Bald spots

There are lots of things I know how to do. Unfortunately, using an electric razor to cut my son's hair is not one of them. I'm scared to "fix" the problem in fear it will result in complete baldness.

It looks okay from about 8 feet away....

Also, today I've got two people who need good thoughts and prayers. Freezerbuns - who is getting ready to be the mother of twins today and Vote for Anderson's grandma (one seriously kind-hearted, determined lady) who's battling some major complications in the hospital.

Take care,
Kris

1st Birthday!

It's hard to believe, but those baby girls turned 1 on Saturday. What a year!

A year ago, weighing a combined 7 lbs 3 ounces, born 8 weeks and 1 day early, and with pages and pages of health concerns and diagnoses, they looked like this:

Now, weighing a combined 38 lbs, catching up developmentally, and physically healthy, they look like this:

One more thing - my last post had a typo. Alex is 50th percentile in weight, not 5th.

Take care,

Kris

Well child visit

Alex had his 4 year well child visit yesterday. The girls tagged along to get their second dose of synagis. 2 hours later....we finally got out of the doctor's office.

Highlights: 1) Alex is 5th percentile in weight and 25th in height, 2) His belly is still distended. Not sure why. No suggestions were given to us except trying to give him more fruit, 3) We got some toileting tips for nighttime. Apparently most kids are completely dry by now. Who knew?? 4) Clara and Evelyn are back down to a 3 lb weight difference - Clara is 17 lbs, 3 ounces and Evelyn is 20 lbs, 4 ounces. I think Evelyn lost some weight with her increased mobility. Greg thinks the last reading was inaccurately high. I guess it doesn't really matter.

That's it. Not a very exciting visit.

4 year old transitions

I have a Masters degree. Yet I have conversations with statements like this, "Big boys don't poop on the floor. The next time you poop on the floor, I am taking all of your swords away and throwing them in the trash...forever."

He's been acting out a bit this week (as should be obvious by the aforementioned 'poop on the floor' incident). Greg and I are trying to remain patient and realize that he's had a big week - he changed schools and misses his friends, teachers, and routines very much. We're hoping things will smooth out pretty soon. He's behaving fine at his new school and only seems to be taking it out on us. Yay us!

Cruising, clapping, pointing, playing

Both girls are inefficiently, clumsily, and grudgingly cruising. They are not happy about it or good at it, but they are working it out and getting it done thanks to their therapist who is much pushier than I am. I tend to fold as soon as they start crying. They are also very sneaky with both me and the therapist. They have these long spider monkey arms and they can stretch and reach at least 4 inches further than you think they can. They like to stretch as far out as possible to reach for something to avoid cruising.

Clara is also a big fan of clapping and she enjoys the fun game of "Where's Mama's nose?" Evelyn is abstaining at this time from game playing. But both she and Clara like to dance. Especially when you sing "Wiggle it" by 2 in a Room to them.

Evelyn is finally crawling a regular crawl. She first did a bunch of dragging I referred to (in a totally non-politically correct way) her "zombie stroke" crawl. Then she would kind of crawl but with her right foot trying to stand during the crawl. It's hard to explain. Anyway, she's finally crawling for real now.

Both girls just started to point (Yay! Score one against ASD). They mostly point at Alex because he is clearly the funniest thing in the house. Greg and I don't even come close to making the babies laugh as hard as he does. He's also really started to play with the babies and he and Clara are even starting to fight over toys. So, we're dealing with two main fighting groups - Evelyn vs. Clara and Alex vs. Clara. You'll note that Clara is involved in both groups. She's a little stinker. She's super curious and adventurous and loves to push limits and steal. Evelyn is pretty good about not stealing toys but, man, she's a big bully. Clara is full of scratches. Evelyn uses brute force to get what she wants - she scratches, pulls, and pushes to get what she needs.

I think that's it. I'm kind of tired of blogging so I may do one or two more and then call it quits after their birthday next weekend. I really, really hope I don't have need to start up again. I hope the girls just continue to catch up developmentally. I hope Clara's lungs continue to heal and stay strong. I hope the fluid on Evelyn's brain absorbs. I hope they equal out in size. I hope we can live our lives crisis-free for many, many years to come. We're exhausted. I need a freaking nap.

Take care,
Kris

New technology

Last night I ordered a pint of cookie dough ice cream delivered to my door. I placed the order through my Tivo. Scary, right? 14 years ago I was trying to figure out how to dial into the internet to check if anyone had sent me one of those new fangled emaily things. And now I'm ordering ice cream through my TV.

The Mom Salon reminder

Lexie and I are so excited and thankful to everyone who has donated money to the Mom Salon. If you are interested in adding to the pool of donations, please contact me at khightshoe@gmail.com by 11/20.

Thanks so much!
Kristina

Five pounds

I took the babies in for the first of their 5 Synagis shots. Synagis is a medication that helps lessen the severity of RSV, should they contract it this year. The shots weren't particularly notable, but their weight difference was. Evelyn is 21 1/2 lbs and Clara is 16 1/2 lbs. That's a 5 lb difference. We know Clara burns more calories because she works so much harder to breathe. Now I'm guessing she also burns a lot more because she's so much more mobile - crawling around everywhere. But, man, 5 lbs?? The doctor doesn't seem to care so I guess I shouldn't freak out. My other issue is that it means it's going to be a looooong time before she gets to 20 lbs - the magical weight we can move her to a front facing car seat.

Oh, and the doctor said their heads looked better than they did two months ago. He said they were holding them up better.

TTTS - 5K Race for Hope

We walked in the Fetal Hope 5K this weekend. I was pretty thankful there weren't a lot of people speaking about TTTS or other fetal issues. I'm just not ready to cry in public over my hot mess of a shared placenta. They did say that more babies die every year from TTTS than from SIDS. Crazy.

Anyway, there were tons of double strollers and it felt good to be with my people. No one asked if they were twins. No one told me that I must have my hands full. No one accosted me, asked to take a photo, or otherwise bothered us. Nope... the only question we got was, "How old are your twins?" It was such a nice change of pace to not be the freak family.

And then today I dared the aquarium where I was asked (3 times), "Are they twins?" and I even got a, "You must have your hands full!"

Back to reality I guess.

One year

A year ago today I moved into the hospital. It feels like a really, really long time ago. I can't believe it even happened to me- it feels so out of body. Although right now I have a friend in the hospital and reading her blog is too familiar so maybe it does still feel a little like it happened to me. All the information about accelerations, decelerations, long monitoring sessions, inadequate nursing, babies going off the monitors, growth checks, BPPs, etc... it's a crappy club to be a part of and no one should have to live it. No one should have to fear for their babies that much.

