The FUNK...

Well...despite the fact that the babies NEVER leave the house...and despite the fact that Marty and I are avid hand-washers...despite the fact that we both change clothes when we come home from work AND take showers...despite ALL of that, the FUNK has reached our household. Anderson came down with it last week. Snotty, snotty nose, cough, fever...poor baby was pitiful. Poor Mommy was TERRIFIED. I can't lose the fear that they put into you in the NICU that when your preemie gets sick, it's automatically life-threatening. I freaked out. I think our Dr.'s office probably laughs at me--I've called at least 4 times since last Monday. The good news is that it's a viral illness, so no meds, other than a little Tylenol, were needed; the BAD news is that it came around again! Anderson got better for a few days, then got worse again. No fever the 2nd time around, but more snottiness, and the cough became a more "chesty" cough. However, it didn't stop there--last night, Marty came down with it, too. This is even WORSE news for Mommy; this meant she had to care for both babies all night last night, and will do it again tonight--YUCK. I'm already exhausted, and pretty much counting down the minutes until I start feeling bad myself.

The worst news is that Amelia's surgery has been postponed. I called her surgeon today to let them know everything that has been going on, and they decided they want to play it safe. She has been exposed to both her brother and Daddy; odds are, she's going to get sick. It would be tragic for her to come down with this, say, the day AFTER heart surgery. Since it's a fairly elective procedure at this point, they decided to push it back to Sept. 15th. In some ways it's heartbreaking to me; I had mentally prepared for this week for SOO long. Now, I'm back in waiting mode, which gives my mind just enough time to wander again, which is never good. But...I completely understand with the doctors' decision, and I agree with it. It just seems too risky given the germs in this nasty household!

So...we're clearing the air in here--literally, since the weather is perfect for opening a few windows right now. I'm just picturing all the little germs flying right out the door with the breeze. Just hanging out, waiting for the funk to leave. Hoping I have the energy to get through tonight--might even need to make some coffee! Sigh...

Here's a fun pic...I was playing around with Ms. Amelia a few nights ago. I think she's making an Elvis face in this picture...



And here's a video of a very happy Anderson (as always, please ignore the hick Mommy chatter):



Keep us in your thoughts, please, as we try to kick the germs. All joking aside, we're very scared of how sick Ms. Amelia could get if she caught it...

It's been awhile...

Well, I'm sure you guessed...going back to school has really cut into my computer time! This update is LONG overdue!

Starting with going back to work--it's going SO well! The babies love Mrs. Susan (the nanny); every single time I've come home, they've always been happy and/or asleep; I've never come home to anyone crying with her. This is TRULY a miracle; someone is always crying around here! :) She works hard to keep them happy, and they are just that. As for me, I think I'm doing really well with having to leave them every day! I just really love my co-workers (love you girls!), and being with them all day honestly makes it so much easier. I also really kind of like my job (*gasp*!!!)--it's a very, very fast-paced, busy job, especially at the beginning of the school year--so I stay busy from the minute I arrive until the minute I leave, which is good. I truly value the time I'm with the kids at night--I think before, I took it for granted. I always get home about an hour or more before Marty, and I *LOVE* this; it's Mommy Time! Of course I love when he gets home, too; the babies love their daddy very much, but I get that little bit of time to myself, just like I used to have. SO...overall, things are going well!

As for Amelia's surgery...she's having the procedure done on 9/2. This is a Wednesday, according to her doctor, she should be home by the following Monday. The surgeon was really nice, and put us at ease about the procedure. It's just a super, super common operation (it's what pediatric heart surgeons do the most of!), the procedure itself will only take 20 minutes, and hopefully she'll recover well and come home quickly! I'm just excited at the thought of her a) not needing oxygen anymore, and b) being able to gain weight faster. The little girl likes to EAT; she's eating way more than Anderson was at her size! She just burns all of her calories off because her heart is working too hard. We're banking a lot on this "fixing" her, so as scary as the whole thing is, it's a good thing. I do have to admit to some serious freak-out episodes. The thought of being back at that hospital is NOT a good one, even though I realize it's a different situation altogether. I was reading the little Children's Hospital welcome information that we got at her consultation, and I realized that we will be stopping at the SAME check-in desk in the PICU as we had to check in when they were in the NICU. I realize that, to some, this probably seems like a minor thing, but if you've ever spent any real time in the NICU (or in the hospital in general), you realize how HORRIBLE I felt! I broke down in tears, and I tear up EVERY time I think about it! I'll see the same nurses, the same doctors...not that I didn't like them when I was there, but I was banking on never being back. It just brings back a LOT of rough memories for me. I'll live, though, especially if it makes my little girly better.

The babies are doing great! Anderson is a strong little man--he loves to stand up ALL the time! He can bear all of his weight for long periods of time, and he gets mad if you make him sit down! I took this picture of the little guy in his bed. He did NOT pull up like this; I was just holding him up, and helped him use the railing to stand on his own:



I think he'll walk early. :) He loves to be on the go; he loves to squeal, talk, and play rough. He is about 13 pounds now, so he's still a little man, but he's so much fun!

Amelia is my sweet, sweet girl. She is so full of personality! She's seems like such a little contradiction; she's SO small that people who see her expect her to act like a newborn! I'm sure it's odd for them to see this 6 pound baby talking, laughing, grabbing things, holding up her head...she's amazing. She is SO, SO happy; she smiles almost constantly. Unfortunately, sometimes she'd rather smile and talk than eat; I have to literally avoid eye contact with her when I'm feeding her occasionally because if she looks at me, she starts smiling, and milk runs out of her mouth--then she'll start talking. :-) It is ADORABLE, but obviously we're trying to get her to gain as much weight as she can, so it's not such a good thing. She's so good-natured...which is good because sometimes Anderson just...isn't. :)

Here are a few pics of everyone:






Thanks for reading, and for thinking of our babies! I'll be better about updating; at least on weekends!