The Sturgis Twins Plus One!

Mason Alexander

2012-01-25T18:39:00.001-08:00

Mason is here!

Born : January 6th, 2012 at 11:35am

He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Almost a year gone by!

2012-01-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that almost a year has gone by and I haven't posted anything. But then again, I have twin toddler boys and I am pregnant with another boy! I don't have much time on my hands these days!

We are scheduled for a c-section on January 17th and the day can't come soon enough! I am tired and very uncomfortable! The boys have no idea what is going on and I am scared about what life is going to be like with another little boy in the house! Excited...but scared!

I will try to post updates for both the boys and the baby here.

Where has the time gone?

2011-02-17T10:46:00.001-08:00

I haven't been good about keeping the blog updated. That is most likely due to the fact that I don't have babies anymore....these toddlers are out of control. They get into everything and don't give anyone much time to do anything but chase after them!

We have alot going on. Jacob was evaluated and approved for Early Intervention Services. He is seeing an Occupational Therapist, a Special Instructor, and a Speech Therapist. He hasn't made too much progress up to this point. We took him to a Specialist at Bryn Mawr Hospital and they have recommended an Intensive Therapy Schedule...which means more therapy than he is currently receiving (right now it is every other week with each therapist). She also recommended that we see a developmental specialist to see if we can get a diagnosis. Unfortunately I am not having much luck in that department.

Carter is doing well. He was fitted for sure step braces for his ankles/feet in December and is finally getting used to wearing them. They are supposed to help build an arch in his feet since he is flat footed. He walks with his left ankle turned in and this will help correct that as well. Since he started walking we reduced his physical therapy to every other week and he is still receiving speech and occupational therapy every other week as well.

They looked good at their 18 month appointment last month. Jacob weighed 24 pound 3.5 ounces and was 32.25 inches tall. Carter was 23.3 pounds and 31.25 inches tall. Both are cutting teeth and have been in horrible pain. They have been not sleeping as well and trying to transition to one nap per day which has been difficult on all of us!

I don't get as many pictures as I used to because they just don't sit still long enough! I will try to post a few soon though.

December

2010-12-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some new photos from Thanksgiving. We had a nice Thanksgiving Day at Grandma's house. Then the next day we went to Nana's for a dinner with family and friends!

Grandma, Nana and Bruce are headed to our house for Christmas and then we will be heading to Pittsburgh to visit family and friends on the 27th. We will post many pictures of the boys second Christmas!

It's November!

2010-11-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

The boys are growing! At their 15 month appointment, Jacob weighed 22 lbs., 15 oz. and Carter was 21 lbs., 5 oz. Carter is about an inch and a half shorter than Jacob.

They did great with their shots and a big thanks to Kathy Funk who went with me to help keep them occupied. I couldn't do those appointments alone.

We had Jacob evaluated by Early Intervention last week and he qualified. They are saying his cognitive skills are coming in around 8 months. His behavior has been a bit odd for the last few months so I decided to have him evaluated. Glad that I did because now I will know what to do to help him learn!!!

Carter is being assessed next week with a speech therapist to see how if he should be working with speech or just a special instructor to help him with basic signs and other ways of communicating his needs to us.

It's a lot of therapy and I have been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of time I spend with the therapists already. I can't imagine what it will be like now!

We are working on trying to find a sitter to help out one or two days a week to lighten the daytime load a bit. I am feeling overwhelmed with the boys and with work. And I am coming up on a busy couple of months with singing on top of the teaching. It would be great to have a little extra help!

The boys had fun on Halloween and I will post a few pictures of them in their costumes. We took them to Marple Presbyterian Church in Broomall for an afternoon party and then we took them to a few neighbors in the evening...but by then they were tired and not really happy to be out.

Where did September go?

2010-10-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't post anything in September! We have some big things coming up this week. The boys will be 15 months old on Monday. We have Carters one year evaluation with Early Intervention on Monday. I am pretty sure that everything will continue the same for him. We have decided to also have Jacob assessed by them and his eval. is the following week. Mostly for speech.
Tuesday is their 15 month check-up so I will post weights/heights once we are back.

They are both doing great....here are some pics.....

Summer's Over

2010-08-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Daddy's goes back to work and that means that summer is over! We have enjoyed the month of August while he has been home every day! We took a vacation at the beginning of the month to Delaware/Maryland. We had a great time at the beach and visiting with family. The boys were great during the trip and are getting much better at traveling distances in the car and are doing better in restaurants and stores.

We have made several trips to the Philadelphia Zoo and are trying to get nightly walks in the wagon around the neighborhood. We will post some pictures soon.

Both of the boys are growing like crazy. They really don't look like babies anymore! Jacob is not walking but running everywhere. He loves to climb on anything!! He is starting to babble a bit more. We hear dadada, bababa, mamama, nanana. It is still babble and not specific to a person or object but it is more than a few weeks ago. He still only has two teeth but he is working hard on getting the two top ones.

Carter is doing great. The therapists are so impressed with his improvements. She thinks he could be walking on his own by the end of September. His annual assessment with EI is in October and she is thinking we may only need therapy twice a month instead of weekly!! He is walking with a walker just about everywhere. He is still wobbly but he is working on it. He will occasionally get up on his hands and knees and crawl. More with Jane than with us but he does do it occasionally. We are currently working on getting him to sit up himself from laying down and also trying to build his arm strength with exercises mainly in the pool.

We are continually updating the baby proofing in the house because they are into everything. We are anticipating the day the Jacob crawls out of his crib. Neither one of us thinks it is far off.

I will post pictures soon!

Some other photos

2010-07-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some other photos we took during the birthday weekend. They are just too cute not to share. The boys were being goofy!

Misbehaving...they wouldn't sit still for the pictures!!!

I just couldn't get the ring out of Jacob's mouth...but at least they were still for a moment.

And the ring is still there....and they are both headed for the camera....

