Little Lambs

Jillian

Jenna

We did a really fun, home photo shoot with the girls about two weeks ago for my mother-in-law's birthday. She loves sheep and lambs so that was our theme....plus, Jared and I bought these precious "His Little Lamb" outfits when we first found out I was pregnant with twins last year. They are really sweet with "The Lord is My Shepherd" phrase on them. The outfits included gowns, slippers and beanie hats. Well, the girls will most likely have outgrown the outfits by the time it gets cool enough to wear them this fall so that was a double reason for the Lambie theme. :)

Anyhoo, the pictures are absolutely adorable and I couldn't help but share all of them. If you click on this link (http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1044637012/a=98102858/) you should be able to view the entire lambie photo shoot.

More to Come,

Jessica

PS: YOU MAY HAVE TO REGISTER AT SNAPFISH TO VIEW THEM! Snapfish is free with no obligation to buy so don't hesitate on registering.

Lots & Lots to Say

Jenna and Jilly's bobos say it all. :)

Hey Everyone,

Well it is Friday, thank goodness...and Jared is home with me today! He took the day off and I am really excited. We hardly ever get to spend a day together. Our only day off together right now is Sunday and Sundays are just really busy. We have church and then Jared heads off to the county adult jail to meet with his Sunday group of guys for a Bible time. Then he either has to mow the yard or we go and visit family...so it usually isn't a day we can chillax as a family.

Jenna is starting to sit up with little arm support. She doesn't stay very long before falling over but it is progress. I don't know if Jilly can do it. She is only interested in standing, I can't get her to sit!

Anyhoo, lots of big plans today. Fun with the babies being on the top of our list, followed by possible lunch out, we have to run an errand to Target and get a baby shower gift for our friends. Then later my mom is going to come over so we can have some very rare grown up time...we are going to go to a late movie. I am really hoping that by the time we leave the babies will be asleep. That way it isn't too stressful, as sometimes nighttime can be.

These days we feed the babies their bottles and solids all between 6 and 6:30-6:45 ish. They play for about 15 or 20 minutes, then they get a diaper change and their PJs on. We settle on the sofa for a Bible Story from their Kid's Bible and then it is off to their cribs for nite-nite land. Sometimes the babies are asleep by 7:45 and sometimes, like last night, they aren't asleep until 8:30ish or later.

Jenna isn't crazy about her dinner

Maybe I should feed the rest of Jenna's dinner to Jillian since she has taken to eating her bowl after she is done. :)

So other than just regular life, not much is going on...yet. The girls keep getting bigger and bigger as they always do. They are super cool now, by the way. See their shades? :)

Jillian and Jenna play it cool for a car ride

I can't believe they keep them on but they do. Of course once they figured the sunglasses block that terribly, icky sun, they were more inclined to keep them on.

So I'll give you a heads up now....the next few weeks and months are going to be really busy for us. The ball has finally started rolling in regards to Jillian's cranial band (helmet). You might remember that we went to visit Cranial Technologies several weeks ago and they deemed Jillian a good candidate for treatment. We found out later that day Cranial Technologies wasn't part of our network of providers with our insurance company (not surprising). So we went to visit Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics a few weeks ago. I didn't like this company as much. The Cranial Technologies' therapists were far more professional and the office was more advanced technology wise. Not to say that both offices weren't extremely helpful and courteous, because they were, but I just felt far more at ease with the first company. Plus, everything I have read about them on the Internet makes Cranial Technologies sound like a great place that gets the treatment done right the first time. They make sure the bands fit exactly perfect so that you get the best results.

But, since Hanger was in our network we had resigned ourselves to use them...or at least until our insurance company denied Jillian's treatment. Also not surprising. They denied our treatment request because Jillian's asymmetry was 3/10ths of a centimeter off. They require the measurements of her flat spot to be at least 1 cm different on one side than the other and Jilly's measurements were .7cm. OMG!!! What good is having insurance I ask? We won't go there though...Dad! :) Tee Hee.

But, the positional different of Jillian's ears is a big deal for us. We have noticed that her sunglasses don't stay on like Jenna's because one of Jillian's ears is so much farther forward on her face than her other. That makes me worried later on if she has to have glasses (which is highly likely since I am officially legally blind with out corrective vision and she was a preemie which puts her and Jenna at risk for vision problems, especially since they were assisted with their breathing for a little while--something about the CPAP and the blowing of oxygen that puts them at risk for ROP, which is why we see an eye specialist for the 2nd time in November, for preventative and detection reasons) we won't be able to get the glasses to fit properly--which is something the therapist at Cranial Technologies warned us about in regards to non-treatment of her plagiocephaly (medical term for flat spot).

