Sweet Summertime

Hi All!
We've had a busy couple of weeks, lots of follow ups for the boys and therapy appointments seem nonstop. Luckily, we've been able to squeeze in some fun stuff! Here's what we've been up to:

-Our Fourth of July was great! We went to a family party Saturday and the boys got lots of love and to meet our family from Colorado. 30+ people all in one house, Joel wasn't phased and slept through the whole thing. Fits right in =) On the 4th, Bryan's best friend's family has a party every year that has become one of our favorite traditions, this year the boys got to come! Crazy to think last year on the 4th  I was half way done with the pregnancy (12 weeks). 

-The boys had a great 9 month check up with our pediatrician! One quick booster shot and we were out the door. Joel is reaching 6+ month milestones, which is awesome and B is quickly catching up. B gained weight during the trial with no NG tube, which granted him another 2 weeks. I'm absolutely in knots that he's going to need it again; his appetite has been pretty minimal while he's been sick (more on that later). I'm trying a new feeding schedule in hopes to increase his ounces per day, which should in turn help him keep gaining. Everytime that boy swallows an ounce I feel like I've climbed a mountain. 

-Bradley, also had the BEST MRI yet last week!! And for that, we are constantly grateful. Dr. Smyth said we "made his day" again and we don't have to go back to Neuro Surgery....wait for it....UNTIL OCTOBER! WAHOO!!! That will officially be the longest time in his whole little life that B has spent away from the Neuro clinic. We love you Dr. Smyth (and Rebecca) but it's time to break up (it's not you, it's us.)

-Last weekend the boys came down with their first colds. We've had sniffles, sneezes and snot for days around here. We could tell something was up with their moods and their appetites were way off (NO sleep in our house. None.) but then their colds hit all at once. Bradley had a low grade fever and as quickly as the thermometer beeped the NICU fear snuck back in and took over. I was frantically ready to take him to the ER (or at least call the hospital exchange) in the fear that it was a shunt infection or some other complication. Who do I call? Pediatrician? Hospital, ok but which specialty? He's not post-op, but a fever can't be good. I was a mess. Granted, he had zero other symptoms but something about B and his history makes the worst case seem like the most likely. However, Bryan has gotten really good at talking me off the ledge and a quick trip to the pediatrician confirmed that it was nothing more than a summer cold. Thankfully, after several long naps, and bubbles in their highchairs, they both seem to be feeling better.

My favorite thing we've done is finally explore Ikea! We went with our Swedish friend Helena as our tour guide, had breakfast (omg the cinnamon rolls) and got the VIP tour =)
I was able to get a jump on the items needed for the boys' playroom. Can't wait to get it finished! 

Emily

So far, So good!

Happy Friday Friends! 
We've had a wonderfully uneventful two weeks! The boys turned 9 months, we've been doing some pretty fun Summer stuff, Bradley got (another) Physical Therapist, B started a dose of Pepcid and oh yeah...

                         BRADLEY'S NG TUBE IS GONE!!! 

 Technically, it's a two week trial without it to see if he can continue to gain and grow all on his own, but we are hopeful its gone for good. The volume he is taking by bottle has gone up to 4oz and he is still eating off a spoon like a wild man. Fingers crossed he does well and we can kiss those tubes and tape goodbye.We check back in with our Pediatrician next week to see how he's grown. It's a pretty awesome thing to finally see his face without ANYTHING after 9 long months. 

Bradley has really grown over the last two weeks (and his hair has finally grown in since he hasn't had constant haircuts in the OR!). I had a long talk with him after our last Neuro appointment that if Dr. Smyth was going on vacation for 10 days, I needed him to keep himself together while he was gone-lol! First Choice (the private therapy company) has added another physical therapist for him (that makes therapist #6) to help with his abdominal strength and range of motion in his neck. I'm going to need to come up with a list or something to remember all of our therapy "homework" (stretches and activities) I need to be doing with each boy during the day- it's starting to get overwhelming to try and remember.

      Luckily our primary therapists from First Steps (MO's version of early intervention) are very realistic and know that our lives don't totally revolve around how many neck stretches Bradley has done and how many minutes Joel has been bearing weight on his arms in a day. It can be so tough doing Bradley's stretches with him when he gets upset, but I just keep reminding myself how good this will be for him in the long run. Professionally, early intervention is something I have become pretty passionate about and have seen just how much outcomes can drastically be impacted when therapies are utilized early on. Time to work boys....

We hope everyone has a great Fourth of July! It's my all time favorite holiday and we have plans to see lots of family and friends (not to mention the boys have had red, white and blue outfits since this time last year-lol!) This StL weather better get on board because we are ready to have a great weekend- full of chaos, loud and as much teething as is going on around here- I am determined to get us all out the door =)

 Emily