Surprisingly they are playing nicely. Usually they ar fighting over the same toy. It was nice to see them playing together without someone crying or getting stepped on!

We are One!

2010-07-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

The boys had an excellent birthday party on Saturday. They really did a great job at entertaining everyone and not being too fussy throughout the day.

It was great to have our friends and family here to celebrate their birthday. The boys received many wonderful gifts. Cake time was messy but so much fun to watch. Both of the boys dove into their cakes and were a complete mess!

Thank you to all who came to share with us. Here are some pictures to enjoy of their special day!

Here is a pile of the gifts they received from everyone at the party. I think we have spoiled boys!!

Here is a picture of their Handy Manny cake. This, I think is their favorite cartoon!!

Here is Jacob with his cake. He dove right into it....he needed to get a bath afterward..He was soo messy!

And here is Carter...he took the cake and put it in his ear! But he had a good time!!

Almost.....

2010-07-16T06:41:00.001-07:00

The boys are almost a year old!!! And what an incredible day they had yesterday. We had our 12 month checkup with Dr. Devon, the pediatrician. Jacob weighed 21 pounds, 1 ounce and was 29 3/4 inches and Carter is 19 pounds, 11 ounces and 29 inches. They both squirmed all over the office and I was really happy that I had someone to go along with me! They each got three shots in their legs (2 in one, 1 in the other) They really handled them pretty well. Jacob was getting tired so he was a bit fussy.

We brought them home and put them down for a nap. Carter( the early riser) still slept for about an hour and 15 minutes. He got up and ate a little food and started playing. Then Jacob got up and they each had some milk and were playing downstairs. It was close to Daddy coming home and I was going to have to teach the rest of the evening so I was playing downstairs. And wouldn't you know...Jacob started walking to me and to the couch!!! Anywhere from three to seven steps at a time...I was so excited that I think I kept making him fall because he was laughing at me! Carter was not thrilled with all the attention I was giving Jacob but we managed about 15 minutes of practice!!!

Then while I was teaching later that night, Johnny was feeding the boys grilled cheese. Carter started taking the food and feeding himself!!! We are just so proud of them! Later while I was teaching my last student, Johnny tried putting the boys to bed. We usually wait until everyone is gone because they are too distracted to sleep with me teaching...but they had had a long day. Jacob went right to sleep...but Carter was screaming. So eventually Johnny went up to get him....and wouldn't you know, he was standing in his crib!!! First time he was able to pull himself up in the crib!

It was a huge day for them!! Let's see what else they can manage to squeeze in just before their first birthday!!!!

June post

2010-06-29T19:22:00.001-07:00

So I am trying to get a post in before July gets here! We are just a few weeks away from the boys first birthday!!! I can't believe that they will be a year old!

The boys are doing great. Jacob took his first steps earlier in the month. Just three steps but not much more. He is so close to walking....he is into everything he can find. He is extremely independent. He is happy to play alone and he doesn't want your help during meals. He wants to feed himself. He loves pretty much anything you give him. Thank goodness....so far no picky eaters!

Carter is good! He started his water therapy and it seems to be helping. He is a great swimmer. He absolutely loves the water. He is army crawling all over the place and he is pulling himself up on toys. He doesn't have much balance but he really wants to do what Jacob does. He is very stubborn and I think he is a little lazy! He wants us to do everything for him...but the good news is that he can do alot...even if he doesn't want to!! He is eating alot more table foods now. He still has a little trouble and we have to feed him but it is so much better than before.

His therapy sessions seem to be really helping. He was given a developmental exam on the 21st by therapists at Bryn Mawr Hospital. They said his gross motor skills were at 7 months, fine motor skills were at 6 months and his communication skills were at about 9-10 months. So he is behind but not terribly so. Looking forward to hearing what the Special Babies clinic says about him next month at Jefferson!!!

May Pictures

2010-05-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

Sleeping Boys!!!

Happy Ten Months Jacob and Carter!!!!

End of May already

2010-05-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been any better at updating!

The boys are doing well....getting bigger all the time.

They went to the YMCA last week for Carters first water therapy. It was difficult to get them both there and dressed by myself but we did it and they had a great time in the pool. They were giggling and splashing the whole 45 minute session. We will be going every other week to help with Carters physical therapy. He is army crawling now...not consistently but he is working on it. He cut his first tooth this past Sunday and from the looks of it he will have a mouth full very soon!

Jacob is pulling up on everything and is minutes from taking his first steps alone. I will be surprised if he isn't walking in a week or so. He is very brave! He is into everything so we have to keep a close eye on him! No teeth yet for him but I don't think we are far. He also has a great appetite and will eat anything we give him. He loves to feed himself!!!

We are starting to plan their One year Birthday Party! I can't believe that a year has gone by already! Stay tuned for pictures. I will try to get some up soon!

Memorial Day weekend is here and we are getting ready to make a trip out to Gettysburg to see Alexie play in a soccer tournament. Hopefully we will get some pictures while we are there!

2010-04-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Longwood Gardens last weekend while Aunt Trisha was up for a visit. It was a beautiful day so we spent some time looking at the tulips! Here are few photos from the trip!

A Sunday in the Park

2010-04-28T06:42:00.001-07:00

We took the boys to the park a few weeks ago. Carter loved the swing but Jacob was crabby and he really didn't have a good time. I think he was really tired. We will have to try again soon!

Update

2010-04-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

The nine month appointment went well.

Weights: Jacob is 19 pounds 1 ounce and Carter is 17 pounds 12 ounces.

Dr. Devon says they look good and the best news was they didn't need any shots! And they don't go back until they are a year old! I can't believe we are almost there!

We also went to Jefferson Hospital on the 16th for Carters EEG. He really screamed..he hated having all of the electrodes put on his head...but once they were on, he went right to sleep. The following week we went to see his neurologist for the results and it was normal! So he is being weaned off of his phenobarbital and then he will be medication free! We are so happy!!!