I also think sometimes about the one women I was in the hospital with who had the cerclage. A few years ago she had an ectopic pregnancy and lost one of her tubes. She got pregnant again though a lot of fertility treatments. Her cervix was measuring so small that she was on bed rest at home at 16 weeks. At 24 weeks she was moved into the hospital. At one point, her cervix measured 4 mm (as a reference, mine was usually 4-5 cms). Her wheelchair and floating privileges were taken away and she was only allow to sit up in bed minimally. I last visited her at 32 weeks after she had been there for 8 weeks. She was like a caged animal. It's completely unnatural to live your life like that. So, yeah, I'm glad I was there. I believe it saved their lives. I believe Clara would have died if I weren't being monitored. But, man, I can't believe I woke up and lived every day with such a heightened sense of urgency and anxiety. I'm glad this year is over and everyone is doing okay.

On to other news... we're working on day 6 of Alex sleeping at night with no diaper. So far, no accidents that we can tell. Hurray!

Take care,
Kris

Updated photos

Evelyn, Clara

Clara, Evelyn - they have the same hair whorl thing off to the bottom left

Evelyn and her little nose crinkle

Clara

Evelyn (front), Clara (back)

Evelyn (L) and Clara (R) at the Museum of Nature and Science

Clara (L) and Evelyn in their first big girl bath

Clara (L), Alex and Evelyn

Halloween - Evelyn is the bee, Clara is the ladybug

Buzz Lightyear

Evelyn eating Cheerios

Clara eating Cheerios

Alex doing a back float at his swimming lesson

Alex in a hay maze

The family at the pumpking patch - Clara is in Greg's lap, Evelyn is in mine

The Mom Salon - December 7th

Lexie (floater friend) and I are organizing a day of salon services for the patients on the Perinatal Unit at Rose Medical Center. We will provide manicures and pedicures, hair cuts, massages, and gift bags. If you are interested in donating money for the event, please email me for more information - khightshoe@gmail.com. We are accepting donations until November 20th.

Thanks!

Kristina

Celebrity Copycats

Now Charlie Sheen and his wife are having twins. All these celebrities are such copycats.

Moving on...Greg took Clara to her pulmonology appointment today. She looks good. Her pulse oximeter reading was 98% (who-hoo!!) and her weight gain looked good. She's still got this thing happening that I don't really know how to explain. When she inhales the area below her neck draws in pretty deeply. It's a sign that she still struggles a little with her breathing. Not a big deal, but it's still happening.

He said the frequency of her wheezing episodes was kind of borderline. We have a couple choices - we can do nothing or we can start a daily asthma medication administered through an inhaler type thing. The nebulizer is a joke when talking about a baby. You may as well be trying to put pantyhose on a tiger. Anyway, to help us make the decision he wants us to keep a little diary of her wheezing to make sure it really is only occurring a couple times a week. If it's occurring more frequently, we'll likely medicate.

He was also supportive of the decision to keep her out of child care until the end of this cold and flu season.

I think that's it. Like I said, Greg went to the appointment, so I'm not sure of all the details.

Take care,
Kris

6 month review

The babies had their review with their therapy service providers today. They met the whopping two goals we set 6 months ago - not hard to do as the goals weren't particularly lofty. I think one was more neck strength and the other was not overly favoring one side or the other. Check and check for both girls. We set a new set of goals for the next several months for gross motor (cruising), fine motor (more difficult manipulations), play (cause and effect, initiation, movement beyond parallel play), and speech (a few words). Things are looking really good. The girls are progressing nicely and, at this point, there doesn't seem to be much talk about a need for occupational therapy. My service coordinator said speech therapy could be an option if we had concerns, but she didn't think there would be a strong need. Our PT stuck around a little longer than everyone else and chimed in as well. She thinks that once the girls get up and start walking, the need for therapy would just be one of maintenance. She was hopeful we could discontinue therapy prior to age 3.

As a point of reference, we had Alex in therapy until he was three. He received weekly therapy for speech delays and occupational therapy. He had gross and fine motor therapy for a shorter period of time - maybe 2-3 months or so. Alex didn't sit up unsupported until 8 months. He crawled at 10 1/2. Walked at 14. Spoke his first word ("more") at 18 months. He had sensory issues making basic care taking difficult - he hated water, hated having his face and hair washed. He had food texture issues that greatly limited his diet and caused all sorts of fun digestive issues. He screamed bloody murder at the mere thought of a diaper change. The pressure from strapping him into his car seat led to more roadside fights than I care to admit. He's come a loooong way. Meeting him now I think elements of this might still be visible, but he's a tremendous little guy who navigates the world just like any other 4 year old. Greg and I are extremely proud of him and, honestly, of ourselves for forcing issues with him. We committed to the therapies and worked really, really hard to work beyond the problems. He was a tough baby, but who he is now is totally worth all the work. He's a funny little man and so full of energy and excitement. I can't say that I look back at his early temperament fondly, but I love who he has become. And I really can't imagine a better older sibling. That kid loves his sisters so much. He's so eager to help bathe them, change them, and feed them. He's constantly kissing them and he loves to make them laugh. He is a really good older brother and a great kid.

Anyway, we are believers in early intervention. The funny thing is that having a child with developmental delays sets your barometer off a little. I don't really see the girls as delayed because they are at or earlier in pace than Alex. Their gross motor looks pretty similar to his. Their fine motor looks better. Their speech certainly looks better. They imitate more. They are more playful and more social. So when the therapy service coordinator is asking me very earnest questions about where I want them to be in 6 months, it's hard to not laugh. They are so much further than I ever expected and further than my only other experience. My answer is that I want them to keep doing what they are doing.

So, here's a list of all their fabulous accomplishments. Not a single one is taken for granted:

• Clara is crawling. Evelyn is maybe two weeks away from crawling. Probably more like a week.
• Both girls pull themselves into a sit and sit completely unsupported.
• Both girls pincher grasp their food.
• Both girls are full of babbling: da-da-da, ba-ba-ba, ya-ya-ya.
• Both girls are incredibly social - especially loving peek-a-boo, songs being sung to them, and anything Alex does in front of them.
• Both girls bang toys together.
• Both girls can stand for long periods of time either supported in front or back.
• Clara takes a few wild steps at a time if you hold her fingers and hands up above her head.
• Both girls are imitating a few gestures and sounds.
• They don't like having toys taken away.
• They turn at the sound of their names.
• Clara follows me out of the room everytime I leave. I think Evelyn would too if she could crawl. She mostly just looks at me like I've stabbed her in the heart everytime I leave.

