Food, glorious food

I've been meaning to write (you know, in all my "free" time now that I'm back to work) about feeding the boys. Ah, yes. We finally tried some food. **Break out the chorus from the opening act of Oliver! here**

On Saturday, September 11, Russ and the Man had their first taste of rice cereal. I followed the directions on the box (like any new mom would) and it was incredibly soupy. Think formula with a hint of rice. We fed it to them anyway. They were both unsure, but definitely interested. Then, because we were trying new things and we were all messy...I broke out the sippy cups and they drank some water to wash down their soupy cereal. I was impressed with how well they did with the cups!

Russ (above), Mannie (below)

All done! Russ (above), Mannie (below)

The next night, we tried again...and this time I made the cereal thicker. Much better! Mannie was like a little bird, opening his mouth for every morsel. Russell wanted to talk through the whole meal. We continued to feed them just in the evening (before their bath and night time bottle) for several days before we added in a morning meal, too.

So last night I added a little spoon of pears to their cereal. They LOVED it. Russ said "mmmm, mmmmmmm" through every bite, and Mannie was impatient because we weren't feeding him fast enough. After their baths (oh, they smelled SO yummy like all clean babies do) my mom and I gave them their final bottles of the night. Then I decided to give the Man a little Tylenol to help him sleep (because he is still adjusting to sleeping in his helmet and although he does sleep, he has been extremely restless). Well, this was a BIG mistake. BIG MISTAKE, I say. The poor little guy choked on the Tylenol as he swallowed it...and UP came the entire contents of his stomach. UP came the formula and the cereal and the pears. All over him. All over me. Yuck. So much for that clean baby smell that I had just been inhaling!

Today Mannie has been more apprehensive about eating, and I have been so disappointed and sad. He was my little bird, opening his mouth and waiting for the spoon, other days. Not today. He had just a few bites in the morning and a few more tonight. Maybe tomorrow will be better?

Mannie's new look

Emmanuel and Dave took a trip to Marquette on Monday to pick up his helmet. By Friday we had to make a second trip to Marquette to improve the fit. This time Mannie and I went together. The helmet was rubbing his little ears, and it kept shifting and sliding down over his eyes. It seems to be much better after Friday's fixings, however there is one spot behind an ear that needs a little more tweaking...hopefully the orthotist can make the adjustments when he travels to Houghton on Tuesday. Otherwise, we'll be heading back to Marquette!

It has been a rough week, but Mannie IS getting used to wearing the helmet...and so are mom and dad! We've worked our way up to 22-23 hours a day. He's technically supposed to wear it for 23 hours every day, but we have been giving him two breaks every day instead of the recommended single one hour break. In the morning we give him a 30-60 minute break to change his clothes and have some tummy time. In the evening, the 60 minute break involves his bath. The worst part is putting the helmet back on him, as it is very easy to accidentally fold his ears under it, not to mention his screaming (which thankfully subsides after some cuddling).

We were able to pick out the pattern on his helmet - the solar system. However, the page we made our selection from had a NAVY BLUE solar system, not a PURPLE one! Oh, well. It matches mom's new glasses! I told Dave we should find a Minnesota Vikings sticker for the helmet, to go with the color scheme. Dave seemed to think Brett Favre would be the perfect Halloween costume...ha!

Cross your fingers that we will be done with this chapter in our lives before Christmas. A typical child might wear a helmet for 3-6 months, but the orthotist seems to think Mannie's head might round out more quickly. We can only pray.

Back to school, back to Duluth, and other updates

Tomorrow I head back to work. My classroom is ready, my lesson plans for the first week are complete, and the boys have had two days of "practice" with our wonderful new sitter, Tammy. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is wondering how I will handle leaving the boys to go back to work...and I think I will be fine. I mean, I know I will be fine. I love teaching. I've missed teaching. And really, my classroom is literally four blocks up the hill. So if I need to, I can certainly run home at lunch to visit Mannie and Russ. But I probably won't make a habit of it. Tammy is great - really great - and so I am confident the boys will be well cared for. Besides, I am hoping to use my time wisely during my breaks during the work day so I have fewer papers to grade in the evenings.