Jacob has been pulling up on everything and thanks to Grandma we have a new playard so that they don't get hurt. We have it set up in the basement and hopefully it will help with the scratches and bruises from falling into the furniture!!!

Will post more pictures soon!!

February pictures

2010-04-20T05:47:00.001-07:00

Jacob is getting ready to be on the move. He did lots of plank positions until he figured it out! Carter is starting to get the hang of sitting upright...and he loves the spinning toy!

We spent many days inside because of some horrible snow storms...but we managed to get a couple of shots of the boys in the snow! They didn't care for it too much!

And the last picture shows the really cute shirts that Michelle made for them. They looked so cute in them!!

January pictures

2010-04-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

We had the boys baptized on January 10th. All the family was able to be there which was nice. Trisha, Austin and Patty are their godparents. We had an excellent lunch after at Carol Williamson's house to celebrate the boys! It was a great day!

9 Months Old!

2010-04-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that the boys are 9 months old! They are both doing great!! We go to the pediatrician later today for their check up and I will update the blog with weights and heights. (and pictures)

Jacob is crawling...everywhere! This past week he has been picking up speed and now we are on to trying to pull up on things. This is not fun...he is scaring himself and hurting himself and crying alot. Hopefully this will pass soon...

Carter is doing excellent things. We started with a physical therapist in January who has helped immensely these last few months. He has learned to roll in both directions and he does this constantly to get to toys. He now much prefers to be on his back to his tummy which isn't the best since we would like to see him strengthen his arms. He is sitting up for short periods of time since 8 months. He isn't extremely steady but once he finds his balance he can sit for up to 5 minutes without falling over. He is also wanting to pull up on things...so I am sure that it won't be long before he is crawling around too!

I will post some pictures soon!

Boys First Christmas!

2010-01-17T13:04:00.001-08:00

Jacob and Carter in the morning!
Jacob had to try out all the presents on his head!

And Carter fell wore out quickly! He missed most of the gifts....

Christmas started off at Grandma Wolstoncroft's. Then we headed to Nana Sturgis's house for more presents and good food!!

After that we traveled again to Aunt Trisha and Uncle Danny's house in the afternoon for even more gifts and good food!!!!

It was a long day but we all had a great time spending time with the family!!

Christmas Eve!

2010-01-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Unlike every other Christmas Eve where I am in church singing, I got a sub and we traveled for the boys first Christmas. We headed to Salisbury on the 23rd and stayed overnight. We got up on Christmas Eve and headed to Virginia to visit with Johnny's side of the family for a few hours and then headed to his cousins house to have dinner and visit with more of his family! It was nice to see everyone again and the kids did pretty well in the car. But they didn't really want to nap in a strange place....so they did start to get a little crabby!!! But overall we all had a great time visiting with everyone! Wish we could do it every year!!!

Snow and Cookies!

2010-01-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

So we had a huge snowfall in December right before Christmas so while we were snowed in, we decided to bake cookies. The boys were pretty good. They both sat for a while in their high chairs and watched and then Carter took a nap. Here are some pics....we found out that we are not that good at decorating cookies!!! We had 23 inches of snow fall in Philadelphia during that snowfall! It was beautiful...until we had to dig out the cars!!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-01-16T08:37:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. We spent it in Salisbury, Maryland. Carter did okay in the car. He started getting fussy about 20 minutes before we arrived and did the same on the way back. We are traveling after his last bottle to see if he will sleep most of the way. Grandma Wolstoncroft gave the boys an early Christmas present while we were there: Portable DVD players for the car. They have been a big help in getting Carter to sit in the car for a longer period of time. He loves Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who. I think Johnny and I have it memorized by now....which is sad because I haven't really ever watched the whole thing!!!

Getting Bigger!

2009-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

The boys had their four month checkup on Friday the 20th. They are both growing well and the doctor said they look good!

Carter now weighs 13 pounds 7 ounces and Jacob weighs 14 pounds 2.5 ounces. Jacob is an inch longer than Carter! We got the go ahead to start cereals, fruits and veggies. We tried rice cereal but they didn't seem to like it. But then we tried oatmeal and they both smiled and ate! Most of it was all over their faces but they at least smiled through it!!! We are going to try some veggies soon and see how that goes!!!

We are traveling today to Salisbury to visit our families for Thanksgiving...here is hoping that Carter sleeps in the car!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We will post pictures when we get back into town!

The boys are 4 Months Old Today!

2009-11-18T07:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that the boys are 4 months old already! Time is flying by! I am going to try to take pictures of them today if they will let me and I will post later. But for now, here are some pictures of them that were taken in the last week.

I did try to post the videos of them rolling over but something didn't work. If you haven't seen them, we did post them on facebook. I will try to get them up here as well. Jacob started rolling from his belly to his back on October 29th and Carter rolled as well on November 4th. Jacob is close to rolling from his back to his belly but hasn't quite figured it out yet. Carter isn't trying that yet!

They go for their 4 month check up on Friday and I will update again with their weights and how things went with their shots! Looking forward to it!!!

Enjoy the photos!

More pictures....

2009-11-13T16:25:00.001-08:00

Halloween Pics...just a little late!

2009-11-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the Halloween pictures we took. The boys were so tired but they greeted most of the kids that came to the door. And we were able to get some good photos before they crashed for the night!!

We have huge babies!!

2009-10-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

So I just came back from the doctor with the boys!

I was hoping to get some answers to Jacob's reflux issues and Carter's car seat issues...that didn't happen. We weren't able to see their pediatrician and ended up seeing someone that was absolutely no help.

The only thing that came from the visit is that they were both weighed. Jacob is still the big guy...13 pounds 4 ounces. And Carter is 12 pounds 11 ounces. They are huge!!!!

Jacob is our loud boy. He is babbling and laughing and smiling all the time. He is really too much. He is rolling over from his tummy to his back and he is close to rolling from his back to his tummy. Not yet though. He is great entertainment!