We're pretty excited and are hopeful that things will just keep progressing. Greg is taking Clara in tomorrow for a pulmonology appointment. Hopefully all goes well there. She's been wheezing a bit, which I believe is an early asthma symptom. Not surprising given her history.

Take care,

Kris

Election '08

I took the kids on a walk yesterday and we passed a house with a bunch of Obama signs. Here's the conversation that followed:

Me: Can you say Obama?
Alex: Obama
Me: Hopefully Obama will be our next president.
Alex: Oh....Can you say Spiderman?

You really can't beat the thought process of a 4 year old.

Take care,
Kris

What happened to my body?

Having a baby, or two or three, wrecks your body. Carrying twins does all sorts of terrible pulling and stretching and wrinkling things to your body. Having a high risk pregnancy, living in a hospital, and caring for special needs babies sucks the life and color from your skin. You turn gray. Your skin gets dry. You see more wrinkles in 1 year than you have in the previous 31.

I was looking at my ravaged body and assessing the damage. I have thought recently about getting some sort of surgical intervention to repair my stomach. No amount of dieting or exercising can fix what having twins did to my stomach. My weight and pant size will never again align in a normal way. I even talked to my dad about all this. My dad. That's how much it's been bothering me. I made a decision today. To do nothing. Or, rather, to learn to love the changes in my body.

My body has become a passport. It's documented places I've been, things I've felt, and changes in my life. Who am I to try to alter the journey? I've earned every stretch mark, every piece of sagging skin, every wrinkle. Getting rid of them would be denying what has happened. So my decision is to let my body tell its story. Part of getting old is accepting that I have a story and what better way to go back and reread that story than to look at myself and celebrate all I've been through.

I was also thinking about this because Alex has recently started to freckle. As a child and teenager, I hated my freckles. I hated being called "dirty" and I hated looking different than every magazine and movie star I idolized (let's face it...not very many freckle faces out there). I don't want my kids to go through this - or at least I want to try to slow down the self-hatred. So, I've been really talking up his freckles. Having him count them with me. Celebrating them. Telling him every freckle is a kiss from the sun. Because, when you think about it, each freckle means I left my house. I was outside enjoying the world. Each freckle means I ate outside with my friends in high school, went skiing, went on walks with my husband, went to the beach, or went on a hike. They are part of my story and I've learned over the years to really love them.

So, yes, I've decided that my freckles will be joined by sagging, loose skin. And they will be joined by wrinkles. And lackluster skin. They are all coming together to tell my story and they are all part of aging gracefully and accepting where I've been.

Not that I'm about to walk around in a bikini to show off the new body. Not everyone wants to read my story :)

Take care,
Kris

New therapist

We saw the new therapist on Tuesday and I like her so much more than the last one because she actualyl listens to me. Anyway, we got lots of new exercises - helping to transition to a sit and stand (in various ways, depending on which girl I'm working with since they have different strengths and different ways of moving), practicing a side sit to build of core strength, and helping with crawling. What I also like about this new therapist is that she seems more flexible with the exercises. She said she wants to girls to master their next skills in the easiest way possible for them. From there, we work on them mastering the spectrum of movement. So, for example, Evelyn wants to pull up to a sit from her side. Clara is less traditional and wants to get to a sit from a crawl position. We hold weight down on Evelyn's thigh to get her to pull herself up and, for Clara, we get her on all fours and then tug on her hips to get her to scooch back into a sit. The therapist said that once they can do the movement, the other ways of getting there will come more naturally. Our old therapist would have had one way to do an exercise and made us force it.

Take care,
Kris

Brain Ultrasounds

The girls had their ultrasounds last week. No change. Clara's ventricles look the same and Evelyn's fluid looks the same. Certainly we were hoping for things to be improving, but staying the same is better than getting worse. As long as we're still looking at benign anomalies, we're happy.

We start PT with our new therapist tomorrow. I'm happy to get some new exercises as the girls have outgrown their last set.

And, finally, good luck to Jordy today.

Take care,
Kris

9 Month Well Baby

I took the girls to see their doctor today. Clara is 15 lbs 8 oz (5th percentile) and Evelyn in 18 lbs 5 oz (45th percentile). Clara is 20th percentile in height. I don't know Evelyn's percentile becuase they had to remeasure her and they forgot to give me her new percentile. She's a little over an inch taller than Clara though. Clara's head is 80th percentile and Evelyn's is >97th.

We're going to repeat the brain ultrasounds on both girls just to follow-up on the fluid and enlarged ventricles. Doc's not too worried about anything...he sounded more like he wanted to do it to give us some peace of mind. Both their fontanels were open and soft like they should be. Doc's also working on getting their Synagis lined up for RSV season. Alex came with me so we all got our first of two flu shots.

Clara is working on trying to crawl. She kind of knee hops a little. Evelyn got up on all fours a couple days ago, so we think she's not too far behind. Their PT had to take a medical leave of absence so we've been without therapy for 3 weeks. It's been a nice break, but I'm anxious to get them back into the swing of things. Their doctor was a little concerned about Evelyn's neck tilt...surprise surprise. So, it's be nice to get back into therapy and get some new exercises. The current ones don't seem to be making much of a difference.

We started letting them try to grasp at Cheerios. They're pretty bad at it, but it keeps them occupied and makes dinner time more peaceful.

I had a follow-up with my doctor about my thyroid. I have to go in for an ultrasound so he can get a good view of it. He's hopeful that it was a post-partum onset and, as such, may eventually start to regulate itself and I'd be able to go off the meds. Let's hope!

No other news to report except watching out for Ike and anxiously awaiting reports from Houston-residing Papa and Maggie. I'm afraid my old home may end up quite soggy and certainly the beach I know best, Galveston, will be quite affected.

Take Care,

Kris

Crawling?

Clara got up on all fours yesterday and did a little shimmy. It wasn't exactly a crawl, but still pretty exciting! Evelyn seems to be a little limited by her massive head :) Between the size and the persistent tilt, she's lagging a little bit behind Clara. Both girls are sitting up unsupported though - Clara for maybe 10 minutes; Evelyn has to be really convinced to do it, but she will eventually for 2-3 minutes.

That all - good week!

