Home Sweet Home

I came home last night! It was a late discharge because the pediatrician on rounds had lots of higher priority kiddos to tend to.... but I was patient (I had to help mommy be patient too). Grandma Sue and her friend Jan, and aunt Shawnee helped us pack the van with all the hospital stuff and we came home!

Daddy was soooo happy to see me. And Grandma Dorothy and Liam too. Thanks to all those who dropped off WONDERFUL meals. The split pea soup is gone! The fried chicken, spaghetti, salads, sweet goodies, oh my! Thanks to all for your prayers and generosity during yet another hospital stay. It means a lot to me!

Photos from the hospital

This first photo was taken during the first couple of days of Tommy's hospitalization. He was out of it!

Brothers Nate and Liam entertain themselves in the hospital.

Mommy and Liam were sooo glad to see each other!

Hi mom! Peek a boo!

Tommy doing his "champion" sign.

Mom, phone for you!

Twins in bed.

Saturday update

Still here at the hospital. Mommy is 'wired' now, thanks to aunt Shawnee's laptop! So updates may happen more quickly. My oxygen sats are still low on room air so back on the 2/10 of a liter of oxygen support. I woke up at 4:30am and peeked through my crib rails to see mommy snoozing on the sofa next to me.... coo, coo I said, come on mommy let's play!

And the playing didn't stop until 12:30 in the afternoon. Aunt Shawnee came and read books and played with me while mommy ran into work for an hour (and grabbed a mocha, geez that felt good). Now I'm sleeping and respitory care will be back around 2pm to help clear up the junk in my lungs.

Thanks to my friend Kaden's momma for stopping by with a 'hello'! Thanks to all the prayers and get well wishes from everyone of our blogging friends. Thanks to Aunt Debbie, Grandma Sue, Aunt Tami and Grandma Dorothy for their helping hands. And a big thank you to Daddy for holding down everything while we are in the hospital.

Chelsey Ebert

I wanted to tell you about my friend Chelsey Ebert.

She passed away on Wednesday after a nine month courageous battle with cancer. Although I have only know Chelsey since she had the cancer, we shared visits at Children's Hospital and I will always remember sitting in her bed or on her lap in her wheelchair, staring at her smile, her sparkling eyes, her sweet voice and most of all being surrounded by her faith in God and strength.

God has placed her and her family in our path many times. We could feel her strength present rooms and floors away from where she was from us. She is one of God's saints and he has called her home. The opportunity to know Chelsey Ebert will stay with our family forever. You don't meet many angels!

Here is something from today's Bellingham Herald: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/275089.html

Please pray for peace for her family.

The 8th day at St Joseph's

Yes, I am still inpatient at St Joseph's. I have more energy today and have started eating orally again. But my lungs are still junky and my oxygen sats are low.... so we stay in the hospital for now. Mommy is playing games with me, finding books to read to me, and today I got to sit in a baby bath and soak my sore bum.
Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for my recovery. And thanks to family members who have come and gowned up to sit with me and give mommy a break. She will have lots of pictures and stories to tell later.

A very sick Tommy

Tommy was admitted to St Joseph's Hospital here in Bellingham Thursday night. He has RSV and Pneumonia. Please pray that his right lung clears up and that his strength starts to return to his body. His fevers have been as high as 105. We will try to keep updates posted here soon.

Helpful hints

With both of the boys sick, here are some helpful hints from our day:
*When a baby is vomitting don't move throughout the house in search of where you left the washrag for his face. This only makes the mess bigger. Much bigger. Especially involving the staircase (which is horrible to steam clean).
*Do not call the medical insurance company asking about durable equipment benefits with both babies sick, even if you think they both just went asleep for a nap. It never fails after waiting onhold for 30 mins and finally getting a rep that knows something about our plan and our situation.... both babies wake up screaming upset.
*Don't switch from Pedialyte back to milk. Even if they look like they are feeling better, they are just acting. Spoiled milk from a sick baby is the worst smell.
*Yes, put on that third pot of coffee, it's the best decision you have made all day.
*Liquid tide, plus "color safe" clorox, plus downy is too much in an HE washing machine. After three rinses I still can't get that load desuds.
*No matter what toys you play with or books that are read, the best thing on a sickday is a bunch of pillows and a snuggly mommy (and a signing time video).