Carter is a little more quiet. He is still finding his voice. He is trying really hard though. He is smiling more and more each day! He had his Early Intervention Assessment and he has been approved for occupational therapy every other week. But the therapists said he looks good!

Carter!

2009-10-18T14:10:00.001-07:00

Jacob!

2009-10-18T14:05:00.001-07:00

New Pictures of the Boys!

2009-10-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Three Months OId

2009-10-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? The boys are three months old and we haven't written anything here for a month!!!

We have been really busy...they boys keep our hands full. I will do my best to get pictures posted as soon as possible.

The boys are both doing well...they are growing big and are starting to look more and more alike! Carter has been doing really well with his feedings...so much so that we have bumped their feedings to seven ounces!!! I can't believe he takes that much. Jacob is an eater so I wasn't too surprised by him...but Carter is taking his bottle as fast as Jake now!!!

Carter has his last speech appointment this week. She thinks he is doing really well...and so do we!

Both of the boys are working on holding their heads up. Jacob is a little farther along than Carter but he is really working on it. They both smile and Jacob is cooing alot!!

Pictures to follow.....

Two Month Doctor Visit

2009-09-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today the boys went for their two month visit to the doctor. They each had three shots. They cried but they seemed fine a few minutes later. They both came home and slept!

Jacob is doing pretty well. He has been dealing with reflux issues and we have decided to try are few more weeks on his current medication (Zantac) at a higher dose to see if it helps and if it doesn't we will try a stronger medication. He is now nine pounds 3 ounces, 21.5 length. He is a monster!

Carter had his first speech appointment yesterday and we are trying a new bottle and position for feeding. Since the switch he is taking a four ounce bottle in 20-30 minutes! No tube feedings...he is really doing great! He weighed 8 pounds 8.5 ounces, 21 length. So his little brother is bigger than him now!!!

A big thanks to Nicole for coming with us to the doctor. I couldn't have gone to the appointment alone with the boys...

Now the boys are getting ready for our open house tomorrow to meet lots of new people and to get spoiled by Michelle who is coming for the weekend!

More pictures!

2009-09-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Carter with his hat!

Jacob hanging out in his bouncy chair

Carter looking at his favorite photo on the wall!

Jacob winking at the camera!

Both of them ready to start screaming!

New pictures

2009-09-16T08:42:00.001-07:00

Catching Up

2009-09-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

There has been so much going on that we should have posted but we have been really busy!

Carter had his G tube surgery on August 24th. After the surgery he went back for a short stay in the NICU to recover. We never realized how difficult it was to be at the NICU instead of the Pediatric floor because Jacob had to stay in the waiting room. So we were back to visiting Carter one at a time while the other stayed in the waiting room.

He was transferred back to the pediatric unit by the end of the week and was discharged on the 31st! IT was such a great day to take him out of the hospital and to have both of them finally home!!!

We spent a few days together before Johnny had to go back to work. Jacob was having a bit of a difficult time adjusting to having his brother home but he seems to be doing a little better now.

Once we had Carter home, I started feeding him by bottle at every feed so that he could get used to it. The only feed we didn't do this was the one in the middle of the night. We just hooked him to the pump. But the good news is that with more stimulation he is now taking all of his feeds from the bottle. (Complete 3-4 ounces every four hours!) He has been doing this since September 9th!!! We are so excited for him! He is slow but he improves each day! We have an appointment with a new speech therapist on Thursday to work out a new plan for him.

Carter had his follow up surgery appointment on Monday and they have replaced the long tube that he had with a little button which is great! No more huge tube coming out of his belly!!!

We have an appointment with Early Intervention to have Carter assessed for therapy. I am anxious for this because I would really like to continue his occupational therapy to work on his low muscle tone. We had started this at the hospital but the therapists did much more than we can.

Both of the boys go on Friday for their two month doctors visit. I am taking Nicole with me so that I don't have to hold two screaming babies when they get their shots!!! Hopefully that will go well and we can post their most recent heights and weights. Stay tuned!

Carter is HOME!!!

2009-09-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Okay..by now most of you know Carter came home last Monday.

More on this TOMORROW!

UPDATE: AUGUST 20, 2009...A PLAN!!!

2009-08-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts. It's been a week since Carter was moved to the Pediatric Unit and things have gone very well. We made a big decision this past week that Carter will be getting a G-Tube. This is a feeding tube that is put in through his abdominal wall and into his stomach. It is "permanent", in other words it is there until the doctors decide to remove it. It will be used to supplement feeds. We will continue to feed him with a bottle, but if he cannot get enough nourishment that way, we will have to give the rest via the G-Tube. We are still working on getting him to feed from a bottle and we have seen some great improvement in Carter's ability. Last week he was barely taking 3 mls. Alicia, our speech therapist decided to thicken his feeds with a gel like substance that makes it easier for Carter to coordinate the sucking, swallowing and breathing. This has helped, A LOT!!! Last night our nurse called us about 6:30 and told us that Carter had taken 66 mls by bottle and today when we arrived we found out that he took an additional 50 mls at his 10pm feed and 65 mls during his morning feed. This was a joyous time for Tracy and me. Tonight he is having an acid reflux test done and it will take about 15 hours. They have a tube down in his esophagus measuring for reflux. If it is found out that he does have reflux, they will tighten the connection between his stomach and his esophagus during the G-Tube procedure. The surgery is being scheduled for Monday, but our nurses tell us to not count on it. If any emergencies come up, then he will get bumped. He will then need about 5 days of recovery, then he will be coming home!!!! We are very excited that we now see Carter at home in a short amount of time.

Carter is Graduating!!!

2009-08-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had good news from the NICU staff. We had a family meeting today and they told us that Carter is ready to be moved from the NICU to the Pediatric Unit upstairs. He had another EEG today to make sure that there has been no more seizure activity since they have been lowering his dose of phenobarbital. They would like to wean him off this medicine completely before coming home if possible. The EEG results were good...but we have to wait for the neurologist to read them to let us know what they are going to do about the medication.

