Blogging and documenting is getting really hard... our days fly by, and by the time the girls are sleeping, we're out once we hit the pillow.. but I have A LOT to update!
The girls are doing great and are keeping us on our toes sooner than what we expected!! Johnalyn has gone from scooting around the living room floor, to trying to climb stairs and pulling herself up! She into EVERYTHING, and gets into mischief all while grinning at us. She loves to crawl over her sister, or just get half way over her just to reach a toy... That girl's determination is incredible! Johnalyn is also proving to be the one that doesn't require much sleep at night! She is up crawling in her crib, crying, moaning, etc., multiple times a night. I'm hoping its the little teeth coming in that's causing this... but I have a feeling she'll be a sleeper like her big cousin Jojo who still tosses and turns all night long...
Danika is smiling and giggling ALL the time, and has started to scoot around everywhere and LOVES to talk. She'll say "da, da, da, da" in the quiet voice. She's so gentle. She loves her bouncy seat, and LOVES to try to pet Shadow... but Shadow still isn't too sure about the girls yet, so we make sure they keep some distance. If Danika sees Shadow move, she'll snap her head to his direction, get all excited, and shoot her arm out wanting to pet him. She proving that she is the more laid back girl but can also get right in there with Johnalyn... she lets Johnalyn pick on her, but will get back at her once in awhile. They LOVE pulling eachother's hair (and it's quite the handful now!) Danika is our little sleeper. She'll go to sleep around 8:30 and will usually sleep all night.... and she wakes up with the BIGGEST smile on her face. It would melt anyone's heart!
Anyone want an update on their pooping issue? ha. I mentioned awhile ago that they weren't stooling much at all... and I had to give them a lovely suppository in order for them to go. I'm so proud to say that I haven't given them a suppository in over two months!! It really is the little things in life... :-)
We have started feeding them solids more consistently now. Johnalyn LOVES her oatmeal and apple-prune baby food, but Danika could care less. We just tried green beans last night, and to our shock, Danika LOVED it. Totally Donny's child! We hope this trend continues and we can introduce more and more foods in the next couple months. Danika is still our challenge with feeding. She still isn't gaining a substantial amount of weight, but she is gaining... so I'm not concerned,but there is a definite weight difference when you lift both girls.
They had their first round of flu shots last week, and they didn't even know they were poked! Daddy did a good job of distracting them! They go in next month for their second round. Now... I'm going to go on a rant here...
(start of rant)--------
PLEASE consider getting your flu vaccine this year. The closer we get to the winter months, the more nervous I am getting. Last year, when I was on hospital bedrest, the hospital shut down ALL visitors because of the high percentage of people that came down with the flu. I was in a bubble. I felt safe that I would stay healthy, and the girls were safely (as safe as could be) tucked away from harm. When they were born in February, we again were in a safe little bubble in the ISCN. If you had a sniffle, you were asked to not come to the floor. No bubble this year!
When we were discharged on April 2nd, flu season was over, but they gave me the run down on "next winter"... well, here we are. The girls were born at 31 weeks, their immunity was borderline non-existent at birth, and was forced to kick-start earlier than a term baby. Because of that, they don't have the same kind of immune system as a term baby. Even though the girls look great and healthy, they still carry severe risks due to prematurity. They are vulnerable to germs and getting sick (specifically the flu, RSV, and pneumonia) and these sicknesses often become very scary with immunocompromized individuals, so anything we can do to prevent them from getting ill, the better. Daycare is taking the needed precautions to combat this as well. We know it's inevitable they will get sick... they go to daycare, they're out in the world... I get that. BUT that doesn't mean that we can all take a back seat and think it's out of our control. We all have a huge role in keeping not only our babies healthy, but also yourself and everyone around you who isn't fortunate enough to have a strong immune system. One can harbor the 'flu bug' and become contagious 24 hours before showing any symptoms.
I read this awhile ago, and it really stuck to me: By simply sanitizing your hands while using a shopping cart, you could prevent a cancer patient by getting ill when their husband/wife takes the cart after you. Their husband/wife may have the immunity to fight that potential sickness you carried on your hands, but the cancer patient does not.
Get your flu shot (and while you're at it, check to make sure you are up to date on ALL vaccines), wash your hands or sanitize frequently, and just be more aware of sanitation habits while we get through the tough germ-infested months... not just for our girls, but for all babies, sick, and elderly people who just don't have the strong immunity that most of us have. Not only is it my job to protect my babies, but I also work in a cancer center, and simple sickness can become a very scary, life threatening issue.
I read this awhile ago, and it really stuck to me: By simply sanitizing your hands while using a shopping cart, you could prevent a cancer patient by getting ill when their husband/wife takes the cart after you. Their husband/wife may have the immunity to fight that potential sickness you carried on your hands, but the cancer patient does not.
Get your flu shot (and while you're at it, check to make sure you are up to date on ALL vaccines), wash your hands or sanitize frequently, and just be more aware of sanitation habits while we get through the tough germ-infested months... not just for our girls, but for all babies, sick, and elderly people who just don't have the strong immunity that most of us have. Not only is it my job to protect my babies, but I also work in a cancer center, and simple sickness can become a very scary, life threatening issue.
(end of rant) --------
The girls were weighed last week:
Danika: 14 lbs 11 oz
Johnalyn: 15 lbs 4 oz
They're both happy and healthy, and even though I'm 'self-conscious' of Danika's weight when people make comments.... she's gaining! She's our little peanut, but her weight gain is trending upward. Their next 'nine month' check up is December 24th... even though they'll be 10-1/2 months... I promise I'll do some blogging before that though!
I have so many pictures to share, I will be posting them in separate blogs with more descriptive captions!
