Believe it or not we are approaching the girls' one year birthday on March 27th!!! They are doing great! The doctors and therapists say that they are officially about to be 9 months due to the adjustment for prematurity. However, in most cases they are developmentally more on track to their actual age.....so we are very pleased.
EMILY:
Emily (the smaller one) weighs 17 pounds and is eating cereal, fruits and veggies like a horse. She has no real health problems to speak of...other than an extreme case of separation anxiety from mom. There is one bottom tooth in sight and another one on the way. Developmentally, Emily is our "Motor girl", which is largely due to the fact that she is small and muscular. Crawling and pulling up are old hat, she only wishes she could really walk. So, pretty much her day consists of babbling (mama, dada, baba, etc.) and testing her walking, climbing and exploring skills. Temperment, she is definitely a fighter and scrappy to boot. In the playpen she will horsecollar Avery if she takes her toy. Her humble beginnings in the womb are showing through as she grows.
AVERY:
Avery (the larger one) weighs 22 pounds and is just beginning to eat like a horse. Unfortunately, due to the twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome where she got too much fluid, she has a heart condition called pulmonary valve stenosis. She will definitely need a procedure to fix her heart, we just don't know when. Luckily she is being followed by the amazing, world-renowned cardiac team at CHOP (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia). We go on March 26th for another echocardiogram to see if the condition has worsened. If so, we need to be prepared to go in asap. If not, then we will wait for another couple of months and go back. They would like for her to be as old, big and developed as possible to lessen the likelihood of having to do more surgeries. So, we did not escape preemie land unscathed. However, we consider ourselves EXTREMELY lucky and EXTREMELY blessed. Avery has her two bottom teeth cut and coming in. Developmentally she is our "Communication girl". Her vocabulary is limited to mama, dada, baba, etc. but she makes a miriad of other very distinct noises that are hilarious. FYI - breathing in can produce some interesting sounds!! She crawls like crazy (although slower than her sister), pulls up like crazy and thinks she can walk, but no such luck. It's coming though! There is one word to describe Avery......the CLOWN. She loves making everyone laugh, including her sister. Is it possible to know that she will be a comedian at 12 months?!?!
US:
Bob and I are coping MUCH better. I know most people say once they get mobile it gets harder, but I find it the opposite. They are interactive and responsive and my hands are free to get things done. The best is that they play on their own and they might cry wanting me with them, but I can at least step away if needed. Bob is an awesome dad and thank the Lord b/c if it weren't for him bathtime/bedtime would be nearly impossible. Of course my parents (and brother and sister) are here every step along the way and we have basically accepted the fact that we are forever indebted to them for getting us through the last (almost) two years. And of course Bob's parents, sister and brother have been so incredibly helpful and supportive (as much as possible long distance). We miss them and wish they could see them grow everyday....we try to utilize the webcam often!! :) We might have a LIVE STREAM of the Bday party, as we really can't have many people around them yet -- still RSV and Flu season. But, maybe next year! Hope all is well with all of you.....
Heather