He will most likely be moved by Friday this week upstairs. This means that we will be able to stay with him 24 hours! Only one parent can stay overnight but that is okay since Jacob needs us too! The big plus to him being upstairs means that he can now visit with his brother! We are really excited to see them together for the first time!

While he is there we will be taught how to care for his NG tube and also work with the therapists. We are not sure if he will be coming home on a feeding tube or not but it is likely. He is sucking more but not enough to take his entire feed. Right now it is a very small amount...but hopefully he will improve with more stimulation from us!

We are expecting that it will be a several more weeks in the pediatric unit but this is a huge step and we are really proud of him for accomplishing everything that he has so far!!!

Jacob is still doing well. He is starting to get pudgy like his brother! He seems to eat all the time and for the most part he is a good sleeper. His reflux issues make him uncomfortable but the medicine he is on seems to be helping. Surprisingly for all the growing he is doing he still doesn't really fit into his preemie clothes all that well! But I am sure he won't be in them for much longer.

Johnny will post new pictures soon. We keep taking them but we have been so busy traveling back and forth that we haven't been able to get them downloaded. Stay tuned!

Happy Three Week Birthday!

2009-08-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

Just wishing the babies a Happy Three Week Birthday today!

Jacob is growing and growing. We took him to the doctor yesterday and he weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces!!! That is what Carter weighed when he was born! So he is catching up to big brother! We think he has some reflux issues. We now have some medication and hopefully it will help him.

Carter has also gained some weight. He is now 6 pounds 9 ounces. He needs to eat more if he wants to stay bigger than his little brother!! He is doing well. They are reducing his amount of phenobarbitol and so far everything is going well. He still isn't swallowing so there really is no way to feed him a bottle which is his next big goal. He has started to show a sucking reflex but it is weak. He had speech therapy every day this week and I think he has improved.

He unfortunately didn't pass his hearing test so he will need to be re-tested at some point. The nurses tried to assure us that it might be nothing and not to worry too much right now.

He is still doing lots of occupational therapy and we have met with the therapist to show us what we can be doing while we visit. The therapy sessions are fun because it gets him out of the crib and usually he is wide awake!

In general the boys are doing great and we are just hoping for the whole family to be together soon!!!

UPDATE- AUG. 3, 2009

2009-08-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog.....

Jake is doing really well. Had another doctors appointment today and he has gained 1/2 a pound. He is now 5 pounds 14.5 ounces. He is catching up to his brother who is now 6 pounds 7 ounces. Doctor said he looks really healthy. The only problem is that he is having some pains and we are not sure if it is gas or reflux. We are keeping an eye on it.

Carter is doing well also. He has started work with both a speech and occupational therapist. The Occupational Therapist has shown us different massages we can do to help stimulate him and strengthen his muscles and he seems to be responding very well to this. The Speech Therapist is showing us how to get him to start sucking. This is needed so that he can start to feed by bottle. He is only being fed by a feeding tube. Alicia said that he showed some signs of sucking this morning and both Tracy and I saw some this evening when we went in for a visit. Carter had some other visitors today; Jason and Nicole came to meet him. He was WIDE awake and was happy to see some new faces. He is always looking around the NICU at what is going on around him. We brought him his mobile and his loves it!!!

Carter & Jake's First Bath

2009-07-31T18:28:00.001-07:00

UPDATE- JULY 27th at 11pm

2009-07-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

Just got back from an evening with Carter. He is looking so much better. His swelling is going down and he looks great. He was a little sedated because he had his MRI tonight, so hopefully we can get some information tomorrow. Tomorrow night is bath night!!! Carter was squirming when Tracy changed his diaper tonight. We are so thankful to all the doctors and nurses that are taking care of our boy.

Jacob went with us tonight to Jefferson. He isn't able to go back and see his big brother. He slept with Grandma for a bit then I went and sat with him and fed him. He is so peaceful and doesn't cry all that much....I know I just jinxed us!!!

Below are some new photos of the boys from today.

UPDATE- JULY 27, 2009 at 11:45am

2009-07-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

This morning I dropped Michelle off at the airport. She had a little layover and came over for a couple hours to see Jake and gave Tracy and I the opportunity to sleep!!! Thanks Michelle. While driving back from the airport, I called in to see how Carter was doing. His nurse was taking another baby down for some test so I spoke to the other nurse and she told me that the Speech Therapist had been in to try and bottle feed him. Don't know how successful they were, but this is another good sign! She did say that he was awake a looking all around him. They have scheduled an MRI for today/tomorrow. This will hopefully give us better knowledge of what damage, if any, has been done. We are getting ready to take Jake to the doctor again. Just a little check up. Will report later on what we find out about Carter.

UDATE: JULY 26, 2009

2009-07-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Carter had the last of his aEEG nodes removed and has had his feeding tube moved from his mouth to his nose. He is having some trouble digesting the formula and they are cutting back on the amount. He is also very swollen and Lasix is going to be given to help with this.

Jacob has had an uneventful day, mostly sleeping, eating and an occasional poopy.

2009-07-26T01:58:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: July 25, 2009 at 2:15pm

2009-07-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Carter has had his breathing tube removed and he looks good. We were also told his EEG will be coming off later today/tonight so we will get to hold him!

More later....

UPDATE- JULY 25, 2009 10:30AM

2009-07-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Called in this morning to check on Carter. Looks like his is still not having any more seizures since he came off the Versed at 6pm last night. Great sign. The doctors are doing rounds in a little bit and they will see if his oxygen volume is enough to take him off the ventilator. Nurse Nicole told me that he now has some clothes on and is not being heated by a machine. Keep Praying!!!!

