Haley got her helmet

Today Haley got her helmet. So far she doesn't seem to mind it, but she is not at the point of wearing it 23 hours a day yet. We are weaning it on for the next couple of days. Haley looks so cute in her helmet though we have a little problem fitting her glasses on with the helmet. We need to figure it out since Rachel needs glasses too. She saw the eye doctor a couple of days ago and he said that she is near-sighted and needs glasses. It's common for preemies to need glasses. So the girls are going to really look alike with their pink helmets and glasses. What fun!

Update on the Girls

I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since our last blog post. Time flies by when we are having fun with the girls. Not a whole lot has happened in the last 2 weeks. The girls continue to get some type of therapy (PT, OT or speech) everyday except Friday's. Usually they get therapy in the morning and afternoon Monday - Thursday. We are working on mobility/strengthening, feeding and early language development. At times I feel the progress is slow, but when I look back on it all, they have come a very long way. It will take time, but they will continue to develop and progress.

Haley has definitely come a long way with her strength and mobility. She is our mover and shaker. She loves to stand (with assistance) as well as bounce and jump. We put her in one of those doorway jumpers and she loves it! Despite her small size, she is so strong. She is a spitfire. Haley has been working on more teeth. She has two bottom teeth. Now a top tooth is making its way in. Haley has progressed in her baby "talk". She is making more sounds. Its so cute to hear her "talk". She is going to be our talker - just like her daddy. Haley will be getting her cranial shaping helmet this week. We hope she adjusts to it as well as Rachel has.

Rachel has been our laid back, easy going girl lately. When the TV is on, we find her watching it. She is not as strong as Haley, but she will get there with more work and therapy. Rachel sure does love to put her toys in her mouth and chew on them. I find teeth marks in all of the girls toys. So I know she is working on getting more teeth as well. About three weeks ago when Rachel was seen by the ENT doctor, we got good news after the doctor looked at her vocal cords. The doctor said she could see the supposed paralyzed vocal cord moving. This is great as that means that her vocal cord paralysis is getting better. You couldn't tell that Rachel has some vocal cord paralysis because when she "talks" she is loud.

I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately though we did get the girls one year old professional pictures taken this past weekend. We look forward to seeing them. I will post them when I get them.

Helmets, baby food and glasses

Rachel got her cranial shaping helmet (starband) a week and a half ago. She wears it 23 hours a day and is adjusting to it ok. Rachel will be wearing this helmet for about 4-5 months. As long as that is, I am focusing on the outcome - a round head. We decided to get Haley a cranial shaping helmet as well. We want her to have a round head as well so we decided this was the time to get it. If we didn't get it now, there was no turning back. Haley should get her helmet in a couple of weeks.

Of course we got Rachel a pink helmet





Getting the girls to eat more by mouth has been challenging. Rachel is very slowly accepting tastes of baby foods. We work with her everyday, but its going to take a lot of time and patience. She still requires the use of her g-tube to be fed. As for Haley, she is doing ok with the baby foods. She is still a little hesitant when we feed her, but she is catching on and getting better each day. She is still not consistent with her bottle, so we are still having to use the feeding tube off and on.
The girls sure do get messy with their baby food feedings. Gotta love sweet potatoes!





Another challenge we have is trying to keep Haley's glasses on her face! She likes to pull them down and put them in her mouth and chew on them. The frames on her glasses have little teeth marks where she chews. We know when she is quiet, she is chewing on her glasses. We just keep putting her glasses back on in hopes they will stay on longer than a couple of seconds.

Rachel and Haley's 1st Birthday Party

Rachel and Haley's 1st birthday party was great and everyone had a good time. It was so nice to have our family and friends celebrate this wonderful milestone with us. The girls did so well and loved being the center of attention. We know the girls enjoyed their party because after it was over they were so exhausted and took a long nap.

Happy First Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Rachel and Haley! I can't believe a year has gone by! Rachel and Haley have gone through so much the past year, but they are thriving and growing. They have come so far. We are so blessed! They are miracles and we are so happy they are here with us. It has been quite a year! I still remember well the day they were born. It was frightening seeing how early they were born, but it was meant to be. On this day we remember our sweet angels - Ashlyn, Dallin, Kaitlyn and Braden. I know they are cheering Rachel and Haley on. Rachel and Haley are doing well despite their very early arrival a year ago. They are fighters. We love them so very much!

Haley (baby A) born at 7:30pm August 4, 2009
1 pound 1.03 oz and 10 3/4 inches



Haley - 1 year later
14 pounds 10 oz, 24 inches



Rachel (baby E) born at 7:31pm August 4, 2009
1 pound 1.2 oz and 11 inches



Rachel - 1 year later
16 pounds 3 oz, 25 1/2 inches



Cute Birthday Girls



Since their birthday landed on a Wednesday and most of our family could not make it to their party till the weekend, we decided to have their first party this Saturday August 7. We look forward to their first birthday party. More to come on that...

Their journey began a year ago and it continues on... We look forward to many more wonderful birthdays.