Take care,
Kris

Sitting and another rant

The girls are both working on sitting up unsupported. Clara's more of a rock star - she can sit for maybe 30 seconds before falling over. Evelyn clocks in closer to 10 seconds. It's exciting for us to see them progress, but still a little sad because it's happening on a delayed schedule. I had to take Clara to the doctor last week for a bunch of small things that would have never triggered worry with a healthy baby, but with her sent me on a "just in case" visit to the doctor. Anyway, the nurse asked me to sit her on the scale for her weigh-in (14 lbs 13 oz) and when I said she couldn't sit up yet, the nurse gave me a funny look. Or what I'll call the, "Well, she's 8 months old - why can't she sit up yet??" look. It's difficult to think that your baby has come so far only to see that other people still only see deficits.

While we were there I had the doctor go ahead and feel Evelyn's head to make sure it's not bulging anymore. He said it felt fine. They'll go in for their next well baby visit in a couple weeks for a more thorough appointment. I was glad to get the head feel though - every time Evelyn cries or spits up, I'm convinced the fluid on her brain is building up and causing pressure.

On to other news...I took all three kids to the aquarium which was a terrible idea. Alex is hit or miss there and, even though he had been talking about it for days, when he got there he was a disaster. I went into survival mode and was just trying to get through as quickly as possible. That's when I heard some women talking about the twins. I tried to put my head down and forge ahead (totally not in the mood to have people gawk at them). That's when she grabbed my arm, pulled me back and said, "Excuse me Miss, my friend didn't get a good look at your babies." Really?? Can you believe that?? It's just like having one baby, only there are two. Get over it!! I am sick of everyone feeling like they have a right to my babies. (Another example - on the last day of my road trip - not in a good mood by day 10 - I was trying to get everyone fed at a Qdoba and some lady grabbed a bottle and started feeding Evelyn. Honest to God, who do these people think they are??). Back to the aquarium...as I'm trying to get away from arm grabbing lady, I spot a couple with a set of twins. I asked the dad when people start to leave you alone in public and he shook his head and said, "Never. It never goes away." He also told me that people have actually taken photographs of his twins. Again, who the Hell are these people? Why can't they leave us alone? These babies are not part of the exhibit.

All grumping aside, the girls are doing well. The tooth cutting extravaganza seems to have subsided and they are back to their normal, happy selves. They love anyone talking or singing to them. Evelyn just started ba-ba-ba-ing a few days ago which is really cute. I think I've gotten their motor progress back to where it was before the vacation. Now, we just keep moving forward, keep progressing.

Take care,
Kris

See you later, Apria

Apria, our medical supplier, came today to pick up all the oxygen tanks and the pulse oximeter (finally!). Our house is free!! And, more importantly, we are done dealing with those jokers. We've been pretty thankful people - we sent thank you baskets to perinatal and the NICU. I wrote a thank you letter to our insurance company. We've felt really blessed and fortunate to have such good care. Now....that being said....the biggest exception has been our oxygen supplier who has managed to set a new bar for craptastic customer service. Even today, they didn't do what they said they were going to do. Way to go out with a bang, guys. Time after time these people have made an already difficult life situation even more difficult. They should be ashamed of themselves for how much worse they make things for families who are already in crisis. They've come hours late or not come at all. They've brought the wrong equipment. They've brought equipment they themselves don't know how to use. They've not send test results to our doctors. They've not returned phone calls. In gentle terms....we hate them. Or as our doctor once said, "You are the first person to complain about Apria.....today."

Unfortunately, their competitors are just as bad.

But he does not own Scooby Doo underwear

Day 2 of road trip...

We got dressed and ready to start our second day. Alex was walking around the hotel room getting his shirt on when I noticed he was wearing Scooby Doo underwear. May not sound strange but…he does not own Scooby Doo underwear.

We drove, drove, drove. Drove through Park City. Drove through Provo where I had to pull over so Alex could pee off the side of the road (lovely). Eventually we reached our first stop – Salt Lake City. I live in Denver and I’m very aware of a kind of mythical view of Denver by outsiders. Like a magical mountain town full of log cabins or something. So, I don’t know why I imagined SLC to be some mythical mountain town, but it’s a total and complete dump. My mother used to live there a long time ago and absolutely hated it. Seriously…ask her some day. She practically seizes at the thought of the place. Now, I don’t know the exact reasons why she hates it so much, but I do know why I hated it. It’s a nasty, brown, smog-fest. It looks dirty. The streets are numerical instead of named (I know, I know….sounds stupid, but as a tourist it was very confusing). And the area I visited was full of the most ridiculous collection of women I’ve ever seen. Women in their 40’s and 50’s absolutely refusing to dress age appropriately. I saw a women with her two teenage daughters and she was dressed exactly like them. At some point, you need to put some damn clothes on, stop label chasing so much, and tone down on the Bedazzler. No one thinks you look 22. Everyone thinks you look sad.

Anyway, we stopped at a children’s museum that was nearly impossible to navigate with all three kids. Children’s museums are best when all the children you have with you can actually explore on their own. I was limited because a huge section was “stroller free” leaving me with an area that was too old for Alex and one small little room. I took him to that small little room and let him build things, play with cupcake cups, and touch things. It was about as much fun as it sounds.

After the basically unsuccessful trip to the children’s museum, we stopped by a food court and I had a moment full of pride. I was rocking Clara in the stroller, feeding Evelyn a bottle in my lap, talking to Alex, and eating a slice of pizza. I wished someone had a camera or something.

We got back on the road and drove through the Salt Flats. Okay, so I had no idea that something called a Salt Flat even existed. Apparently you race on them and they are quite famous. When I told my brother in law what a pleasant surprise they were he looked at me and said, “World’s Fastest Indian??” When my face showed no glimmer of recognition he shook his head at me and gave me the saddest look of pity. I’ve seen that face before…on me…when I can’t believe Greg has never seen The Brady Bunch or Better Off Dead. Anyway, I was incredibly surprised and awed by hugeness of them. There is no way to adequately describe them or photograph the breadth of them. It’s sort of like an ocean of salt – just huge, vast, blindingly white everywhere you look. And at one point along the Flats there is a big, art tree thing. It looked like large, colored baseballs.