Jacob had a pretty good third night at home. He slept for a while and woke up for his 1:30 feeding. After the feeding Tracy got a little worried because he was sleeping and making a gurgling sound. We guess he was having a little spit up and couldn't get it out. I woke up for his 5am feeding and he did great. He feel back to sleep after about an hour in the recliner on daddy's chest. He is having some great poopies and the little guy can let one rip!

Trisha, Tracy's sister is coming up today with her three kids, Madison, Trenton and Alexie. They are very excited to meet their cousin Jacob. Grandma Wolstoncroft is going to watch Jacob and the kids while the Tracy, Trisha and I go visit Carter.

Below are some photos from yesterday when Tracy and I were able to change Carter and feed him. There is also two of Jacob.

UPDATE: July 24, 2009

2009-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Carter is showing great improvement. He has not had another seizure and is slowly being taken off the seizure meds and will totally be off of them tonight at 6pm. There is also the chance that he will be taken off the breathing tube tonight or first thing in the morning. Brain activity is increasing. Tracy and I were able to change his diaper and she fed him through his tube and I took his temperature. Things are looking good. Keep praying!!!

Jacob is doing very well and is a great sleeper, DURING THE DAY! He has been feeding well. Tracy is doing better but still a little sore.

Keep checking back for more updates.

UPDATE - July 23, 2009

2009-07-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have taken so long to update everyone on what happened and what is going on. I'll start from the beginning and get you up to speed on the situation.

Around 12:35am Saturday, Tracy's water broke. I immediately called into the Dr. Peden's office to let them know. I was told that Dr. Peden was on call that night and that she would call right back. She did, and while on the phone with her Tracy said to me "I feel the cord." I told Dr. Peden and she told me to call 911 and get an ambulance and to get her to Lankenau as soon as we could. The EMTs arrived so fast and one of the EMTs knew how to handle a prolapsed cord. He immediately told Tracy what to do while he was walking up the stairs. For those that don't know, a prolapsed cord is potentially fatal. It cuts off the blood and oxygen supply to the baby. He was able to hold the cord and push the baby's bottom off the cord. He had to continue to do this until they arrived at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. That meant even going down our steps inside the house. DJ and Kelly, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Tracy had to have an emergency C-Section. Carter James arrived at 1:14 am and Jacob Cole arrived at 1:15. I was not present, but in the halls roaming trying to get information. Finally a Dr came out and told me the situation: Carter had not gotten a lot of oxygen during the ordeal and was born with a very low heart rate and was not breathing. They had to ventilate him. Jacob on the other had was doing well. A decision was made to send Carter to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to do Cool Cap Therapy. They cool the brain to prevent any further damage from occurring with the hopes that Carter's brain can rewire itself to help with any damage that may have happened. The Jefferson NICU Transport team came and got him and this is where is still is. Grandmas Sturgis and Wolstoncroft came up and were joined by Aunt Trisha a little later. I'll fast forward a little bit....

Tracy and Jacob were discharged on Tuesday. Tracy was able to make it down to Jefferson to see Carter for the first time. He had been taken off the Cool Cap and was being hooked up to an EEG. He had been having some seizures and he was being medicated to help control them.

Yesterday/Today we received some promising news. Carter had not had and still has not had any more seizure activity since 4am Wednesday. He is still on the ventilator but he is also breathing above the vent, which means that he is taking more breaths on his own!!! His brain electrical activity has increased and has started going through sleep/wake patterns. Both very positive things. He is also responding more to touches. He has opened his eyes. They will be doing an MRI sometime soon to get a better look at possible damage.

Jacob had his first Dr. appointment on Wednesday as well and looks to be in fantastic health!

So this is where we are. Tracy and I would like to thank everyone for their support and concern. You are all helping to keep us strong in this difficult time.

Photos of Carter James

2009-07-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Photos of Jacob Cole

2009-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

UPDATE July 9, 2009

2009-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Tracy went to the Hospital today to have a Non-Stress Test, and Ultrasound and a visit with Doctor McConnell. We arrived to a packed Perinatal Office. Were were scheduled for the Non-Stress Test first, but they did the Ultrasound first. Both boys are growing very well. Baby A is 5 pounds, 5 ounces and Baby B is 5 pounds, 8 ounces. No wonder Tracy is very uncomfortable. The Doctor that did the Ultrasound canceled the Non-Stress Test because he could see the babies breathing well and thought that it would be a waste of time. Our visit to Dr. McConnell went well also. No change in the C-Section date unless Tracy decided to have contractions again or her water breaks.

We did get a photo of Baby B today. Below I am posting a great photo of both babies. Baby B's is from today and Baby A's is from June 16th Ultrasound.

Baby A on June 16

Baby B on July 9

July 1 UPDATE

2009-07-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Tracy just got back from seeing Doctor Peden. Things are going very well. Tracy has been on bed rest since she got home from the hospital. Dr. Peden is allowing her to go out for small trips! Tracy is very happy that she can go outside again. She was beginning to feel trapped. Next week she will be free to do whatever she wants. If labor comes, then we will be having the babies!!!

Our niece Alexie has come up to visit and help out around the house. She has been very, very helpful and has made life easier on both of us.

Now to the big news. Tracy has been scheduled for a C-Section on JULY 29 at 8:30am. Both Dr. Peden and Dr. Belden will both be there for the delivery. We are both excited that a date has been set. Keep checking back for new posts.

The Nursery

2009-06-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

The nursery is almost complete. We went with a jungle/animal theme. We absolutely love the room.