The bummer is that the treatment is very expensive with no insurance at a whopping $3,600 for the consultation, measurement session, making of the band, fitting session and all therapists sessions thereafter to track her progression (sessions are every one to two weeks). But, we are blessed with wonderful families and some of our family (I am not sure they would want me to publish their names on my blog) have generously given us the money so that we could not only treat Jillian's plagiocephaly, but also use the company we felt more comfortable with, Cranial Technologies. I know they felt, as did we, that it was medically necessary for Jillian to receive treatment now so that later we wouldn't have to worry about non-treatments risks like vision problems, chronic ear infections, sinus infections, TMJ or lock jaw, etc. Not to mention the cosmetic shape of Jillian's head being something Jillian might be embarassed about later in life. We are blessed by family and we love them more than we can express.

So all that to say, Jillian goes in next week to get her head measured with the DSI equipment (digital 3-D cameras that measure her head to within fractions of a millimeter). Then on September 2nd we go and get Jilly's band fitted. From then on she will wear the band for exactly 23 hours a day (we take it off for one hour to clean the band and her head every day). We will go to our follow up appointments for once a week in the beginning and then probably every 10-14 days thereafter. She will most likely wear the band for between 8 and 12 weeks depending on how fast her head grows. It will be a commitment for sure but I think it will be well worth it.

In the meantime... I have been trying to decide how to decorate her band. We are provided with a sterile, white band. However, the outside material can be decorated. I thought about doing it myself but I don't have the time. Luckily, on one of the Plagio Support Group chat forums I saw some entries about Bling Your Band, which is a band design company owned by a mom whose daughter went through treatment. I have been working with Coree, the owner, on coming up with a design for Jilly's band. I think I am going to leave it as a surprise but I encourage you to check out her blog and see the designs she has come up with for other kiddos. I do know that Jillian's band will be cutest by far! :)

Pretty much the reason why parents decorate the band is the comments received from the public. Most people don't know what the band is for and I think they are made uncomfortable by it. Before I knew about all of this I am ashamed to say I thought it was because the child was mentally challenged or something. Maybe they needed extra protection on their head? I had no idea. I never asked or commented but I remember some people whispering. A lot of the parents on the chat forum said they would receive rude comments about their child. Decorating the band keeps the treatment less sterile and instead of being something people are apprehensive about, it might just be a conversation starter instead.

I know that Jared and I will have to deal with comments, stares, whispers, etc.--even naysayers within our own circle of friends and family who would like to tell us how it was when they were kids or were raising their own kids 20, 30 50 years ago and this is all silly and unnecessary. I am trying to prepare now for those comments so they may not be as hurtful later. I just know that what we are doing for Jillian is right for her and as a parent I am responsible for following through with what is best.

More to Come...

Jessica

A Soothing Effect

What is it about about a baby laughing that can soothe even the most frazzled nerves? I would be a millionaire, plus the most loved person in the world, if I could bottle up a baby laugh and sell it to those who were stressed, frazzled, down on their luck, going through a rough patch or just plain depressed.

The funny thing is...I can't even figure out why babies laugh in the first place. :) For whatever reason Shelby the Dog is the funniest thing on earth for Jillian and Jenna. Her presence is enough to make them completely stop crying...even if they are really upset. And heaven forbid the dog lick them. A lick from Shelby sends the girls into a continuous state of big belly laughs for at least a few minutes. Which everyone knows in baby time is like hours. :)

Here, I'll show you...This video is Jillian, Jared, Shelby the Dog and me. All Jared is doing is getting Shelby all riled up by playing rough with her, which Shelby just loves (don't worry, the growls aren't as vicious as they sound on camera).

I hope this happy, giggly stage lasts for a while. It is my favorite by a mile so far. And somehow their laughter and happiness makes even the most stressful days, where they refuse to nap and eat, wonderful. If food is a way to a man's heart, a baby laughing is the way to a woman's.

More to Come,

Jessica

Lots More Pictures

The bows are cute but they sure make their hair crazy!! (Jillian)

Jenna

Jenna flirts with the camera

Jilly's turn!

They are quite adorable if I do say so myself (Jilly Left and Jenna Right)

Lots of Pictures

Jillian is already trying to escape her crib!

Jillian says that playing with her feet is her favorite past time


Jillian wears a hat a lot now to practice for the helmet she will most likely be wearing for 23 hours a day for the next 2-4 months

Jenna also enjoys playing with her toes

Jenna is giving us "The Look" already

So there are not a lot of new changes around our household. We are still working on getting Jillian's helmet stuff in place. The first clinic we visited took pictures and went through their whole presentation and come to find out they are not in our insurance network. So, we visited a different doctor last Monday and we are just waiting to hear on whether or not our insurance company will cover all of the costs.