We stopped in Elko, Nevada to go the Northeastern Nevada Museum. Okay, here’s the thing – there’s a place in Houston called The Orange Show where this guy transformed his home into a work of art celebrating, among other things, his love of the fruit. It’s amazing and I appreciate anyone with that kind of devotion to detail. However, the guy clearly suffered from some sort of mental illness. Local artists and others have kept the Orange Show running and you can go see it for yourself. I believe most people going through there, as well as the employees, are kind of in on the joke. “Joke” doesn’t really sound right, but you know what I mean. Now the Northeastern Nevada Museum gave me a similar vibe – only I don’t think anyone else is in on the joke. We walked in and to the right there’s a large room filled with taxidermy. Filled. Hundreds of them. Lions, deer, bears, monkeys…you name it. Some are kind of grouped together- there’s an Africa part, a rock climbing quadruped part, etc. The two things that made me laugh out loud were the dead animals posed to look like they were attacking other dead animals (seemed undignified to me) and the elephant head that was mounted on a wall with the rest of the elephant painted as a mural. The place had to be the work of a mildly crazy person. Alex, by the way, loved the big, creepy room.

We walked to the other side of the museum and they had these sweet little dioramas of frontier life. I imagined the meetings in which people planned these out and designed them. As I wandered past the dioramas I encountered something else totally insane. Case after case after case of a gun collection. I wondered if each gun was used to kill one of the animals in the adjoining room. The whole place gave me a mixture of delight and uneasiness. And I’d recommend it to anyone travelling through Elko, Nevada.

We stopped at a nearby park to let Alex run around and give the girls a chance to stretch out on a blanket. Naturally, we met a set of twins there because, God forbid, we go anywhere and don’t meet a twin. After everyone was appropriately fed (including me, thank you very much) we were off to Winnemucca. The drive was largely uneventful except for my little joy at driving through a place called Pumpernickel Valley. I just liked the idea of that place.

Before visiting Winnemucca I only knew about it from reading the Tales of the City books. I knew it as a place with legalized brothels. After visiting Winnemucca (twice, actually, we stopped there on the way home), I basically still only know it as a place with legalized brothels. Not the most exciting place. But our motel with decent (a much cleaner version of the Swedish Inn in Kingsburg, CA). The woman checking me was, you guessed it, one half of a twin pair. Seriously…can’t avoid them. We settled in and got to sleep at a reasonable hour thanks to a time change working on our favor.

The next glorious morning, all the kids slept in until 8:00.

Minor step backwards

Evelyn and Clara saw their therapist today. A combination of the road trip, a cold, and teething (both girls are cutting 4 teeth right now), has made therapy a secondary concern. They've regressed a little bit and the therapist is estimating it'll take about a month to get them back to where they were before we left town.

What are you going to do, though? We have to leave the house and live our lives. The therapist was quick to say that it's okay and that the trip gave them an opportunity to learn a different set of skills, blah blah blah.

I'm disappointed and frustrated. I mean...come on....

Seeing clearly (almost)

Greg took the babies to the eye doctor today. They are are greater risk for all sorts of vision issues because they were preemies and, although they were cleared for ROP, they still need to be watched more carefully than most babies.

Both girls are slightly far-sighted and have minor astigmatisms. However, this is pretty normal and they were cleared for additional check-ups until they turn 2 years old. Had they shown near-sightedness, they'd have needed to go back in 6 months. So..yay for them!

I am being the best mommy I can be right now

I've got 10 days worth of a road trip diary. I'm thinking that it's too long and with too many details that only entertain me to post any more on the blog. So...here's Day 1. The rest will likely not be making the Third Floor Home cut.

I returned Friday from a 10 day road trip with a three year old and two seven month olds. As a recently benched career woman, I was eagerly looking forward to spending some time out on the road and invigorating my soul a bit by getting out of the house. Sure, I’d have company…and not particularly understanding company. Company prone to crying and generally being unpleasant. But I was determined. And besides, I wanted to go celebrate my niece’s second birthday. I haven’t spent nearly as much time with her as I have with my four year old niece – and not for the obvious reason of the elder niece being alive for two more years. I’ve actually spent less time with her because, for half of her life, I have been on constant medical alert. Now that things are easing up, I want to have her in my life more.

So I set off on a road trip. When thinking about things that happened to me as a child or even month ago, I can recall only vague, fuzzy details. I wanted to commit this vacation to written word so I would never forget the large and small joys and the equally important fights, tears, and irritation.

I planned the trip for a long time. It sounds unlikely, but it really, truly took hours and hours to properly organize, map out, and plan a trip that involves so many children and a single parent. I decided to break up my three days of driving into roughly an hour in the morning, a two hour break somewhere to explore local attractions, eat, and use the restroom. I would then drive for three hours during the long twin naptime. The long drive would be followed by another attraction, eating, and restrooming break, and then a final two hours of driving in the evening. After many hours of planning, color coded spreadsheets, a 3-ring binder, and several lists including contents for a variety of travel receptacles (including “Big suitcase contents” “Day bag” “Hotel bag” “Food box” and “Surprise toys”) I was all set to go. We had a minor set back when our destination was plagued by several wildfires that compromised the health of the air quality and, in turn, posed a threat to Clara’s healing lungs. Finally, the air quality cleared up and we were cleared to make the trip.

By 10:00 we were all packed up and on the road heading toward Ft. Collins to visit Swetsville Zoo. I was concerned immediately. Alex threw a tantrum right way. He kept asking, “Is the road trip open yet?” Apparently I hadn’t done an adequate job explaining what a road trip was. He also continued to ask, “Why is it taking so long?” All this and we were only 45 minutes into an 18 hour drive together. I finally explained in a way acceptable to a three year old that the road trip was a process and that he needed to be patient. He finally accepted these facts and moved on to other “why” questions including “Why are pirates mean to other people?” and “Why am I three years old?”

We arrived at Swetsville Zoo more or less on time. It’s not an actual zoo, but rather a collection of metal sculptures mostly in the shapes of dinosaurs and monsters and insects. In other words….Alex loved it. Better than the sculptures to my three year old son, however, was the opportunity to pee in an outhouse. The kid could not stop laughing. After we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at all the dinosaurs, we sat down to eat. The girls tolerated the stroller and the bottle feeding while sitting at a picnic table. Alex ate his peanut butter sandwich, pudding, and goldfish crackers. I was in a groove. Never mind that it didn’t occur to me until a couple hours later that everyone got fed except me.

Following Swetsville was my most ambitious driving segment of the entire trip – four hours. I had planned my one hour, three hour, two hour plan as well as possible, but was greatly limited by the towns along the way that could actually boast any kind of attraction fancier than a gas station and adjoining Pizza Hut. The drive was beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Colorado and Wyoming are gorgeous places and I felt really relaxed. A feeling I haven’t had in a year. I’ve been so wound up, so worried, so constantly in motion that this long, beautiful drive actually felt less like I was careening at 82 mph and more like I was standing still while a series of slides flew past me. Of course, this feeling was interrupted every 30 minutes or so while I pulled over (safely) to retrieve a binky or a Mr. Potato Head arm. Greg had reconfigured our minivan to put the girls in the back, Alex right behind me, and leaving the second seat in Alex’s row at home, next to our washing machine. This left a cavernous space where I could get in and out easily. It had a couple other significant side effects. 1) I could more easily hear whatever random question or request Alex asked of me and 2) the piercing scream of my babies was a few feet further away. Not out of earshot, certainly, but further away.

