Grow babies, grow!

Sorry for the lag in posts! The last few days have been quite busy, and thanks to this month's Synagis shot they've also been filled with a fussy Bug demanding constant attention! We of course love the fact that the babies get the Synagis shot, which can help protect them from RSV, but Lily sure hates it! Shots seem to make her miserable for days! Ever since she got the shot she's been SO fussy. She's been awake 90% of every day and either needs to be held or to lay on her boppy with her binky. Unfortunately she also won't hold the binky in her mouth herself, so someone needs to sit on the couch with their hand at her mouth keeping it in. Tylenol seems to help a little, but we're hoping she'll snap out of it soon!

At the pediatrician's office both babies were weighed. We were thrilled with their numbers - Lily was 10 lbs even and Charlie was 11 lbs 3 oz. Hooray for double digits! The babies are 5 months old now, but their adjusted age is just 2 months, so these weights are right on target for their adjusted age. Yay! I'm still kind of shocked though that Charlie now has over 1 lb on Lily! My mom says it's because Charlie is so mellow and Lily never stops moving - she must burn more calories!

Saturday also brought the babies first snow, although they weren't too interested. They were more excited to have a visit from their Crackers, who sat with them for an hour in the evening while mommy and daddy snuck out for ice cream (Yes, we went out for ice cream in the snow. You can't have hot chocolate all the time...) On Sunday the babies got to spend time with their other grandmother, Grandma Anne. She spent the afternoon with them while I did a Pampered Chef party and Joe took care of some things around the house. Grandma brought over a little snowman that changes color and spins glitter around - needless to say Charlie is enthralled.

Yesterday we made a visit to St. Peter's for another follow up eye exam. We spent about 1 1/2 hours in the waiting room while the babies' eyes dilated, but we had a nice time chatting with some other NICU-graduate moms while we waited. Once we got to see the doctor we got good news - both babies eyes were finally clear. Yay! We don't need to see our friend Dr. Barry for another 6 months! He did note that the optic nerve in one of Charlie's eyes is a little small. He isn't concerned about it now and doesn't expect it to be anything, but he'll check it again in 6 months. If it still looks small he'll want to do an MRI to make sure there isn't anything wrong with Charlie's pituitary gland and there aren't any neurological issues. It sounds like it has the potential to be a bit scary, but Dr. Barry wasn't worried at at all at this point so we won't be either!

After the appointment we went up to the NICU for a visit. Nurse Julia, one of Lily's favorite primary nurses, was there and came out for a cuddle with the Bug. Charlie's daytime primary Cyd was also there and came out for a visit. We saw Marilyn, one of our favorite nurse practitioners, and as we were chatting with the nurses Dr. Houlihan walked by. Dr. Houlihan is the MFM that performed my cerclage and saved my pregnancy. He is also one of the nicest, kindest doctors I've ever met, so we are always happy to see him. Finally, as we were getting ready to leave we ran into Dr. Hiatt, who you all know we adore. It was a great visit. We are THRILLED to be out of the NICU but do miss all the wonderful people there.

Speaking of the NICU, I forgot to mention something in the post I made last week about donations. Aside from the ones that were made directly to the NICU in Annaleigh's name, after her passing we received many contributions from friends and family that came to us directly. There was no indication as to how we should use them, but we wanted to make sure they did some good! We added them to the money we had in Annaleigh's (tiny) college fund and donated that all to the NICU as well. The money will be used to purchase rocking chairs for the unit. Chairs are always in short supply there so we're sure the parents will enjoy the extra seats! And the rocking chairs will each have a little plaque on them with Annaleigh's name to help her memory live on. Thank you to everyone who helped make the chair purchase possible!

Last week I ran out to Wal-Mart after Joe got home from work and bought Lily a few more pairs of fleece pajamas. The polar bears have been returned to their rightful owner and Miss Lily is pleased with her new nighttime wardrobe, as you can see.

Charlie loves helping mommy in the kitchen. Last night was Mexican for dinner - ole!

Lily loves watching TV. We know this can't be good, but sometimes there's no stopping her! Last night, even in her state of hyper fussiness, she couldn't take her eyes off Elf. What can we say? It IS a great Christmas movie...

Charlie loves to have his nose poked (as long as that poke is accompanied by a high-pitched "boop!")


When Lily is hungry (and sometimes when she's bored) she likes to munch on different things: her chair, Charlie's arm, her boppy. Here we have Lily attempting to eat her mother.