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Last week we had a doctor's appointment. Mannie needed his 6 months shots. After his surgeries he had gotten a little behind in his immunization schedule, but now he will be right on track again. Dr. Rajanee examined both boys and was impressed with how much stronger they've become in the last month. It's true. They are doing great. Their adjusted age is 4 months and they are right on track both physically and developmentally. Russ weighs 17# and Mannie is 16# 11oz. Both boys are 26" long.

Our NICU follow up visit (on Aug. 24) confirmed our positive progress, as well. Judy, the dietitian, was extremely pleased with Russ and Mannie's growth. I hadn't started feeding them cereal yet and she suggested we wait until the boys are 6 months adjusted, if possible, which brings us to late October/early November. I don't think the boys will wait quite that long, but we're holding off as long as we can.

Part of the follow up appointment included meeting with the occupational therapist, Joyce. Joyce engaged the boys in some playful activities, which went well for Russ...but poor Mannie badly needed to eat and have a nap (and he refused to do either) which left us comforting a crying baby for at least an hour of our appointment. I couldn't believe it. He would not settle down. He would not fall asleep. He would not take a bottle. This was not our easy, happy Mannie at all! When he finally settled, he did play with Joyce briefly, and Dave was finally able to get him to take his bottle. Whew!

The last part of the appointment was meeting with one of our NICU doctors, Dr. Falgier. She thought the boys looked wonderfully healthy. She did write us a prescription for a cranial molding helmet for Mannie, which was her only concern.

It felt really great to be back in Duluth - almost like we were home again. Seeing Dr. Falgier, Joyce, and Judy - even Judy - was wonderful. (Judy was my dietitian while I was on bed rest at St. Mary's. I told her more than once, "I will give up anything but dessert. You can't take dessert away. It is what I look forward to every day." Little did she know, the nurses were sneaking me cookies as a bed time snack, too!)

After the follow up appointment was completed, we strolled over to the NICU for a visit. Dr. Muskovitz was amazed at how big the boys are, as were the nurses. Dave and I were almost sad as we left St. Mary's that afternoon. The hospital became our life for 3 months this year, and even though times were tough, we managed to actually enjoy many days thanks to the wonderful staff. They became our friends, our support system, our cheerleaders. Through Facebook, I still keep in touch with many of them. (Gotta love Fb!)

So, we already took our prescription to Marquette and had Mannie's head cast for the helmet...the helmet should arrive sometime this week. The casting wasn't too bad, but alas, it resulted in another meltdown for Mannie. Luckily, we were able to compose him as soon as the casting was complete. The orthotist thinks the reshaping might go really fast because we're fitting him with the helmet so early. We can certainly hope so. Typically a helmet is worn for 3-6 months. Joe thinks Mannie's head should take more like 1-3 months (cross your fingers)!

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Enough about school. Enough about medical. Let's talk about how much fun the boys are right now. They are F-U-N! Both guys are moving around, though not crawling yet. Russell is rolling, and is constantly contorting his body to see what's going on around the room. He is really smiley and silly. Mannie has been doing a roll onto his side for what feels like forever...I'm just waiting for him to go all the way over. Mannie used to be our only flirt, but Russ is not going to let that be the case anymore. Right now they love to grab things - and everything they grab goes into their mouths. Both boys are very vocal, "talking" to whomever will listen. They love bath time, which is part of our nightly routine. Sometimes I can get both of them laughing at the same time...so cute! They love patty cake, "soooo big", dancing, and playing on a blanket on the floor. They also love when mommy sings, sneezes, or says things like "Shipoopi" or "get yourself." Below is a clip of Dave pretend-sneezing to get them laughing. They are all shirtless because there was a major heatwave here about a week ago and our house was like a sauna.

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Well, I started writing this post one week ago - so I should probably post it tonight! And seeing as I am back to work tomorrow (which means getting up at 6 a.m.) I've got to get to bed! I'm hoping to write more than once a month this fall. Think I can manage?