4 months old

Well the twins are 4 months old so I thought I better post some new pictures of them. It's been awhile since I've put anything on my blog, it's hard to find the time to get things like this done. We took Statton to the cardiologist the first part of May. The doctor said that he still has a small hole in his heart but it's not causing him any problems. She said from what they know about the size of the hole it's small enough that it should be completely closed by the time he's 4 years old. So she'll see him again when he's 4 to check on it. So that was some good news. Both Statton and Cassidy have both been just fun little babies. They are both starting to smile and make those cute cooing noises. I just love watching them grow and reach these fun milestones. I've gone back to working part-time. I work two days a week. It's bittersweet going back as most of you working mom's probably know. I like to have a little break even though I miss them but I think it makes me a better mom. My sister-in-law Andrea has been kind enough to watch them for me when I work and Blair gets to have them when I work a weekend. I think Blair has re-thought his idea of me working full time and him being the stay-at-home dad. A few days in a row of watching two little babies certainly makes him appreciate me more. So working a little bit certainly has some nice qualities to it. So the pictures I'm posting are from an idea that was given to me by my Aunt Marie & Uncle Mike. It said to take a picture the same day of every month in the same chair with the same stuffed animal. It's a good way to see how your children grow. So heres the picture I took for June to show them at their 4 month mark.

Blessing Day!

On Sunday May 4th we were able to take Statton and Cassidy to church and have their baby blessings. We blessed Cassidy first and then Statton. We thought this only fair since Cassidy was the first to be born. Everyone kept asking Blair if he was nervous about doing the blessings and of course he just laughs like it's not a big deal. Well he got up their and did a wonderful job, a little fast paced, but it was still very nice. He said afterwards that he wished he would have slowed it down a little bit and taken a little more time. Mister macho was a little more nervous than he thought he was. It was a good time and the kids both slept through the whole thing. Whew! I was nervous they would scream the entire time. We went out to my parent's house after the blessings and had a Barbeque with the family. I forgot my camera at home so I didn't get any cute pictures of our little family all dressed in their nice clothes. So we have the kids looking cute but the rest of us are pretty casual. The booties on Cassidy are ones that Anita had given me for the kids to wear when they got blessed. I didn't get a picture of Statton in his because he had kicked his off and I didn't find the other bootie until I got them home late that night. Anyway enjoy the pics.

A Tribute to Anita Heward

On Friday April 4th, 2008 Blair's mother Anita suffered a massive heart attack and returned home to our Heavenly Father. She was only 55 yrs old. Blair received a call from his dad around 11:30 a.m. that she was in the hospital and it didn't look good. She went quickly and didn't suffer which is probably how we would all like to go when our time comes. We will all miss her very much and wish she didn't have to go so soon but when the lord calls us home theres not much we can do about it. She was a wonderful woman and always treated me like one of her own kids. She really helped Blair and I out a lot during my extended hospital stay and with the kids in the NICU. She came and stayed with me a couple of days when I was first in the hospital just to keep me company. She told me one time that as a mother you can give service that is needed freely to your own daughters, but as a mother-in-law it's hard because you have to sit back and wait to be asked to give service to your daughter-in-laws. I think she really appreciated being able to help me out and do what she was able for me. I'm grateful for my good relationship with my mother-in-law and that she was always very sweet to me. Blair and I and the rest of her family will miss her dearly. Blair and I are grateful she was able to see our kids before she passed we are just sad that our kids won't grow up knowing their grandmother. It's good to know that we will one day be reunited with her and that there is life after this. She was a good wife,mother, and grandmother. We love you Anita!

We're HOME!

So the rumors were true and the kids were released home Sunday. It was four weeks to the day. Blair met me in Ogden at the hospital that morning and we loaded up all their stuff put them in their car seats and onward home we went. Needless to say they are sooo small for their car seats that they look uncomfortable. I was jumping over the seats about every 15 minutes just to make sure they were both still breathing. We made it home a little after 5:00 that evening and it was so nice to finally be home. Now we have a lot of sleepless nights ahead of us.

Were Breaking Out of Here!!!!!!

These are just some pictures of Cassidy and Statton getting tub baths. Can you guess who is who?! These were taken about 1 1/2 weeks ago.
So we thought the day would never come but it looks like we finally might have proved ourselves worthy to get the heck out of here. The doctors and nurses have been talking to me about releasing the kids on Sunday. Statton is finally meeting his minimal feeding intake requirement. The nurse told me that his little light bulb finally went on but I'm still wondering if it's more of a dim switch. He eats so good for the nurses and then mom comes along and he'll only take about 2/3 of what he needs. Whats up with that?! All in all he's doing well and has really picked up in the past few days. I'm pretty proud of the little guy!
As of right now we have been getting things in the works so that the kids and myself can all finally go home. This includes discharge worksheets, shots (yuck!), and teaching me how to mix up their formula cocktails. I haven't seen my house or even Burley in 2 months. My family and Blair's were super nice and went and cleaned my house this last weekend in anticipation of us coming home. Either they didn't think Blair was the best housekeeper for 2 months or that we have a filthy little dog. Probably both. Anyway I was very grateful and touched by the sweet gesture. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that this all isn't some cruel joke and that Sunday afternoon/evening we will be on our way home to Burley.

Blair's got his hands full

I thought I needed to get a picture of Blair holding both of his children. The top one is of Statton. I just thought it was a super cute picture.

Still hanging out

I'm beginning to think that I've taken up permanent residence at the hospital. I've been contemplating if I should go see if they have any job openings in the Radiology department to help pass my time and help pay for these soon to be outrageous hospital bills. Maybe they would give me an employee discount!? The nurses here keep promising me that they've never kept any babies past kindergarten age. That makes me feel better(roll eyes here.) Thats my little tangent for the day so heres the update.
Cassidy is still eating like a champ. She doesn't care if the food is cold or warm she just wants to eat. She is currently sitting at 4 lbs 7 ounces and 18 inches long. WOW! She started having some specks of blood in her stool again. The doctor thinks that the inflammation she had is still healing but isn't concerning. To be on the safe side they are switching her to yet ANOTHER type of formula that is designed specifically for babies with blood in their poop. We will just have to keep an eye on her.
Statton is the one who might be the death of me. We just can't get the kid to want to take all of his food. He eats a little bit and then passes out and I can't wake him up enough to finish the rest. When he does eat he gets so excited that he puts all the milk he can stand in his mouth before trying to swallow and then forgets to breath. Then we have the monitors going off because he dropped his heart rate and his oxygen levels. ARGH! I've been trying to be the patient mom but it's been hard to watch your child choke on his food and not eat what he needs. At the rate he's going I just might have to take a job here. All joking aside he's actually improved from the previous week. I keep praying that the little light bulb inside his head will flip on and he'll learn to eat overnight. I'll let you know how that goes.
Either way I couldn't ask for two healthier little kids. I'm just so glad to have them here after all these years that I should be able to handle a few weeks of waiting for them to come home. I'll work on that.