Eli's Surgery

It kind of hit me yesterday that no matter how much I try to downplay it I have to hand Eli over for surgery tomorrow. He is on antibiotics for an ear infection and I think part of me was hoping that they would delay the surgery (I like to think I can procrastinate away all my problems. It is a gift ;) ) unfortunately, anesthesia said the surgery is a go and that he will be unaffected by the antibiotics. Please pray for him. It is an outpatient surgery it is one that these amazing surgeons can do in their sleep but I am his Mommy and he is my precious baby so it is difficult for me today. The worst part of his last surgery was the part where they said "Mam (yes, they made me feel 95 by saying this) we are ready for him". This is the part where they take your baby from you and you let them. I would like to not let them but I figure that is a quick way to get on the news as the crazy lady who wouldn't give up her baby and fight and kicked so they wouldn't take him. So, I will give him over to the nurses, surgeons but more importantly to God. I appreciate your prayers and just to reassure you it is just a hypospadias repair . (Yikes I had a hard time finding a link that didn't involve pictures). Anyways, please don't go jumping on my bandwagon of worry I truly am releasing it to God. Just say a prayer! Thanks!

Busy Week with My Boys

The boys on the carousel

We have had a fun filled week here. Lots of visitors which has been great. Colin helped with he boys on Tuesday which was fun. They LOVE him. We went to Greenfield Village on Wednesday with Aunt Kim, Amanda and Teddy. And the boys had their 1 year appt today. They rode the carousel at the village which was fun for them (I think) and gave me and Amanda (my niece) queasy stomachs. We truly must have rode it for 5 minutes. Anyways it was a fun day and the boys were still recovering today by taking a 2 hour morning nap. They had their 5 billion shots this afternoon and seemed to come out unscathed. Our pediatrician said that Eli could start whole milk b/c he is in the 50th percentile uncorrected. Meaning, that he is an average one year old weight/height wise. So much for 2 years catch up growth. GO ELI! Alex is staying on formula for another month because he is in the 5th percentile but he is doing really well AND (drumroll please) he has two teeth poking through. I am so thankful for this because I was beginning to think he was just becoming unbelievably "high maintenance". Tomorrow we hit the library and get our carseats checked at the police station. Other than that all is normal in our neck of the woods. Pics are on their way OF course. I am just kind of tired and heading for bed. Goodnight!

It's my party and...

I'll cry if I want to! This was Eli's response to us singing him Happy Birthday.

He was so much happier playing with his new toys inside with Daddy.

He is so much like Jared.

Alex on the other hand LOVED it. He sat and played with the frosting for about a 1/2 hour.

They received a lot of nice gifts (opening gifts was complete chaos btw) and had a wonderful birthday. One of their favorite "gifts" was the tissue that was in all the bags. It was a farm theme but I just realized that I didn't take any pictures of the decorations (oops). We feel blessed to have been able to have such supportive and loving friends and family there with us today. We truly didn't have a large enough place to have everyone who loves us and plays an integral part of our lives, which is definitely a welcomed "problem". Happy Birthday (again) to our sweet boys! Thanks for making us parents! Daddy and I love you!

A Day in the Life of 2 ONE YEAR olds!

This is the best one that I could get of them together. They are no longer lumps that you prop up to take pics of . They are moving targets :)

Today is the day that the boys were born 1 year ago. Alex was born at 9:45 and Eli 9:46 weighing 2lbs 6oz and 2lbs 2oz. They now weigh 18lbs 11oz (alex) and 23lbs 3oz (eli). We had a fun day. Jared and I went in to get the boys together and wished them a Happy Birthday and tried to explain to them that they are ONE!!! It is beautiful here and we went to the park and walked and to the library. Aunt Missy, Colin and Olivia visited us and so did Aunt Kim. All of this before Daddy is even home. So here are some pics of our day! Their party is tomorrow and we are looking forward to it.

Alex sharing 1 yr. old wisdom with Elmo

Eli, feeling cocky about his age, attempts to conquer the world :)

Our trip to the library where we found a couple of books and Baby Einstein DVD's!!!

So tired and it wasn't even 11am

So there it is Alex and Eli's First B-day! I plan to follow up with a more sentimental post about who each of them seem to be at this point in their life but I would like to enjoy some of the peace and quiet during their nap!

Bookworms!

I had to share these pictures of the boys "reading". Enjoy!

Developmental Assessment

1st time holding Eli (9 days old)

Today we had a developmental assessment for the boys. They did wonderfully and there are no concerns at this point. We are so relieved and excited. On the days that we do developmental assessments we also visit the NICU and see the Dr.'s and Nurses that helped our little babies. We both got a little choked up today while entering the unit. I think it just hits you sometimes that things could have ended quite differently for us. I also think that the memories of having to leave our babies there for 11wks not knowing what their fate would be overwhelm us at times. We thank God that Alex and Eli are doing so well.

We ran into a Grandma who had twin grandsons in the unit who were born at 24 wks 3 days and weighed appx 1lb. 5oz. She started crying when she spoke to us and we tried to encourage her with the story of the boys and their progress but Jared and I both wished that we could just remove this trial from them and that their little boys would be perfect and healed and HOME. It is hard to say why some of us endure certain trials while others have different ones. All of this reminded me of a story that was passed onto us from a friend called "The Smell of Rain". Some may think it sounds crazy and unbelievable but it encouraged me greatly and I believe in a God that is this big. When I was pregnant I read a lot of books and all of them talked about the need for skin to skin contact with your babies after birth. To a mother of preemies this become greatly discouraging b/c not only could I not have this contact with them at birth but I didn't even see them for 2 days and then too much stimulation tends to overwhelm them at times. This story reminded me that God had it under control. It is not for me to stress out about whether or not this lack of contact will deter them in any way. They are taken care of by their heavenly Father.

