December has flown by so fast with so much going on that we’ve hardly had time to update everyone. Where do I even start? We’ll start with the biggest news first….drum roll please…..we have two toddlers waddling about in our midst! Much to our surprise, Olivia was the first to take the plunge and start walking. Doug and I had been working with Mason at least once a day since he had incredible balance and those huge feet! He would consistently stand in the middle of the room, not holding anything for balance, and do squats or bend over and stand back up with no hesitation. We assumed he would be the first to walk, just as he was the first to crawl, pull up, and stand. Low and behold we were all sitting around at GG’s for Thanksgiving and Olivia decides to let go of the coffee table and start walking! It was so exciting that we wore her out asking her to do it again and again! It was about two weeks later that Mason decided to take a couple of steps between us. On Sunday evening, December 27, Mason decided to take off. He just let go at Mimi’s house and started walking around the house like he owned the place! Just over the past couple of days they have been preferring to walk over crawl. Neither are goal oriented in their walking, they just roam about looking for the next toy to play with or cabinet to dig through. We are in for it now!
Mason and Olivia turned 1 today!! We had a small birthday party for them here at the house. The cakes were awesome, thank you Aunt Jonna! Here are some pictures to enjoy..
Olivia is doing so great. We are trying to get to Florida for her one year follow-up with Dr. Kays. It’s looking like it will be around the 8th of December…. Read the rest of this entry »
We are finally beginning to get settled in our new apartment. I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it is to have our own things and be able to spread out after a year. It is such a blessing to be able to find a place to call “home” for us and our babies. It took the babies about two weeks to adjust to the new surroundings. It was very busy during the first two weeks at the new place. We had beefed up the nursing hours for Olivia to help relieve us while we unpacked. With the influx of people, boxes here one minute and gone the next, and furniture being moved around, it took a while for them to get their bearings. Now they crawl all through the house looking for a cabinet or drawer to rummage through. I feel like we are stuck on repeat. They make the mess and I clean it up. They go back and make the same mess, and I go back and clean it up. Overall though, we are loving our place.
Olivia got her helmet off this past Monday! We had originally been told she would need to wear it 4 to 6 months. She had it on 3 months total. The doctor was just in awe at how well she did. Her facial symmetry was at 100%! The goal was 95%, so of course we were very pleased. She hasn’t missed it one bit. It really has been nice to get it off. Now we can kiss all over her without getting bonked in the face or scratched by the strap.
Developmentally, both babies are doing fantastic. Olivia will pull up to tables on her knees, but not quite to the point she will get up on her feet. She will attempt it occasionally, but isn’t persistant about it. Mason is pulling up to everything! He will be walking any day now. He pushes a walker across the floor with no effort. He will crawl around the house and explore and Olivia is usually right behind him. She likes to mimic whatever he does. I really think Mason has helped her get further along than if she was a single child. She really studies everything he does.
Other than that, everything else is well. Olivia is only on a multivitamin daily. She is eating very well although she is quite picky. We are waiting to make an appointment with Dr. Kays in December for her one year checkup. I really think he’ll be happy with her progress. We are wanting to hold out for him to look at her g-tube before removing it. We only use it for the multivitamin and venting now. We feel like it is ready to go, but hesitate making that decision without his input. She has a GI doctor here in Dallas, but we haven’t been very happy with them.
I will post some pictures soon, but our camera has been on the blink, so we are not getting to take very many. We are going to the Dallas Arberetum this weekend with Mimi and Aunt Jonna’s family and getting pictures of the kids in their fall outfits. I will get copies to post as soon as we get done. Also, we are excited about Josh coming to stay with us for a month. He’ll also be here next weekend. We can’t wait to see you Josh!!
Olivia & Mason
Songs for Olivia
