Do You Faux Like I Faux?

Although Emma definitely has Joseph beat in the "head-full-o'-hair" category, Little Man can sport a Faux-Hawk, like woah.



As his face is starting to clear up now that Sarah is avoiding all dairy for Miss Emma, it's pretty clear that Little Joe appears to have the same milk-protein allergy. His reactions aren't as severe, perhaps, but he definitely seems happier now.

We've spent many evenings lately watching the Australian Open on ESPN2. Did I mention we were watching it live? They're only 17 hours ahead of us... I was up with them until 4 last night, and they were mostly little angels. It's enjoyable to hold them while they sleep when they don't fuss or shower me with explosive spit-up. Of course, Sarah got up at 2+ to take over and never got to bed again. I was able to help with the 3 AM feeding, so that took some strain off her. I don't know how she does it. At least I can work in my office and avoid contact with people for most of the day.

Just an update

Emma has been to the doctor every day this week. They want to do more testing to ensure she is healthy. She's been having some problems that seem to be a result of a milk protein allergy. We should get test results for Emma in the next few days. It's been a couple of days of sticking, poking and prodding for the poor little girl. They had to take blood from a vein in her ankle this time because it was the best one they could find. I'm so happy she won't remember all of this!

From what I understand, a milk protein allergy is different than just a cow's milk allergy. We were hoping we would be able to switch to a soy formula and problem solved, unfortunately it's not that easy. The doctor has recommended we stay on a formula that is over double the cost of normal formulas...they never recommend the cheap ones, do they? Also I have to go on a special diet of no lactose (or soy) and no eggs if I wish to continue breast feeding. I had no idea how many things had lactose or eggs in them! I'm generally sticking to meat, fruit, vegetables (without butter) and oatmeal made with water.

At this point we are sticking with the doctor's recommendation to not have the babies do a lot of visiting until two months. We're hoping to take them around to see everyone in mid-February. At this rate, they'll be over 10 lbs by then!! They are still gaining about 2 ounces a day and are over 8.5 lbs now. We've seen some fun milestones:

Both babies can hold their heads up while they look around.
Both babies have rolled over front to back AND back to front.
Both babies have mastered grunting like piggies.

One Month Doctor's Appointment

We saw Dr. V. today and were happy to see that both kids have gained a good amount of weight. Emma and Joseph weigh 7lb 12 oz each and are the exact same height. Pretty funny considering they are not identical twins. He also said we should avoid taking them out until they are two months old. Only one month to go!!

The doctor prescribed some Zantac for the babies since they both have acid reflux. Preemie babies generally mean immature digestive systems and can result in acid reflux (of course, it's common with the full term babies, too). We're hoping this medicine will result in much less screaming. Unfortunately, there's no medicine for the colic we've also been dealing with.

I have to give a big thank you for all the help we've been getting from our Florida friends and family. After a terrible night with screaming babies and a migraine, some wonderful people came to my rescue and let me catch up on sleep for a good portion of the day. I don't know how I would have gotten through that day without everyone helping.

Christmas, Etc.

We will post about the twins' first Christmas and such. It's just that other stuff (read: medical) has come up that we wanted to get word out about since we can't call everyone, and inquiring minds want to know. I'll try to blog on my lunch break again tomorrow.

ER and Such

As you've probably guessed, we've been too busy/exhausted to blog lately.

So, what's new? Well, the babies are over 7 lbs now, and have been for a week or so. After the whole hospital thing the doc thought they might have sensitivities to breastmilk, or some formulas. After going through several formulas, each more expensive than the last, the babies were doing worse, not better, in the digestive/fussiness arena. So we switched back to breastmilk and they're doing better.

As you might have heard, Sarah went into the ER twice this last weekend. Both times it was for hypertension, something the OB said to watch for. As it turns out, there is nothing wrong with her heart, and she doesn't have a blood clot. Of course, we didn't find this out until they did the full cardiac workup, including CT scan, which they didn't do until the last night. So now we have to pay for two visits when it really should have all been done the first time. Nothing like getting a jump on your medical deductible... Anyway, the timing couldn't have been worse. I returned back to work today, Sarah's mom returned to Chicago. I got roughly three hours sleep and Sarah got one. She's got some help this morning so hopefully she can catch up on some sleep.

We're still not sure how we'll survive this week without an extra person to take a shift so someone can sleep. But we're not the first people ever to have two babies at once, so I'm sure we'll survive somehow.