Non-Stress Test - Ultrasound - Hospital Stay

2009-06-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

So last Tuesday Tracy had her Non-Stress Test and Ultrasound scheduled. We arrived at the hospital and went in for the test. Tracy was hooked up with two baby monitors and a monitor for contractions. During a Non-Stress Test they look for elevations in the babies' heart rates and the a decrease back to normal. This shows that after movement they are getting the Oxygen that they need. During this test, the tech monitoring said that Tracy was having pretty regular contractions. On the ride over Tracy had thought that she had a contraction, but nothing abnormal. The contractions became pretty regular so the tech mentioned it to the Neonatalogist who was going to do the Ultrasound. The Ultrasound went as normal. Baby A is still Breech and Baby B is Transverse. It looks like they will be scheduling a C-Section!! Both boys are growing. Baby A is 4lbs 1oz and Baby B is 4lbs 3oz. So after the Ultrasound, the Neonatalogist thought it would be best if Tracy went down to see her Doctor to check on the contractions. We got in and saw Dr. Finnigan. He checked Tracy out and no dilation. He wanted us to go up to Labor and Delivery to get monitored for a while longer. They hooked Tracy up to the same monitors that she was hooked up to for the Non-Stress Test. It seemed like every time she got hooked up to the monitors the boys decided it was gymnastics time and were moving and kicking. She was still having contractions and they were becoming pretty regular, every 1 to 4 minutes at one point. They ended up admitting her and giving her several IVs. They thought that dehydration might be causing the contractions. That didn't work, so they gave her several shots that are supposed to stop contractions. They didn't work either. Tracy ended up staying two nights in the hospital and is now at home on bed rest. She will stay on bed rest until the twins are here. She is on a prescription of meds. designed to help the uterus relax. She still is having contractions, but not a often as she did while in the hospital.

Settlement Music School Shower

2009-06-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Tracy's school threw us a Baby Shower on May 30th. Kirsten and her mother did a wonderful job of putting this shower together. The invitations were absolutely adorable, the food was great, the games were fun and it was great to see everyone that came. Many of Tracy's students, fellow teachers as well as friends and family.

Trinity Shower

2009-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tracy and I were lucky to have Trinity Episcopal Church in Swarthmore give us the Double Stroller that we had registered for. On Mother's Day after church, they had a luncheon for the choir members and family at the Rectory next door to the church. Many of the choir members were there and it was a fun time, some even jumped on the trampoline out back!!!

Update Tomorrow

2009-06-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have not been updating the blog as much and Tracy and I would like. I will be making a big post soon. Tomorrow Tracy has her non-stress test and her 8 month ultrasound. We also have the nursery almost complete. I have some great photos of the nursery and of our showers at Trinity in Swarthmore and at Settlement Music School. I will make separate posts for each.

28 Week Appointments

2009-05-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today Tracy had her 28 week OB appointment and her ultrasound. The OB appointment didn't go as planned. Before you worry, the babies are fine and healthy. Tracy failed her first glucose test and also found out she is anemic. She has to go back in on Friday for a 3 hour glucose test to find out if she has gestational diabetes. She has to get blood drawn 4 times and has to drink a lot of sugar water. I feel sorry for her. I'll be there to help her out.

The ultrasounds were fantastic. Both babies are growing well. Baby A went from 1lb 7oz to 2lb 13oz and Baby B went from 1lb 8oz to 2lb 10oz. All that weight gain and Tracy only gained 3lbs. Boy does she look beautiful. Baby A was show off today and posed wonderfully for the photographer but Baby B was being a little bit of a pain in the butt. The doctor said that Baby A is breech and Baby B is laying transverse. We are very excited and can't wait to meet our boys.

Pittsburgh Shower

2009-05-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Tracy and I ventured out to Pittsburgh last weekend for a baby shower thrown by her sister, Trisha. The shower was at Aunt Donna's and Uncle Bill's house. We arrived Friday night and stayed at the Hyatt Place in Robinson. What a beautiful hotel. Saturday we got up and went to breakfast at Eat n' Park with our friend Apryl. Apryl gave us tickets for the Carnegie Science Center to use on Sunday with Trisha and her kids. After breakfast Tracy and I went to see her father's grave. We had not been there in bit, so it was nice to go. After that, we ended up at Donna and Bill's for the shower. I waited until Jason got there and we went out for lunch. Tracy was thrilled to see all her relatives. We got lots of great gifts from some truly wonderful people. Thank you to all who were there.

Saturday night we went to the Pittsburgh Chop House. We had a terrific dinner and we highly recommend it to any one looking for a relaxing and delicious dinner. Sunday we got up and met Trisha and the kids for a day at the Science Center. We had a blast. (pics from this will be posted shortly) After lunch, we headed home.

24 Week Ultra Sound

2009-04-22T03:57:00.001-07:00

Tracy and I went in for our 24 week Ultrasounds on Tuesday. By the time I arrived the technician had already shown Tracy Baby Boy A. Once again it was so amazing to see each baby. Baby Boy A is weighing 1lb 8oz and Baby Boy B is 1lb 7oz. Both are about 12 inches long and are growing wonderfully!!! Below are some of the scans from the ultrasound.

Tracy's First Baby Shower

2009-04-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Tracy's first of four baby showers. This one was thrown by my mother in Salisbury. Tracy had a wonderful time. The weather was excellent and guest came from as far away as Minnesota (thanks Tia). It was nice to see everyone that we have not seen in a long time. Hopefully we will be seeing more of you soon. We received so many gifts and we are both so appreciative of everyone's generosity. Mom, thank you so much for planning this day for Tracy. We love you very much. Below are some photos from the shower.

New Photos

2009-04-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tracy is now almost 22 weeks. She has recently felt a little fluttering in her belly. Can't wait till they start having karate battles! Here are some photos from this weekend.

New Belly Photo of Tracy

2009-03-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tracy is now 20 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I took this great photo of her after her Evensong performance at church. She looks so beautiful!

