Easter Videos and more

I posted a few of the short videos we took on Easter Sunday. I apologize for the poor sound- this video camera is really meant for indoor and close-up video.

Anyway, since I use this blog as a sort of 'virtual baby book' instead of trying to fill out three books on a regular basis, I wanted to share a few things that I will want to remember. First, yesterday (April 8) was my due date with the boys. Their birthday party seems so long ago, and they were not really 'supposed' to be born until now! Those 5 weeks were long ones last year, but now they are getting bigger and stronger by the day. They have done so well for being premature male twins. I read that of all preemies, the ones who have the toughest time are male, white, and twins. My guys had a lot of odds to overcome, and they did!

Ben saw a cardiologist at Children's on Wednesday for his heart murmur- she is not concerned about it, figures there MAY be a pin-hole size hole between the two bottom ventricles, and that it should close and go away by the time he is 2-3. He doesn't even have to have an echo at this point, so all good news!

Also, every time I go to Children's, I am all stressed out about what they might tell me, what might be wrong, etc. And every time I walk into the waiting room, I thank God for how good we have it. There are kids there who are suffering from such serious illnesses and whose lives are so much more difficult and probably so much less enjoyable than the lives my kids have. It's heartbreaking to see parents with their teenage son who is non-responsive and in a seemingly vegetative state. Or the 10 year old girl who has no legs and other apparent health problems.

I'm not saying that I'm not frustrated, sad, or scared about Mairead's situation, or that I will stop worrying, complaining, or stressing about it. I'm just saying that I see 'what could have been' for us if things had gone differently after her stroke, and I am reminded of how amazing, healthy, and happy she really is.

She is doing so well in her therapies- we are already seeing great improvements in her speech, eye contact, listening skills, and comprehension. Yesterday, she came home from school and was able to tell us the names of all of her classmates.

Speaking of school- yesterday, Dave was picking Mairead up at school, and for the last 30 minutes of the day, the kids are outside. Dave got there a little early so he was just watching the kids play. He texted me:

"Some little bastard is trying to kiss Mairead. She is driving away in her car."

Just a funny little moment to add into one of our hectic days.

Jack is doing a lot more standing on his own. I think he gets nervous about it, but he is working on it and definitely getting stronger. He has a few words, now, too. Cracker, up, cat, what's that, and truck. He LOVES cars and trucks. He likes to stand and look out windows while running his trucks along the windowsill. Most of the windowsills in the house have one or two cars on them.

Lately, it seems like Jack and Ben have switched personalities in some ways. Jack is just about the easiest baby ever. He sleeps well, naps well, eats just about anything you give him, and is really good at entertaining himself with his cars and trucks. Ben seems to be in the throes of the longest teething bout ever. He doesn't sleep or nap well and is cranky and wants to be held a lot. He is also picky about food- he grabs fistfuls of carrots and chucks them across the kitchen because he doesn't like them. He will also take any food that he doesn't want and just drop it on the floor until he gets something he does like. He is a little tasmanian devil-- into everything and moving from one spot to another with a trail of destruction in his wake. But, he is a total riot. He is just so goofy and smiley (most of the time) that it's really hard to be angry with him. When I have to speak sternly to him and tell him no, I usually have to suppress laughter at whatever he was doing.

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings... thanks for checking in!


Egg Hunt

Jack and Lily

Swinky