Along this drive I spotted a coyote running along the side of the highway. I decided to start a wildlife count. Note: my count ended up totaling 1 as I decided not to count the dead deer I saw on Day 10.

We had to stop in the middle of the four hour drive to feed the babies. We stopped at a gas station/Subway combo. Having recently had a terrifying dream about a Subway, I moved us swiftly to the gas station portion to purchase a snack. I met a woman and her daughter who told me the daughter was half of a boy/girl twin set. The girl’s name was Miriana (rhymes with piranha) and the boy’s name was…..Bert. You know, like you do.

Because of this unscheduled stop, we missed the operating hours of Western Wyoming Community College and the dinosaur exhibit inside. Not a problem, I thought. I thought, “I can be relaxed and groovy. I don’t need to follow my spreadsheet exactly.” I decided I could be flexible (well, by one standard deviation anyway…I mean, good God, I do have an innate need to stay on task. I can’t just change my whole plan) and come up with a Plan B. Plan B ended up more or less defining any extra time we had on the trip. We found a nice grassy area where the girls could spread out on a blanket, where Alex could run around, and where we could all have a snack. It also became the first of many places Alex dropped his pants and peed outdoors. It’s actually kind of a pain to corral three kids to find a restroom quickly enough to satisfy Alex’s need to “go right now.” So, I’m not proud, but I encouraged this urine marking tour of the West by my son.

After everyone had stretched out and peed, we stopped and grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s where a man actually said this to me, “Are they twins? God really shouldn’t do that, should he?” How exactly am I meant to respond to comments like that? As I was fuming and trying to formulate some kind of witty response (that never materialized, by the way, and I really burned him by submissively nodding and saying, “Mmmm.”) Alex turned to me and said, “Mommy, why does everyday people always ask ‘Are they twins’?” A question I have wondered too. It drives me crazy.

We finally reached our hotel, got settled, and after several arguments, finally got into bed. I found myself saying for about the 15th time that day, “I am being the best mommy I can be right now.” It became my mantra.

Alex went to sleep that night continuing to argue with me about not being tired. He fell asleep mid-sentence. He woke up the following morning not realizing he had ever slept. He woke up saying, “Mommy, I’m….not…..tired!” How can you fight that kind of resolve?

Road trip

The kids and I are heading west tomorrow for Carmenita's birthday party. I'm anxious to post about 9 days and 3600 miles of single parenting.

Wish me luck!

Take care,
Kris

Officially kind of over it

People need to sometimes leave me alone in public. I'd like to go to the store or out to eat without the attention. I want to be anonymous again. I want to live my life with my family without feeling like I'm being watched the entire time. It's hard to explain.

Greg and I took the kids out to eat this weekend and this woman (who, of course, has twin boys herself) tried to tell me they didn't look enough alike to be identical. She tried to tell me that maybe there was something "in between" identical and fraternal. Really??? I tried explaining TTTS, blah blah blah, and - here's where I get frustrated by attention - she completely ignored me. People come by, just want to talk about their own experience with twins or to tell me that they are so glad they didn't have twins or whatever.

They are just driving me a little crazy.

And aren't twins common enough now that people would be used to seeing them? I don't get it. I really don't get it. And...if one more person asks me if they are twins....I'm going to explode!!

Okay, sorry, had to rant a bit :)

Take care,
Kris

TTTS Everywhere

Not a ton to report. The girls have been doing well in therapy. Both are rolling quite a bit and starting to sit up with support. They are also doing some pre-crawling moves. Clara had a pulmonology appointment today and all was well there as well. Doc said not to be disappointed if she needed to go back on the oxygen in the fall/winter if she gets a respiratory infection. Otherwise, all looked good and he said again that he was surprised at the pace of her progress. While were at the hospital, I took the girls up to visit some of the nurses from Perinatal and the ICN. The hospital coffee shop lady even recognized the girls and me which....kind of makes me hate my life just a little bit :)

In the past week I've met two people who have sets of identical grandchildren - our exterminator and some random lady at Target (seriously...I can't go in public without people talking to me. Ask my friend Lisa who went out with me. I'm a circus act everywhere I go). Anyway, both of them asked me questions which made me realize right away that their grandchildren didn't come into the world easily. Questions that made me realize they were in the ultra exclusive club called NICU Baby Survivor Club. Our exterminator's first question was, "How was your pregnancy?" Big red flag that his daughter's was not a healthy one either - she was in the hospital for about 4 weeks on bedrest and delivered 8 weeks early. Her kids were 2 lbs and 3lbs and suffered from TTTS. One of the girls even had to have surgery in the NICU because one of her ovaries wouldn't descend (or something like that...I didn't get all the details). The random Target lady asked me, "How much did they weigh when they were born?" Another dead give away that her daughter's pregnancy didn't go as expected. Her grandsons were born 6 weeks early and were 3 lbs and 5 lbs at birth- pretty discrepant and yet another set of TTTS survivors. While I was at the NICU this morning one of the doctors told me that about a month ago they had 3 sets of TTTS babies at the same time. I feel surrounded by my identical twin, TTTS surviving peeps.

Okay, on to photos and videos. Enjoy!

Holding hands

Sunflower Farm pictures: Alex on a pony

Girls being smiley (Clara left, Evelyn right)

Girls again (you can tell it's a farm because there is a chicken off to the left)

Alex feeding goats



Alex at the Butterfly Pavilion with a tarantula on his hand

Video of Evelyn (in yellow) trying to crawl

Video of Alex "dancing"

Therapy update and photos

The girls had an excellent therapy appointment today. The PT said they are doing things she wouldn't have expected from them for another 2 or 3 months. She also said that about half of preemie moms give up by now - so big applause for me. She even asked what advice I'd give to moms to keep them working intensively. My answer is all over the place...Certainly it has helped a lot to get positive feedback from the PT. It also helps that I quit my job and can spend hours and hours everyday with the girls. But mostly I think it helped that I knew ahead of time that the girls would be premature and would need early intervention therapy. I think it also helps that I'm not a first time mom (hearing my babies cry doesn't hurt as much this time around so I can continue therapy longer than new moms probably) and I'm not a first time therapy mom. I've been through this with Alex and I understand how important early intervention is both from personal experience and because of what I used to do for a living. So, I didn't have any great advice. I think my life just followed a path that allows me to deal with intensive therapy. And, by the way, I'm aware that it could be a lot more - families of kids with autism will often spend 40 hours a week in therapy.

