The Adventures of the Tader Tot's

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Sumner rolled over and this is what he said...

So last night Sumner rolled over onto his back for the first time. Why does that seem like it is nothing major to report but I feel like it’s an accomplishment. I have been kind of out of it on the developmental side of things lately. I have been happy that they are happy, eating and generally good babies. I found this info online:

“Your baby will probably learn to sit independently between the ages of 4 and 7 months. This is about the same time that he'll master rolling over and holding his head up.”

So I guess they are doing ok. They are no roll over masters but they get better with each day of "tummy time." Jack has been rolling over since 3/26/07, according to M’s blog. It also makes me wonder about the info we got in the NICU. We met with an OT and she proceeded to tell us how developmentally behind the boys would be up until possibly 2 years of age. It really bothered me that they would make those types of statements. What is the purpose? I don’t see any educational value to telling new parents that their kid is going to be behind from the get go. Oh yeah, they always say possibly, kind of like the weatherman.

I really think they should evaluate them more than just 2 weeks after being born and still in the NICU before throwing out labels like that.(If you haven’t noticed I hate labels) Instead we have to wait until the 6 month mark to meet with another OT to check their progress. I would really like to know if they are not measuring up before its been 6 months. I guess we will have to rely on the pediatrician on that as well. Hopefully they will give us stuff to do to help them developmentally instead of just labeling them as preemies that will develop slower than the average baby.

Jack has been getting better with his eating. He still has some problems but only when he takes his medicine. I hope he hits a spurt here soon and starts packing it on like the tank. He would have rolled over more last night but when he got going, Sumner’s melon was blocking him. Someday I will video tape it for everyone.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Time is definitely not on our side:

Since we are able to leave the house with the boys for some short trips, we have found our newest trouble is the amount of time it takes to get things done. We have taken the boys out in a public place twice. Once, we stopped for lunch after the doctor appointment and again on Saturday for dinner.

I think we sat for about 15 minutes answering questions before we even got to look at the menu. I told M that we were going to have to shorten our versions of everything or we will never get to go anywhere. We are able to keep them in their car seats and put them on the inside of the booth and that helps to keep people from touching them. We found that the old people really want to touch the babies. In fact, everyone wants to touch the babies. So we decided if we want to go grocery shopping, we will have to do it after 10:30 PM, to eliminate the number of people that want stop you.

I have found myself really noticing people in public and how dirty they are. Now I am sure if someone watched me I am guilty of doing something wrong as well. But if you sneeze, cough, wipe your nose, eyes, scratch rear end, stick your finger in any orifice, handle something dirty, or you’re with anyone does any of these things, you are not touching my kids. I know we will loosen up a bit, but for now they are still little and susceptible to illness. So if they are going out in public, it’s going to be a short period of time and no one is touching them. Family at Easter thought I was crazy when I kept asking everyone if the washed their hands. Oh well, soon they will be playing in dirt and daring each other to eat mud pies.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

The Hiatus is over….

I have been away from this thing for so long I almost forgot where I left off. It has been a crazy 2 months. The boys came from home the hospital exactly one month after they were born. My parents came up from Florida for two weeks and the babies are growing nicely.

When the boys came home, I think there were 2 or 3 days there where everything just blurred together. I don’t remember when one started and the other ended. I am sure I didn’t brush my teeth every time or shower regularly enough, but we survived. I think the goal for those first few days was to survive. M and I were proving to each other that we could in fact be parents and be good ones at that.

So updates on the boys: Sumner was 7 lbs. 3 oz. at the last doctor appointment. (Actually he was just there to be weighed and Jackson was there for the visit.) So he has earned the nick name, “The Tank.” He left the NICU at 5 lbs. 7 oz. and has grown quite a bit. He is still a fussy one when he gets out of his routine. Kind of like his dad, which he has started to resemble. It’s scary to see him make the faces that I like to make.

Jackson was gaining a little slower because of his feeding issues. He has improved and has stopped locking his tongue to the roof of his mouth but has been having some reflux issues. This has caused a little more vomiting that I would care to see. All in all, the pediatrician was happy with his weight gain and expects it to pick up now that he has medication for the reflux.

M: She has been amazing. She has blossomed into the most wonderful mother. She always seems to know when to step in and out of situations. I was getting frustrated with Jack and she would take over or someone wouldn’t be feeding them or holding them correct and she can correct them without making them feel bad. I wish I had more of that skill. I tend to be on the blunt side and it comes off abrasive even when I don’t intend it to be that way. She has really taken to the boys and their needs. To see her breastfeed them both at once is still amazing to me. She looks like she has been doing it for years. I am really proud of her. I didn’t think it would be possible to love her more, but I do. It’s so weird to think of the level of love I have for her and the boys that I never really expected to be that strong.

Families: They are adapting to grandparenthood. I think they are adapting more to M and I as parents. We have had or occasional bumps in the roads. The thing I have the most trouble with right now is defending our choices as parents. I know everyone means well, but we have to be able to make our decisions right or wrong. What helps us is that we are able to retreat back to just the four of us and know that what we are doing is what we want. It helps that M and I see eye to eye on most things and we are able to discuss the other things before reaching a decision.

Today would have been the boys official due date. We are now at the corrected age, I think.