No sniffles for me!

Brother Liam is really sick with a head cold. Mommy was home yesterday with us, now Daddy is home today with us and it's looking like Liam might still be sick tomorrow.

Daddy took us to our one year doctor appointment today. Since Liam was sick he didn't get any vaccinations. No such luck for me though. And did I tell you how many shots you get at your one year check up? I ran out of leg room for all the shots. Including my second flu shot!

Mommy took my food diary to the nutritionist today and learned we are shy on iron rich foods. So I ate lentils tonight! And baked halibut. She is going to post more on that another day though. The nutritionist and mommy were happy that I weigh 20 pounds and 2 oz!

Here are some pictures of me, Liam is so sniffly you wouldn't want to see him today :)

Merry Christmas

All six of us!

Birthday Bash!

I love opening wrapped presents. I liked what was inside all that paper.... but let's focus on the paper. It made sounds, brightly colored and no one cared if I ripped it and tore it. Mmmm, paper. And more chocolate cake! We are one year old!

Motor skills

I'm really enjoying trying to scoot my body around. Here's how I do it, I lay on my back, bounce my hips up and down and move them side to side and you do it enough, and I mean lots and lots....and presto.... mommy almost steps on ya because you are in a different spot than where she left ya!

Wonder twin powers

The best part of being a twin is the cuddlin'

Warming up for our birthday party

Did I tell you I turn one year old on Wednesday? Liam does too! So mommy gave us a cupcake after dinner tonight to 'warm up' our cake eating. I put some in my mouth by myself.

Weekend full of Christmas Parties

Mommy and Nate enjoyed a VERY fun 4H Christmas party on Friday evening. They even got to see a magic show. Next year I hope to feel better and I'll go too.


Saturday all six of us went to the 'Parent to Parent' Holiday party. I was feeling alot better so I had fun! I got to see many of my friends and I got to meet a few new ones! I even played in bird seed. Plus there was this guy dressed up in a red suit and he had lots of fury-ness on his face... I LOVED HIM. I sat right on his lap while I was getting my feeding. Mom called him Santa. Liam called him scarey! He gave us board books.



Hannah and Mommy are fixing up my feeding.









Nate and Liam play with Max in the bird seed.









Hannah and Liam playing with playdough.

Rocking chair blues

Monday was my only 'good' day this week. At playgroup I visited with my friends and ate a frozen lemonade bar, brrr! But starting Tuesday I wasn't feeling very well. My tummy hurts. I vomitted all day on Wednesday. Yesterday was a follow up Cardiology Appt at Children's Hospital. Daddy took Liam and I to that appointment and I tried *really* hard to have fun. Dad said I started looking better. But no such luck. Today I spit up blood and it was back to the doctor again. Turns out it might just be that I have irritated my throat. I feel better this afternoon, but maybe it's because I can just stare at mommy (and laugh with her silliness). I'll let you know more tomorrow how I feel. For now, mommy will keep on rocking me!

Haircut

We braved the snowfall and were almost an hour late to our haircut (sorry Heather) but we made it safely. And Tommy got his first haircut. This first picture is our "before" and the two following pictures are "during". Mommy will update the post with an "after" picture. He was a very cooperative little boy. Daddy held Liam long enough for Mommy to get her haircut too! We really enjoyed our great haircuts (and Daddy driving us safely to our errands). Mommy will update this post with an "after" picture.

Promise

Hello! I wanted to show you what Liam and I do during the day when daddy and mommy go to work. We play at Promise. Here I am in my highchair ready to eat.

And here are Liam and I going for a wagon ride outside. Lots of fun. We love our teachers Tiffany and Marlean.