Oh...also... funny twins story. I had Clara on her back and Evelyn next to her on her tummy. I left the room for a minute and heard a crazy loud scream. I came running in to find that Evelyn had shimmied about 90 degrees and way chewing on Clara's hand. Clara, understandably, was not a fan of this new arrangement.

Anyway, moving on to some pictures. Please to enjoy!

Sharing a toy (Clara left, Evelyn right)

Clara

Evelyn

Kids on the 4th

Ripley on the mend

Alex as a pirate

Take care,

Kris

Planning ahead - TTTS Race for Hope

The TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) Race for Hope is coming to Denver on November 9th. You can check out this link for more information: http://www.fetalhope.org/ttts-race-for-hope.html

In yet another "not ha-ha funny" moment of my recent life, I'll be doing my first 5K for a condition that actually affected my life. Sure, I did the Alzheimer walk in memory of my grandfather, but this one feels different. More close to my immediate life I guess. Amy and I used to run these 5Ks all the time just because we liked running. I always found them touching and I was glad to be part of them - don't get my waterworks started talking about the Organ Donor one where the family of the donor child met the family of the recipient...man, that was one of the most emotional things I've ever witnessed - and I'm a NICU mom who cried every day for 50 straight days. So you know it was emotional :) Anyway, this race will be different for me because I'll complete it in honor my little girls. With all the other issues Clara and Evelyn have had, it's easy to forget they are TTTS survivors. Let's see if I can get through it without crying.

Other TTTS races will also be held. I encourage anyone near these areas to attend or to donate a pledge.

September 20, 2008 - Charlotte, NC
September 28, 2008 - Kirkland, WA
November 9, 2008 - Denver, CO
2008/2009 - Houston, TX
March 1, 2009 - Anaheim, CA
Spring 2009 - Boston
2009 Tampa

I'll close with a description of TTTS for those who may be unfamiliar:
TTTS is a serious, progressive disorder that affects up to 15% of MC twins. The twins do not have malformations, but one transfuses the other through a particular blood vessel connection. In this situation, an artery from the donor twin enters the placental substance to exchange oxygen and nutrients. Unfortunately, the corresponding vein returns "by mistake" to the other twin (the recipient) via this arterio-venous connection.

In Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) the donor twin responds by partially shutting down blood supply to many of its internal organs, especially the kidneys, has reduced urine output and therefore a small amniotic fluid volume (oligohydramnios) in its amniotic cavity. The recipient responds to the blood transfusion by producing excessive amounts of urine, and is surrounded by a large volume of amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios). It is the combination of oligohydramnios/polyhydramnios that suggests the diagnosis of TTTS.

The twins are often discrepant in size, as well, with significant discordance in estimated fetal weights. The recipient's blood becomes thick and difficult to pump around the body, and this can result in heart failure, generalized soft tissue swelling (hydrops) and fetal death. Because of the blood vessel connections across the placenta, if one twin dies, the co-twin faces significant risk for death or damage to vital organs. If a co-twin survives, there is a high risk of brain injury. Without treatment, about 70-80% of twins with TTTS will die. Survivors may have injuries to their brains, hearts and kidneys.

Take care,
Kris

She's Off!

Just got the call from Clara's doc and she did well enough on her room air test that she can come off oxygen completely. Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!! She averaged 93% and spent 0.7% of the time <88%.

She'll have to go back on if she gets a cold or if we go to the mountains or something, but otherwise, she's off!!!! Hurray!! Hurray!! Hurray!!

...although this will make identifying her in photographs a little trickier. I always used her cannula stickers as the identifier :)

Thanks for the braces, Mr. Binky

Alex went to his first dentist appointment yesterday. Dr. Lexie's Dad showed me where we need to do a better job brushing his teeth (back molars, in case you were curious). He also showed me the damage the pacifier did to his teeth. His overbite is pretty bad and will eventually need braces to correct. Oh -and for now his front teeth are fine and can stay around. He smacked them pretty hard a couple months ago and I was worried they'd need to be yanked. Overall though, a successful visit. Alex didn't freak out and they aren't any cavities. Dr. Lexie's Dad also gave each girl a toothbrush since they're both now rocking two teeth.

I started my thyroid replacement meds today. Pop quiz... What causes fatigue, lethargy, difficulty losing weight, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and moodiness? If you answered, "Having twins, you idiot!" You'd be correct.

If you add a follow-up question, "...and also cold intolerance, light sensitivity, joint pain, lightheadedness, vertigo, and a wonky menstrual cycle?" Well, then, one blood test later, you get a whole new answer called hypothyroidism. It's not a big deal. Seems like everyone has it and it least it explains some of the symptoms I've been having. I was pretty careful not to talk about how tired I've been because it seemed stupid when there was a clear reason (make that two clear reasons) for me feeling so run down. I had even justified the vertigo and lightheadedness as happening because I'm on the floor all the time with the girl and standing up was hard on me. And that light sensitivity? Clearly it's because I'm inside most of the time so of course the sunlight will bother me. The joint pain? Well, I am picking up babies all day. ...and so on. Anyway, at least I have an explanation and there's treatment.

Baby girl updates - They've been enjoying sweet potatoes and applesauce quite a bit. They get furious when you have to stop for a moment to feed the other one. It's pretty funny and I hear circus music plying in the background as I frantically try to shovel food into each of their mouths at a rate that is acceptable to them. I'm going to start making my baby food soon. I made an attempt with Alex to make his baby food and had to give up because of lack of freezer storage. Now that we have another freezer at the house I'm going to give it a try again. Feeding these girls is just really, really expensive. We're spending about $100 a week on formula and I need to cut some costs somewhere. And since I can operate a blender, I figured baby food was a good place to start.

The PT came by for their weekly visit on Tuesday. She's happy with their progress and she was especially happy to see that Evelyn's neck issues finally look like they are starting to resolve. Clara is starting to bring toys together in both hands. Evelyn is starting to kick off on her feet (a pre-crawling movement). Both girls are starting to roll from back to front.

That's it for now. I just got a new camera and I have some new photos to post but it'll be a few days before I can motivate to load the software.

Take care,
Kris

I love you...

