few pictures!

Emma and Levi before the carnival. Levi has started crossing his arms like that and I think it is so cute!

Levi on the way to PT

Where it all went down.

After PT! Not happy!

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent!

Wednesday Randoms

I'm not in the mood to form paragraphs so I will do bulletins for our randoms this week!

• The new picture at the top of the blog was taken by Narci D photography. She took our fall pictures. I love the babies pictures but hate the way I look. Its just me being insecure and I have to remember that I just had two babies.  I cant wait for her to take some pictures in the bluebonnets in the fall.
• We had our first ECI therapy session this morning.  She was impressed with Emma's progress.
• Tomorrow we go to the Cranial Tech people to have Levi's head evaluated.  I am still on the fence about the helmet.  I just don't know what to do. On Monday we go for his physical therapy appointment. Poor kid. Every week I feel like he goes to a new doctor.
• I cannot wait to get the Christmas tree out. I keep asking Clayton but he says no. Boo!
• The babies are now officially sleeping through the night! Wahoo!  They go to bed around 8 and wake up around 7 in the morning.
• We took the babies to the park for the first time and they loved the swings. I can't wait to take them back!

Happy Wednesday People!

IPhone Picture Dump

We had a  busy weekend with Clayton's mom and step dad in town. We actually went to a pumpkin patch and guess what I didn't take a single picture because the babies slept almost the entire time. Emma did wake up briefly to go on a hayride but of course I didn't have the camera at this time. We are going to try again this week! I desperately want a picture of the babies and some pumpkins. I may just send Clayton to the store to get some pumpkins and we will take our own here! ha!  We had a great weekend and are looking forward to the cooler weather coming this week!

I phone pictures!

So these are my favorite from the past couple of weeks!  I wish I knew how to make them into a cool collage but that will have to come later! Enjoy!

My Little Helmet Head!

So you might have figured out by the title of this post that we have had an eventful week. One that involves helmets. Let me rewind a bit.

On Tuesday we went to the pulmanologist for a checkup on Levi's asthma and also for the twins to get their first RSV synagis shot.  I had been noticing that Levi's head has been getting flatter and flatter. I was going to bring it up to the pulmanologist dr and get his opinion. Well he scared the you know what out of me telling me we needed to have this looked at ASAP. He threw around words like tortacollis, helmet, xray, therapy and again reiterated that we needed to get this checked out asap. So when he left the room to go get the shots I called our pediatrician to make an appointment.  PS Levi's asthma is doing well and we were given the go ahead to do only one breathing treatment a day instead of two! Yippee!

So Wednesday we headed off to our pediatrician. She agreed that yes his head is too flat and that he has tortacollis.  Tortacollis literally means twisted neck.  This can be caused from many things such as a bone issue or a tight muscle. We were hoping for tight muscle.  We left the dr with an appointment for an xray and a physical therapy consultation.

On Thursday we went to have his neck xray and hip ultrasound done. (yes, because of his twisted neck his hips are out of line).  Luckily we got word today that everything looks normal structurally! 

On October 24 we go for his physical therapy consultation but in the mean time the doctor gave me some stretches to start doing with Levi. 

We are going to try the physical therapy for a few weeks and if we see no change we will be going for a helmet. Oh joy! Not!  I am not looking forward to this. I do not want my little boy to have to wear a helmet.  I know it is probably going to happen because that what the Dr said so I am coming to terms with it.  I don't want him to grow up with a crooked head and ears. Did I mention one of his ears has been pushed forward because of his flat head. Poor Levi!  So we will tackle this and he will be the cutest little helmet head around! 

Five Months Old

*Consider yourself warned! This is a long one*

On Tuesday October 4 the twins turned five months old.  Adjusted they are almost two and a half months old.  I'm so very tired of the adjusted age thing but we are dealing.  So many fun things happened during the babies fifth month of life. 

• We went to a pumpkin patch
• we went to eat at Firehouse subs
• we went to babies r us
• we went to rally house
• we went to the pulmonologist
• we had swallow studies done
• we visited the NICU
• Nonny, Poppy Butch and Grammy visited
• we went to Mason's soccer game
• We had family pictures taken

This was a fun month! I have noticed this month that their are things about the babies that are very similar. They are twins after all!  ;)

• Both have birth marks on their necks
• They both sleep with their arms above their heads
• After they sneeze they both make this funny noise like humming. so cute
• When they eat they both do this humming sound
• when they stretch they both make this cute pouty face!

Fifth month fun facts:

Levi-

• You have really started smiling this month
• You started laughing and I love hearing this sound
• You realized that you have a voice and love to talk and make noise
• You started sleeping in your crib
• You love to go on walks
• You are still cranky
• You started your breathing treatments this month and your wheezing is getting much better
• You have had carrots, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, and peaches
• you are drinking 5 oz bottles
• You are doing better sleep and will go to bed at 8 then eat again at 11 and then sleep until 7 in the morning
• you still aren't a big fan of tummy time
• you love the jumperoo
• you are not a good napper

Emma-

• You are getting three teeth and are not happy about it
• you are really smiling and it is oh so cute
• you are generally pretty happy
• you are drinking 4 oz bottles
• you are a great sleeper. you go to bed at 8 eat at 11 and then sleep until 7
• you love to swing
• you love to go on walks
• you aren't really a fan of tummy time
• you love to take baths
• you have had carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans, bananas, and peaches
• you make this raspberry sound and it is so funny
• we started calling you sassafras!  because you have gotten quite sassy
• you are still smaller than your brother
• you like to sit in the bumbo
• you like to stand up and you look shocked and proud all at the same time
• we found out that you need your feeds thickened because you are allowing your food to penetrate your airway

Five month stats: Will be added tomorrow when we go to the dr

Levi-

Weight-
Diapers- Size 2
Clothes- 6 month

Emma-

Weight-
Diapers- Size 1-2
Clothes- 3-6

Here are a few pictures!

Today In Numbers

So sometimes I am baffled by a way to explain our days. So I thought I would try to explain it in numbers!

12- the number of bottles drank
2- the number of bowels of oatmeal and peaches
2- the number of bowls of rice cereal and squash
4- the number of spoons used
4- the number of bibs used
2- number of loads of laundry
4- number of times I washed bottles
2- number of times I made formula
2- number of vitamins given
2- the number of zantac given
2- number of breathing treatments given
2- number of sheets I changed
2- number of red bulls I drank
2- swings used
6- number of burp clothes used
2- number of baths given
2- number of towels used
3- number of baby outfits
2- number of times I changed my shirt from spit up
15- number of times a baby spit up
14- number of diapers used
7- the number of books read
6- the number of times I sang the ABC's
1- the number of walks taken

Sounds crazy like that huh?  Our days are really getting to be fun and I'm enjoying the babies playing more! They are almost five months old!