20 Week Ultrasound

2009-03-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Tracy and I went in for her 20 week ultrasound today. As you read before, I wasn't able to go to her last ultrasound where she got to see every little part of each baby. Well I must say that it was absolutely amazing. It is so unreal to be able to see each part of your baby. The tech did a great job of capturing each baby for us. She got out the 4D ultrasound and took photos of each baby. Truly amazing. We were hoping that we would find out the sex of the babies today and we did. The doctor came in and did views of the heart, brain and then went to find the sexes. Each baby fully cooperated. Baby A was first and doctor said, "well there is outdoor plumbing". Then it was Baby B's turn. The doctor turned to Tracy and asked if she could throw batting practice. Baby B is a boy as well. We're having twin boys. The doctor said that it was possible that they could be identical. We had the understanding that because they were in separate sacs, they were fraternal. The doctor told us that it was possible that they split before they implanted and are identical. He said a simple blood test after birth would be able to tell us. We are both very excited. Stay tuned for more posts.

Belly Photos at 17 weeks!!!

2009-03-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

Okay...some of you have been asking for photos of Tracy's Belly. Here they are!!!

Dr. Appointment on February 27

2009-02-27T10:03:00.001-08:00

We had our second appointment today at Lankenau. Tracy is now at 16 1/2 weeks. Our appointment went pretty well. We met with Dr. Belden today. There are four doctors that we will be seeing at the group. We were hoping for an ultrasound today so we could see how the twins have grown over the last month, but unfortunately they didn't do one. We will have to wait until our 20 week ultrasound, scheduled for March 26th. We did get to hear the heartbeats today! This was the first time that I had heard them. It was amazing. We were able to hear one baby's heartbeat right away. The second baby took a little longer to find. I think we both got a little scared for a second, but everything is okay. Dr. Belden told us that they will be doing some stress tests later on to make sure that the twins are getting enough oxygen. This will happen around 28 weeks. Keep checking back for updates.

We would like to thank everyone for being so supportive.

Testing on the Twins

2009-02-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Tracy went in today for some genetic testing for the twins. The Doctors are testing for Downs Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and other common Genetic Diseases (to see if Tracy was a carrier). For the Downs test they do a Sequential Screen. It uses an ultrasound do a measurement in the neck area of the babies to look for some abnormality. The doctor that did the testing told Tracy that everything looked good. She also had some blood drawn to do complete some of the other tests. I didn't attend this appointment and I am regretting it. Tracy got to hear both babies heartbeats!!! Both were loud and strong. One registered around 143 and the other 170. The technician said anywhere between 120 and 180 is good. Tracy got a good look at both babies today. She was able to get some close ups looks as well. One of the babies was squirming all over the place. The other was just sitting there relaxing. Below you will see some the photos from today's ultrasound. Notice the changes in identifying the twins. They said that the location, right and left will stay the same so we are going to call them LT and RT for now. Photos say 13 weeks. I think we are close enough, Wednesday is 13 weeks!

Left Twin

Right Twin

Both Twins

Quick Note

2009-01-31T16:56:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note about the blog. Since we are just posting the link to this blog and no one has actually been able to read it, you might want to click on it by posts on the left. We started this blog back when we first found out and if you want to follow along, it would be best to start from the beginning!!!

Thanks everyone-

Johnny & Tracy + 2

First Appointment with Dr. Peden

2009-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone- Just a little update. We went today for our first appointment with Dr. Maggie Peden. We are now at 12 Weeks. Only 28 more to go!!! We're happy to finally let everyone know about our wonderful news. Thanks for all the well wishes. Anyone offering to babysit, we will be taking you up on that. Tracy is going in on Monday for more detailed Ultrasounds. We are actually doing sequential testing to check for any abnormalities. Here are the ultrasounds from today. They are getting so much bigger!!

Twin A at 12 weeks

Twin B at 12 weeks

Twins at 12 weeks

Last Appointment with Dr. Pfeifer

2009-01-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Went in for our last appointment with Dr. Pfeifer today. It is sad that we will not be returing to see all the great people at Penn Health for Women, but exciting that we will be in good hands with Dr. Peden. Everything is going great. I don't have to give Tracy anymore shots. I know she is happy about that. We are so happy that things are going well. Here are the 9 Week Ultrasounds of the twins.

2nd Ultrasound

2008-12-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

Dr. Pfeifer is taking great care of us. She had us come back a week after our first ultrasound to have another one just to make sure everything is going well. This appointment just happened to be on Christmas Eve. We both were off of work, but we had to be there really early. Our first day of vacation and we had to get up earlier than an normal work day.

As in the case most time, when we got to the appointment we didn't have to wait a long time. We went back to the exam room and in came Stephanie. She told us last time that she too had twins. She started the ultrasound and everything looked great. We were able to see the tiny heartbeats and she was able to get the rates of both babies. Twin A had a heartbeat of 128 and Twin B had a heartbeat of 128. We are going back in two weeks just to make sure all is well.

Twin A at 7 weeks

2008-12-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Twin B at 7 weeks

2008-12-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

TWINS!!!

2008-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well today we went in for our first Ultrasound. Our appointment was scheduled for 9:30 am. We arrived at the doctor's office and were pretty much taken right away. Stephanie came in and started the ultrasound. It took her all of one minute to say...Your having TWINS!!! Tracy and I were stunned to say the least. We knew it was a possibility. I had perma-grin on my face the rest of the day.

It's early, 6 weeks, and we know that there are risks this early, but we are praying for the best.

Unfortunately we had to leave and go to our jobs. We both called our mothers on our way to work. Both mothers were shocked. My mother started to cry right away. She was so happy for us. Tracy's mother was just as excited. We know that both are going to be a big help those first couple of weeks.

Here is a photo of the twins at 6 weeks.

Twin A at 6 weeks

2008-12-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

Twin A

Twin B at 6 weeks

2008-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

Twin B

The Human Pin Cushion

2008-12-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Tracy is becoming a human pin cushion. I have to give her Progesterone injections every night. I feel so bad for her. I know this must be painful for her. I am trying to be as gentle as I can be, but hey, it's a shot and it has to hurt.

We're expecting

2008-12-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Tracy had a blood test today and we got a call around 4:30 letting us know that she is pregnant!!! We both are so excited. She has to go back in to get another blood test to make sure that her hormone levels are continuing to rise.