Just a swingin'

We are thoroughly enjoying the Spring weather as a family. We (ok, Jared) have grilled out the past 3 nights, we are taking walks and the boys enjoyed their first time on swings today. They loved it but Eli did get too excited and head-butted Alex a few times. Alex loves to feel the cool breeze on his face as we walk but Eli does not share his enthusiasm for the breeze or the sun in his eyes. I think we are going to invest in some shades for Eli! It has been a great few days here all of our neighbors are coming out of hibernation and enjoying this gift of sunshine. Here's to hoping it stays!!!!!

We're Back!

We made it home from Florida and had a fabulous time. We stayed with Steve and Laurel and had a lot of fun with them and Nathaniel, Allie and Teddy. I had so much extra help! Above is a picture of Jared and Steve in their beautiful neighborhood complete with Spanish Oak trees. Jared has been off all this past week and went back today. It is always an adjustment after long breaks but we are getting back into the swing of things today. The boys had a lot of firsts while there. First time sleeping away from home (other than the NICU of course), first time enjoying a pool, first plane ride, first time in big boy car seats, first time in a high chair at a restaurant. I know you may be thinking that they are almost one and you cannot believe they are just now having these firsts BUT we are a little overprotective :) We loosened up quite a bit on this trip and even let some strangers hold the boys on the plane!! We were desperate for extra arms and when a couple of nice elderly ladies asked we were all for it. We enjoyed the sunshine and 80 degree weather and yet it is always nice to be home. We have begun the countdown and the boys will be 1 in less than a week. I cannot believe it!

New Playlist!

I woke up at a ridiculous hour. I did laundry, devotions, packed more for Fla. AND when I finished blog reading decided to make a playlist. It is pretty random but I love these songs. Here are some pics for the day. Again, random b/c I can't think of any sort of theme when I've been up since 4:30 a.m. Thankfully Jared's taking the boys out today so I can have a mini-break. Thank you Lord for my wonderful husband!

Sleep, Sweet Sleep

7/5/07 11wks old

What are you lookin' at?

9/3/07 20wks old

Eli's First Laugh Caught on Camera!

9/3/07 (also 20wks)

My babies are almost one! Sniff, sniff! Enjoy the music. I need coffee, lots of coffee!

Can you say obsession?

Problem? I don't have a problem :)

I was packing for Alex and Eli for Florida while they played in their room. Alex hit the jackpot and found 3 binkies. He is still using his NICU binkies. He doesn't like any other ones that we have tried. The pics cracked me up so I thought I would share. Have a great day! I almost forgot to add that today we are getting the last Synagis shot for the season!!!! I am so thrilled although probably not as much as Alex and Eli!

"Hey, I got some new shoes on....

and suddenly everythings right. Hey, I got some new shoes on and everybody's smilin' it's so inviting." Paolo Nutini - New Shoes

I put new shoes on the boys today and it was cute to watch their reactions to having shoes on for the first time. Alex kind of did a dog chasing the tail thing in order to see them. While Eli just pondered the feeling. I thought of the above song (which is on my ipod spring playlist b/c it is just so upbeat and fun) today as I walked OUTSIDE in the sunshine with my little boys. Yes, it is finally warm enough in MI to take walks that don't involve the word mall. The boys enjoyed their walk and as I walked along the streets that we Michiganders complain about, you know the ones that are so cracked and bumpy and jiggle the whole stroller, Alex giggled away. He LOVED it. It was so cute every time we hit this part during our walk he was excited. Yes God used one of the boys (again) to teach me a lesson. Lesson being, I too need to have that attitude when I hit the rough spots.

Through the experience of having preemies I believe God has taught me to appreciate most of the moments in Jared, mine and the boys life. More recently He reminded me of James 1:1 "whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy." Ok so appreciate not only the little moments but also the difficult ones. With the huge challenges in life Jared and I would "man up" so to speak but what about daily frustrations. I know that this verse was talking about all of that. He means the 3rd blow out of the day, the feel of warm spit up hitting your newly cleaned shirt, but also the friend who is ill and battling for life, the people that you know who are losing a baby, friends struggling with infertility ALL of it. I am learning that I have the desire to control these things when I am not supposed to. What he is showing me, specifically, right now is that I cannot control the boys lives. It is in his hands. This may be hitting me b/c of Eli's upcoming surgery but it is a hard lesson. I can't go through life waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was not God's intention. If you want to be inspired I encourage you to check out this blog. It is what reminded me to not only find joy in the little things but also about the freedom that comes with giving God the control. Read the story on the left about Teagan. Their story of faith in God through their loss is amazing!

Cram Session!

The boys have a developmental assessment in a couple of weeks and I think they are cramming. I guess it is possible that, like their mother, they prefer to procrastinate on some things. Eli started holding his bottle this week and clapping. He continues to army crawl and get around pretty quickly. He's learning so many new things every day. Alex has been pulling up to stand this past week and a half or so although he would pull up to his knees for quite some time before that. Look out PT and OT's here we come! :) We are so thankful for how well they are doing.

Nice form Eli!

He claps when you say "Yay Eli"!

Success! They love their remotes!