Never in my life did I think I would be spending my afternoon folding dinosaur socks and having discussions with my husband about how "human" our babies' poop now smells. But flash forward to today and that's exactly what I did. Six and a half months ago Graham Evan and Killian Garrett came into our lives and since then, nothing has been the same. We're sleep-deprived, our house looks like Babies R Us threw up everywhere, and we live our lives according to the boys' schedule. But you know what? We wouldn't have it any other way!
Our six-month appointment!
We ended up having a really great appointment today. These boys have gotten so unbelievably big; it is really hard to believe that they are still babies. On March 31st, 2009 Graham was born at 9:59pm weighing in at 5 pounds and 8 ounces and stretching to a little over 18 inches. One minute later his brother followed weighing in at 5 pounds and 7 ounces and also stretching to a little over 18 inches. Today, just a mere six months and two weeks since that amazing day, we found that the boys have more than tripled their size. Graham weighed in at 16 pounds and 13 ounces and stretched his little toes all the way to twenty-six and a half inches, which puts him in the 45th and 50th percentile respectively. Killian surpassed his big brother and weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds and 10 ounces and stretched his little toes all the way to 27 inches, putting him in the 45th and 70th percentile respectively. And this is measured on “normal” “regular baby” “born at full term” charts. It really is astounding.
The boys did get shots today – four each, including the flu shot. Dada was so brave and held onto the boys one at a time as they got their shots, while Mama wept in the corner and waited for it to be over.
Killian has issues
We’ve found that the funny thing with twins is that once an issue is cleared up with one of the boys, there seems to be another issue with the other one. So after four months of colic with Graham, and then what seemed to be one month of teething with Killian (and yet still without any teeth), we have dived into the smorgasbord of issues that have been plaguing Killian. Poor little dude has been dealing with head and neck issues for a little while now. What we thought was just slow development, when it came to being able to lift up his head, has now turned into torticollis and plagiocephaly. Now those are some mighty big words that might sound kind of scary and confusing so I’ll do my best to explain. The torticollis affects his neck, his muscles on his left side are not as strong and therefore he has difficulty looking to the left as well as keeping his head lifted on that side, thus the reason for his constant head tilt. This was most likely caused by the “limited” amount of space in my belly. (Funny, I remember how big my stomach was and there seemed to be an infinite amount of space). This we are improving with physical therapy once or twice a day, performed by mom and dad, and then twice a month visits from a physical therapist. The good news is that the physical therapist has been very pleased with Killian’s improvement and his speedy results.
Now if only the plagiocephaly was that easy. In layman’s terms it is a misshapen head. This sounds simple but it really isn’t. Though quite common, one in five babies have it; it can not only cause malformations of the head but also any number of disabilities, including visual impairment. This too was unfortunately caused by the “limited” amount of space in my belly. So basically, there was nothing that we did nor could have done to cause or fix this problem. The good news is that even though it is not a mild case, which would correct itself, it is not an extreme case, something we would be dealing with for months and months and months. The sad news? Poor little dude has to wear a helmet, which is made specifically for him. He’s going to be stuck in it 23 hours a day, and can only take it off during baths, physical therapy and when we wash the helmet. It weighs about four ounces and he will be able to do everything he’s doing now. We’ve been told that he will probably only wear it for about eight weeks but it could be longer and it could be shorter. Clint and I will be decorating it in some sort of fashion as most people do with their helmets. We also get to go to the specialist once a week to get his head re-measured and his helmet re-shaped. It’s been a difficult journey, learning of his condition, embracing the idea, and yet it has only just begun. Of course insurance does not cover it (awesome!) and it just so happens to run a couple grand (even better). But we are moving forward with it and he should be a helmet head by Halloween, which will go great with his pumpkin costume :)
What else is new?
Well the boys are eating rice cereal or oatmeal cereal everyday. We’ve also started them on vegetables (peas, squash and now green beans). In a week we’ll move onto meats and then fruits. They are doing a great job eating, as you can tell by their weight gain. Killian is an amazing little sleeper, sleeping ten to twelve hours a night almost every single night. Graham is still having sleep issues and has been waking up once or twice a night, in between 830pm and 830am. The Nurse Practitioner today thought it might actually be separation anxiety from his Mama – he is after all a total Mama’s boy. So it’s a step-by-step process with that. The good news is that they have both been taking afternoon naps in their cribs. They each take about two a day, and they last anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. Of course this rarely ever happens at the same time but I’ll take what I can get.
Both of them love to move around on the floor and in their jumperoos, especially Killian who will probably be the first to crawl. Their new favorite things? Their feet, which they love to put in their mouth and it is hilarious to watch their faces as they realize that those little things just aren’t that tasty. They love to pull hair still, and have become fascinated with touching and holding onto our faces. They also love to stare at and talk to each other. It’s pretty amazing to watch them be totally mesmerized by each other. Killian seems to be more excited about Graham, while Graham on the other hand just loves Jerry. He loves to pet him, grab his legs and collar, and Jerry is the most amazing gentle little dog who really loves his “little brothers.” It is very heartwarming to see.
Realizations
While rocking Graham to sleep the other day I had the realization that these boys will probably never love me more than they do right now. It was a very bittersweet moment. The love that we have found with these boys is quite amazing. It is a raw and honest love. It is a love that has nerve-endings and is so incredibly difficult to describe because of its depth. It is a love that makes us feel alive and yet quite vulnerable. It is a very true love indeed, one that we never thought ourselves deserving of, and we count our blessings every day to have these two amazing, beautiful sons who leave us breathless and wanting more. We will miss these last six months, as these boys will never be that young and fragile again. But we look forward to what the next six months will bring us, and then watching them grow from babies, to children, to little men and then into grown men, who we know will make us proud to be their parents.
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