Also, we have made some changes at nap time that appear to be working. They are sleeping in separate rooms, one baby in her bed in their room and the other baby in our guest room in the pack-n-play. It seems to be working as naps are as much of a fight as they had been, only a little protesting now. :) Jilly and Jenna still sleep in their room together (separate cribs) at night though. For some reason during the night their cries don't bother the other baby as much.

Anyhoo, the girls are growing like weeds and get cuter every day. I wanted to leave you with all of the latest pictures so I will post these and then a bunch more in another post to see if I can get most of the good ones for you. :)

More to Come,

Jessica

PS: The girls are laughing all the time now. Here is Jenna laughing up a storm. By the time we got the video shot she had started to calm down a bit but for a while she was really giving us some big, baby, belly laughs which are my favorite!

Something that makes you go Hmmm...or Yuck!

WARNING: S.G.I.A (Slightly Graphic Information Ahead)

Not for the Squeamish or Faint of Heart

=:-)

So when people ask me if the babies are on the same sleeping schedule (I actually get this question a lot!) I have to say no. The typical response is "Awww, poor mommy!" I agree but can then honestly say "At least they are on the same poo schedule." And then give them my best smile. No...I really don't say that, or I haven't said this to anyone yet... although I am considering making this my standard response. :)

The girls are still taking about 3 naps a day, at least one good nap and sometimes two good naps with one or two naps that are very short. It all kind of depends on the day. Most often when one baby girl is taking her really good nap the other is not. It is weird that it happens like that because they really are on the same schedule as far as eating and being put down to sleep.

On the other hand I find it increasingly interesting that both babies manage to poo at almost always the exact same time. Sure, they eat at the same time and generally eat the same thing; the only difference is that sometimes one baby will eat more at one sitting than the other. If digestive habits aren't twin typing characteristics then I don't know what is.

More to Come; which may or may not be a good thing :)

Jess

Turning a Corner

Jillian(Left in both pictures) and Jenna pose for pictures

Jenna loves her puppy dog

You know the expression "If you blink you will miss it?" Sometimes that's how our lives are. All of a sudden, before you know it Jillian and Jenna are reaching another milestone. This last week we have reached several!

The other evening Jared and I were trying to make our own dinner, after the girls had eaten, and we hear Jillian cracking up. She is laughing and laughing....having the best time. I figured Shelby was licking her toes or ears so I go check it out and Jillian is on her back staring up at Jenna who is on her tummy. I guess seeing Jenna above her like that just tickled her.

Jillian thinks her sister is funny

Before now the girls hadn't really interacted with each other beyond an occasional smile or glance at the other. I have been waiting for them to figure out that there is another baby, someone who can provide additional entertainment besides Mommy. :) One of my favorite You Tube videos is of twin baby boys cracking up at each other. The boys were 4 months old at the time and they aren't doing anything but laughing...Jilly and Jenna's laughs weren't quite the same caliber as the boys but it gives me hope for the future.

Another milestone we reached is that the girls are now able to sit up by themselves. They have to use their arms to keep themselves upright and they fall over quite easily still; but hey, it is something! We started Phase 2 in our Baby Builders Exercise Book late last week and by Saturday Jillian was sitting up. We got the book from the Occupational Therapist at Cooks. The exercises are supposed to help babies reach their milestones faster than they would if the parents didn't do they exercises. That doesn't mean they reach the milestones on time, it just means they reach them sooner than they would. For example, according to the baby books most babies can sit up unassisted around five months. The girls will be 7 months in 5 days and are just beginning to sit up on their own with their own assistance.

Jillian practices sitting up

We still use the Bumbo seats given to us quite a lot. The girls don't like to sit in them for longer than about 10 minutes but they tolerate the seats enough to get those important muscles built up. Here is a video I took of the girls in their Bumbos. I think the way the girls are positioned in the seat allows gas out of their tummies. Almost every time they sit in the seat they burp or spit up. I was going to capture a little more of the girls staring at Shelby but had to go as you will see:

The video does highlight another milestone in that both girls know their names now. They turn their heads almost every time when I call their names. :)

Okay, so off of the subject of milestones. Is it weird that my kids don't like the baby fruits? We've been through all of the veggies with no allergy incidents and so we were finally able to start fruits. I was excited because I figured if we could get them to eat fruits then maybe I could put the fruits in the Rice Cereal and have another go at it....thinking they might like it sweetened up. Uh uh, nope, not a chance.

So far bananas and peaches aren't making the cut. Next week is pears and then apples followed by plums the following weeks. Maybe we will have better luck with those fruits. I know Jared was quite disappointed with the banana outcome. He loves, loves, loves bananas and was hoping at least a little of himself had rubbed off on the girls (everyone we meet says they look just like me). I guess not, or at least those traits aren't visible yet.

Curious as to what our favorite foods are so far? Sweet potatoes and green peas. Whodda thunk?

More to Come,

Jessica