Apple-Picking Cuties

We took the girls apple picking for the first time on Sunday. They weren't quite sure what to make of it but enjoyed walking (and stumbling) around exploring the orchard and picking up the apples that had fallen off of the trees. A (in the pink top) decided to taste one -- turns out apples make good teethers!

A New Perspective

A couple of weeks ago, we finally turned the girls car seats around so they are now forward facing.* As you can see by their expressions, they were quite pleased with this change of scenery, this new perspective during car rides. (A's picture is on the top, L's the bottom.)

They are enjoying the extra legroom and being able to see Mommy & Daddy. They also are quite excited about being able to toss whatever they can get hold of onto the floor. Fun stuff.

*Rear facing is safer so we decided to keep them that way for a while even though they had met the requirements for forward facing (of one year AND 20 pounds) when they turned one the end of May.

Consult with Pediatric Surgeon

Yesterday, we took L for a consultation with a pediatric surgeon. She has two small hernias from her heart surgery: the larger one is where the drainage tube had been placed after her surgery (visible in the above picture) and another at the bottom of her incision area.

We have been told that the hernias will not go away on their own. It is a relatively quick and easy procedure to correct them but would require anesthesia. We were told it would take 30-45 minutes. Even though L has already been through a major, major surgery, the thought of having our baby put under makes us nervous.

It is really a cosmetic issue at this point. However, while the hernias are small now they could get larger over time if we don't correct them soon.

The surgeon came very highly recommended from several different doctors. If we do go forward with it, we may have it done in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you all posted...


Sleep Update:

I am very happy to report that after a mere 8 days everyone in our house is sleeping better and longer these days. Woo hoo!

The girls have done a great job of adapting to their new bedtime routine. While there is usually some fussing while trying to get them to go asleep, they usually STAY asleep and have been sleeping for about 10 hours. I am practically giddy over the extra time I now have in the evening and in the morning too, not to mention more room in the bed -- guess we don't need a king-size bed after all. LOL.

The Adventurer

Well, we have a very adventurous little girl on our hands -- and it's not the one we thought it would be! Yesterday, we went to the shore for the day. Last time we took the girls they both played contentedly in the shade on a blanket under an umbrella. This time, L kept walking off by herself! Kind of cute to see that little girl walking down the beach, bucket in hand, but scary at the same time that she will wander off so easily... It surprised us that L would do that because she has always been the more cautious of the two girls. Guess not any more! Meanwhile, A happily played and stayed on our blanket under the umbrella. Guess she is like her mommy and isn't crazy about being in the sun. :)

Unfortunately, Mommy forgot to pack the camera so we don't have pictures to show of the little adventurer (other than a couple of grainy phone camera pictures). But the memories are there...

Better Late Than Never

This week we started sleep training the girls. Yeah, yeah, I know. This is something you are supposed to do when babies are infants. But, better late than never, right??

We had gotten ourselves into a pretty tough spot. We were putting the girls to bed already asleep (and they usually weren't falling asleep until 9pm or later) and if/when they woke up during the night or early morning we put them in our bed. As you can imagine, that had left us with little time in the evening for ourselves to relax or get some things done and also left us with not enough sleep.

Well, fortunately, I came to my senses and finally realized that we had to change this terrible routine. So, we are on Day 4 of this "sleep experiment" and I have to say (while risking jinxing myself) that it is going pretty well. The night of Day 2 was pretty rough but last night we saw great improvements. They were both asleep by 9:15 and, while I heard some fussing a few times during the night, no one got up crying. They both woke up at 5:15 but with a little coaxing and soothing went back to sleep for another two hours.

I am not foolish enough to believe it will only get better from here -- I am sure we still have some tough nights ahead -- but hopefully we are on our way to well-rested, happier babies and parents!

15 Month Check Up

The girls had their 15 month checkup. Both of them are doing just fine.

Their stats:

L
Height: 30 1/2"
Weight: 22 lbs, 12 oz.

A
Height: 30 1/4"
Weight: 22 lbs, 5 oz.

They each grew exactly one inch since their 12 month appointment. L literally gained on A in the weight department -- there were less ounces apart last time -- but L, until very recently, has been the much better eater.

They got a couple of shots. As you can imagine those were not appreciated. Normally, the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot would be given at this time but, with our doctor's input, we have decided to delay their getting it. Partly because they were already getting two shots today. But mainly because as former preemies we felt it would be better to wait a bit longer to give them such a big shot. Plus, since they are not in daycare there is less of a concern of them actually contracting any of those illnesses.

The doctor is pleased with their progress. They are in the 50th percentile for height and weight (using their chronological and not corrected age). They are walking. They say at least 5 words -- actually they can say quite a few more as well as an array of animal sounds. :) And they are eating table foods 3 times a day. She was also pleased that we are done with bottles. Next up: Work on phasing out the pacis. That should be fun... Yikes!

Their pacis go everywhere with them as illustrated in the above picture.

Suggestions on how to "break the habit" would be very much appreciated.