Alex told me he loved loved me last night. When I asked him, "How much?" he said, "I love you this huge until forever!"

I'm normally not the kind of mom to go on and on about what I perceive to be cute things my kid says, but I couldn't resist. It melted my cold, black heart :)

Take care,
Kris

Farewell to the gummy smiles

Evelyn and Clara both cut their first teeth today! Clara's is bottom left, Evelyn's is bottom right. How cute is that?? And it explains the less than spectacular moods they've been demonstrating.

Moving on. I subscribe to a Twin magazine that is mostly not worth the money. It tends to describe the obvious or is meant for new parents. For example, is it really "twin" related that I need to put sunscreen on my kids? As much as it's not very informative, it does provide at least one or two nuggets each issue that will keep me subscribing. Last month I found out that on birthdays there needs to be two cakes and two rounds of "Happy Birthday." Seems obvious now, but I never thought about it. This month I learned that some states are trying to pass laws that force twins to be separated in schools. I have mixed feeling about this - it's easy for me to say right now that I want them to be separated, but I can see how, in a few years, it'll be evident how detrimental separating them may be. So stay tuned to your local laws. This month's issues also listed "You know you have multiples if..." A sampling (with my chattering comments, free of charge in red):

• In the case of an unfortunate collision involving your stroller and a passing Hummer, the stroller takes the win. Seriously, the twin stroller is a pain in the ass. I will say, however, that people have been incredibly kind. I have not opened a door for myself in months. Even a 10 or 11 year old girl once held a door open for me.
• "You've got your hands full." Those are the five words most commonly uttered to you by the general public. The other comment I hear all the time is, "Are they twins?" No, they are triplets, have you seen the other one?/No, I just had them really close together. Either of these in-my-head retorts are followed by "...you idiot." Or my personal favorite is when people just exclaim, "Twins!" Yes, I am aware I have twins. But actually these comments don't bother me because they are at least addressed to me. What bothers me is when people comment on my twins (Oh, she has two babies/She has her hands full/Look, she has twins) as though I can't hear. I don't like feeling like a freak show. At least have the decency to not talk about me right in front of me.
• Your version of the ultra-luxurious "me time" involves a toothbrush, toothpaste, and two minutes by a sink. I actually have to share these two minutes with Alex so, technically, I can't even relate to this one.
• The gallery of people who see it fit to inform you that your twins are twice the work, twice the headache, and twice the expense will never understand the truth: your twins are twice the joy, twice the laughter, and exponentially priceless. On that note...

Take care,

Kris

6 month well baby

A couple congratulations are in order - First, to Mama Wannabe on the heartbeat of little peanut!!! Second, to the new arrival of Kellen and Taylor!

Evelyn and Clara had their 6 month visit today with Dr. Bud. Everything looks good. Evelyn's head is still gigantic, but he said it looks more proportionate to the rest of her body. For now, we'll still just watch without any planned follow-up. He also said we can branch out beyond rice cereal, let them sleep all 11 hrs at night without eating if they're up for it, and take Evelyn off Prevacid (Clara is stuck on it until she's at least 1, per her pulmonologist). Waaaay better than the last visit. Here are the stats (all percentiles are chronological meaning that we're no longer age-adjusting for the prematurity):

Evelyn

Weight - 15 lbs 12 oz (45%)
Height - 25 3/4 in (45%)
Head - 44.7 cm (96%)....aka huge


Clara (now, percentile-wise, bigger than Alex was at 6 months)
Weight - 13 lbs 2 oz (9%)
Height - 24 1/2 in (10%)
Head - 43 cm (60%)

As I was making the next appointment I spoke with the lady who does the referrals. She just wanted to check in with the girls and ooh and ahh about how big they are, etc. The scheduler also said something like, "Wow! I can't believe they are already 6 months old!" It made me very aware that these little girls are not even a little bit anonymous in that office. I used to take Alex in and never get a glimmer of recognition from anyone. Now, with the girls, it's like walking into a bar and everyone shouts "Norm!" It's a little weird, but really nice to feel like the girls have a cheering section.

We're doing a pulse ox test this week to see if Clara can come completely off the oxygen. I'm fairly confident, but not nearly as much as the last couple tests we've had with her. I'm trying to prepare myself for the doctor saying that she needs to stay on for another month. Cross your fingers though!

And, finally, a Ripley update (in case you care). She's getting better. Her eye is definitely healing as evidenced by the fact that I can look at her without shuddering.

Take care,
Kris

Father's Day

I love my dad. He's been an incredible source of strength throughout my whole life and especially in the last year. Since last August, he's listened, asked questions, supported us when we've needed support, and loved us when we've needed love. It's hard for me to imagine someone being as good a dad as my dad, but I think Greg is ranking pretty high on the Dad List. This guy has been amazing. Imagine the stress he's been under this year...now imagine it while being married to me. Doesn't sound so easy, eh? I have to say that he's managed it incredibly and he's been such a good husband and such a great dad to Alex, Evelyn, and Clara (and Ripley - more on that later). He single parented while I was in the hospital. He's done way more than his share of taking care of the babies since their return. And he's done everything with an ease that shocks me. So to my dad, to Greg, and to all other dads - Happy Father's Day!

In other news - Ripley's little eye got really bad last night and started to bleed. I took her to the ER where the vet had, "never seen anything like it." She was concerned about the eyeball getting pushed too much and is worried about long term damage (i.e. blindness) because of the pressure and the dryness from not being able to close her eyelids. Greg took her to a veterinary ophthalmologist this morning who suggested continuing the massive amounts of antibiotics and waiting on the MRI to try to save some cost. He doesn't think it's cancer - the onset is a little too sudden. The question remains as to whether or not there is debris stuck in there somewhere. If there is, the antibiotics won't do much and we'll have to prepare (in the vet's words "emotionally" and "financially") for risky, specialized surgery to remove debris. Fun for us. We also found out that Ripley has minor cataracts in both eyes and a detached retina in her left eye causing a blind spot. He doesn't think any of this is related to the recent eyeball gooiness. I changed my mind about posting photos of the nastiness....they're all the way at the bottom, so don't scroll all the way down if you don't want to see it :)

Okay, a few more photos of the past week. Enjoy! Well, you probably won't enjoy the photos of Ripley. Sorry.

Father's Day trip to the zoo

Alex is now into flossing his teeth.

The girls going on a walk with me (Evelyn left, Clara right)

Alex, babies, and I had a picnic lunch. He looks like he's on vacation in the Bahamas.

***************Ripley photos*****************