11 Months

Weight Check
Both boys - about 21 pounds

We have a creepy crawler!  Aaron has mastered the belly crawl and is ALL OVER THE PLACE.  He is super fast, and into everything.  He does get up on all fours to try to crawl, but straightens out his legs instead like he's trying to stand.  William gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth and back and forth like he's going to launch forward, but he doesn't actually move forward yet.  He rolls around pretty well to where ever he needs to be, and pivots on his belly like a clock hand.  I'm amazed by Aaron, because Anna didn't crawl until she was 9 months, and he started right around 7 months adjusted.  So proud of him :)  They can both stand when given something to balance on and hold!

We are enjoying the freedom from quarantine, and have taken the boys several places, including church, the river, and a kids festival. I hope this weekend is not an indication that the summer will be 9000 degrees every day, because I'm really enjoying being outside with all three kids.

The different personalities are definitely emerging.  William is more laid back and content to play with one toy, whereas Aaron is nonstop moving from one place to the next.  They both love attention, but Aaron is more of the flirt and wants attention all the time.  They are still both super sweet and good babies.  Everything else is proceeding as "normal" - they are eating solids, puffs, teething but no teeth yet, etc.

William met with the physiatrist again this month, and has been dismissed from his services unless needed again.  He is right on track for his adjusted age, and any tightness doesn't seem to be an issue.  Yay :)  We have a slew of appointments next month - audiologist to check hearing (preemies are at risk for progressive hearing loss), pulmonologist check up, urologist consultation for circumcision, neurologist, and lastly the pediatrician for their one year check up...

The boys will be ONE next month!  I can't believe it!

Obviously, things are going very, very well for the boys and we are beyond blessed.  I do occasionally think back to the day when we were first told that William may never walk or talk and may be severely handicapped, and then the worse day when we were told that it was more likely that Aaron would never walk or talk, etc, and I'm still coming to terms with the emotions from those days.  There are times when I want to take the babies back to the doctors who thought it would be in our best interest to utter those words, and I want to dance them in their faces as a big "You were wrong! Take that!"  I know they have to protect themselves and give parents all possible scenarios, and we've been very lucky, but I think the presentation of the news could have been different and more positive.  Don't get me wrong, I'm so very thankful for everything they did and I know they will be beyond happy for us the next time they see the boys, but still...  :)  I'll stop rambling now.  Our babies are perfect.

Funny quote from Anna:  "Mommy, what was daddy's name when he was lost, before he got married?"

Pictures
The school pictures are from March, but they were given to us very late. The bathing suit picture is from yesterday, and the standing picture from a few weeks ago.

10 Months!

The boys are 10 months as of Friday!  They will be 7 months adjusted next Saturday.  Aside from their normal 9 month check-up at the beginning of the month, they have had NO doctor's appointments this month!  April has been Anna's month - she turned 4, and has had her own set of doctor's appointments.  She is now 42" and 38lbs - 90th percentile for height and 75th for weight.

William and Aaron are rolling all over now, and are able to sit (when placed in that position) for as long as they desire.  William does a great job getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth ...then he rolls over. Crawling is definitely forthcoming, whenever he figures it out.  Aaron scoots and rolls at will to objects all over the floor, and covers a good distance.  It's now a race as to who will crawl first!  They are both babbling and making good sounds.  We've always been able to tell their cries apart from each other, and can do the same with their babbling.  Aaron's is a little higher pitched with more "oohs," "aahs," and "gggs."  He's just starting to do more of the "bas" that William has been practicing.  William also has some "das" in there.  They're both very vocal with us, which is a good thing :)

William has an appointment with the Children's Hospital in a few weeks, and then we have the neurologist in June.  I'm enjoying the lessened appointments, and the increase in freedom.  We took the boys out of "quarantine" this month, and have been able to take them to a few small functions and out to dinner.  We are still going to be cautious - no events with smoking, for example (for those that know me, if you thought I hated smoke before...I have even more reason to stay away from it now) but overall we are looking forward to having a social life again!

Friday was also the first birthday of our NICU friend, Harper.  She was born at 24 weeks and has overcome many of the same obstacles as the boys, plus some.  She's been our preemie inspiration since the beginning, and we are so happy to see her growing so beautifully!

William and Aaron

Birthday Girl

9 Months!

Okay, I'm a few days late on this!

Weight Check
William - 19lb 6 oz
Aaron - 18lb 14oz

As you can see, there are no issues in the weight department!  The boys are now 9 months old, and almost 6 months adjusted.  They are still short for their adjusted age, but 75th-90th percent for weight.

We do have some news this month... we'll call it super cute news.  Aaron will be getting glasses some time in the fall.  This is appropriate because he's always been our little professor :)  He is nearsighted, at -3.75 in one eye and -4 in the other.  As with full term kids, nearsightedness tends to get worse as the child grows - but should still be correctable with glasses, then contacts if he chooses, and maybe eventually Lasik when he's an adult.  The nearsightedness is not due to the ROP - the retinopathy of prematurity is completely gone for both boys (another thank you to Avastin!).  Prematurity itself can cause nearsightedness, but genes probably also play a big part because my eyesight was worse than Aaron's prior to my Lasik last month (yay!).  The eye doctor examined William last, and his first remark was "Unbelievable!"...I had to sit there for several seconds with quick, fleeting, negative possibilities running through my mind before he interpreted the remark.  Surprisingly, William is slightly farsighted at +1, which is completely normal for kids. We will keep an eye on him as well though.  I'm a touch concerned about strabismus with him, as he sometimes will go cross eyed, but that is also normal for young babies and is constantly getting better.

Developmentally, they are still socially ahead.  They love to be held and cuddled, and love interaction with family.  They have the best little belly laughs and are easily entertained.  Aaron is the fussier of the two, but he's still a good baby.  Aaron is also more responsive to strangers - he is a complete flirt, with men and women, and has the sweetest grin when people look at him.  William is the wild man.  He attacks anything and everything he can get his hands on...and puts it straight in his mouth.  Sometimes we'll catch them sucking on each other's hands, which is super cute.

Physically, they are also doing great.  Aaron has the advantage here, as he rolls over better and can sit propped better.  William has the better extension in his back when sitting, but I think that because he's a little more rigid, he falls over more easily.  Aaron's posture is slightly slumped, but he can balance pretty well in the sitting position.  We are still working on William's tightness, Aaron's extension, and also tightness in Aaron's neck - his head leans to the left a lot, so we're trying to get him straight :)

We've also started giving them baby food, which is fun.  They're still young, so this is more for the practice than the nutrition.  William, the monster that he is, will attack the spoon and shove the whole thing in his mouth, so we have to restrain him a bit, and he LOVES it.  Aaron doesn't welcome it, but is starting to open his mouth for it more and makes the cutest looks of slight disgust as he chews it.  He actually does a better job keeping it in his mouth and swallowing, even though he doesn't like it as much.  No teeth have yet made an appearance in either of them, but teething is still in full force.

On a side note, I did accept a new position with a different company a few weeks ago.  I miss my coworkers, but the new position will be better for the family as far as benefits/time/stress are concerned.  I was hoping to win the Mega Millions last night in order to resign from the working world and enter into full-time mommyhood and volunteering, but that plan didn't quite work out :)  Maybe next time!

Aaron & William

William & Aaron

William

Aaron