Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Four of Seven

Owen and Abigail coloring together. (I'm having technical blogger difficulties, this photo should be BELOW the story that follows... but I can't move either one!)

In the next few weeks, Owen and Henry get to see all of their cousins... on both sides of the family. AND all their aunts... unfortunately, no uncles. Yesterday, Suzi and the kids stopped by on their way to Salem. Owen just woke up from a nap when they arrived, he was cranky upstairs, but quickly became a little host when he saw all the fun! Suzi's kids were very sweet with Henry, asking very good questions about his cord and machine he's hooked up to!

Here's a shot of five kids, only missing Beatrix. ( and the top of Abigail's head) Seth and Owen watching our new deck be built. (ours had rusty nails and rotten boards... we figured better "bite the bullet" and dip into savings to make a better play area for Owen this summer)

Sweet Beatrix.




Seven Weeks

Henry is seven weeks old today! Such a handsome little fellow!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Swing helper

Owen really likes to "help" Henry swing. He'll point out the bears, and give the swing pushes. So hard to teach him not to touch the swing, when I think he's just trying to be a good big brother. So far, Henry doesn't mind the extra momentum...


Today in the swing: I love how much he's looking at everything. To go from mostly tummy time to seeing the whole world out there... so much to smile about!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Swing Henry Swing

OK, it's not his first roll-over. Not his first word. Not his first tooth (wait, we've done that one). It's Henry's first time in a swing! And he's breathing! He's been in there for 10 minutes now! We are so happy! And so is Henry with all his new friends.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Gangsta

In his little sweatsuit that is too big, Henry reminds us of a little gangsta.

Smile

I asked Owen to smile... this is the pose he struck. Such a little camera ham!

Binkie

Owen is a great big brother. There are three things that Henry has, that Owen wants, but that Owen can't have. 1. the cords going to the sat monitor. 2. Henry's bottle (empty or full) 3. the Binkie. While the binkie is also for comfort, the binkie helps open up Henry's airway when he's choking. (by making him suck on something, it brings his tongue forward).

Owen has learned that if he takes the binkie, if he then tries to put it in Henry's mouth, we find it very cute. Especially when Owen says, "mouth?" when he's trying to shove it back in.

In the video, we were trying to capture the funny noises Henry makes when he's getting the binkie back in his mouth. But, Owen decided to help... very cute! Especially the final seconds...

Monday, March 22, 2010

So Strong

A little tummy time.


Gamble

We had some library books to return today... behind the library is a beautiful pond with a little path... we took a gamble and took a little walk. I had Henry in the Bjorn, he enjoyed the fresh air (aka slept the entire time). Owen loved the walk.
"look, ducks"

So sweet.

"yep, that's my dad!"
A great picture, and then Owen pointed at an airplane! (still a great picture)

Goose Egg

Owen got his first real "goose egg" today. A slow motion fall off our patio, head first onto our cement walkway. THUD! It's gotten more color as the afternoon has gone by... maybe tomorrow there will be a more colorful shot!

Owen and Saul

Our favorite coffee shop is Jim and Patty's on Fremont. It's the original Coffee people, for those that remember them. Wonderful coffee, great baked goods, yummy biscuits and gravy, and a cool ambiance. Problem: we can't get to J&Ps. It's a small trek on a good day, and well... we just can't travel that far as a family. Needless to say, I've had the cravings, but couldn't really do anything about it.
Then, out of the blue, yesterday Jade called. (Jade is Jill's best friend from high school.) She lives walking distance to J&Ps. "do you want me to bring you guys something?" It was like an angel singing. So, not only did we get yummy coffee and baked goods... we got a little bit of socialization (which we are both longing for... seriously, come visit!) Plus, Jade brought Saul, who is just a few weeks younger than Owen. So, Owen got some great play time too! Partners in crime.


Thank you Jade and Saul for this visit... and the coffee!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Bath Time

I don't think it's becasue we love torturing Henry... but we continue to give him baths. The past three have been screaming fun. It's amazing how fast I can wash a squirmy little baby. Yesterday, was torture day again... except this time, he LIKED it. OK, maybe not like... but tolerated. He only screamed for about 30 seconds, then just chilled. Of course, Lucas and my first tought, "is he breathing". No worries, he was.
"mom, this is going to be OK, right?" "I will not scream, but I will not smile either."

So strong

Henry's upper body strength is just getting stronger and stronger. Yesterday, he and Lucas had a staring contest. Since Henry's eyes still have the "newborn googly eye quality" I think Lucas officially won.

Cool Cat.


Friday, March 19, 2010

Tongue

Every parent is excited to see who their child looks like. Whose eyes they got, whose nose, whose ears. Henry looks a lot like Owen... but each day he's starting to look more and more like himself. Really, Lucas and I can't see ourselves in either of our kids. They just look like who they are. But, we still will say, Owen has Lucas' eyes, my nose.
With Henry, we've been trying to figure out whose tongue he has. And, well, since it's been so far back, we really haven't been able to examine it closely. However, over the past two days, I think his tongue has significantly moved forward. Just look at that tongue! (A few weeks ago, we could barely even see his tongue when he cried) With the progress of his tongue migrating forward, we have discovered new difficulties. He seems to be trying to figure out (again) how to breathe and eat. Must be weird to just have figured out a new skill, then have to figure it out all over again with a bigger, more forward placed tongue. But, it's progress... even if it seems like two steps forward, one step back... we still are moving forward!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Just like BobBob

Bob and Amy came over for dinner tonight. Bob rode over on his motorcycle. Owen really liked playing with Bob's leather coat... and helmet... and ear plugs...
I JUST missed the smile.

Happy vs. Gas

Henry has been home for three weeks today! To celebrate, he showed off this little smile. I like to think it's because he's happy... not gassy. Though, gassy is a good bet too!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Weekend Update: Owen

Here are some pictures from the past weekend.
Self-Portrait: Pardon my huge "Oshel gum smile". Owen my have the gum smile, he's just smart enough to give the little smirk instead. Serious face.
Happy face.
Boys and their balls. (come on... that joke never gets old!)

Weekend Update: Henry

Not that we had a super busy weekend, but somehow I didn't have time to post any blogs over the past few days... where does all my time/energy go? Here's a couple...Henry is getting stronger and stronger. He is able to spend more and more time on his back! While this looks like Owen is breaking Henry's arm... I assure you he was just excited to see that they both had elbows.
A little tummy time.
Some good sleep.

basket boy

Owen loves climbing into his toy basket ang mingling with friends... Just chillin...

Friday, March 12, 2010

Craniofacial Clinic

Last night we went to the craniofacial clinic (aka: cleft palate clinic) with Henry. We really didn't know what to expect, except we were to be there at 5:30, and we'd be meeting with a lot of specialists. So, after checking in, we set up camp in a room and a parade of about 15 people rotated through; checking out Henry and telling us what they do and what to expect. I will now condense 2 hours of information into one blog to keep everyone updated.

First the nurse Kathy: Henry has gained another 8 ounces this week. (up to 9lb 12oz) He has grown an inch since birth (22 inches). Kathy doesn't mind getting peed on... Henry sprayed her twice. A job hazard to weighing naked babies.

Dentist/orthodontist: He will need orthodontia (so did I), but we don't need to seem them again until he's 7. Lucas is VERY happy that Henry won't need headgear.

Physical Therapy: Henry is very strong. Since he spends so much time on his tummy, he can hold his head up much better than other four week olds. BUT, since he spends so much time on this tummy... he only really views the blankets underneath him. So, when he is on his back/side we need to help him learn to track and grab for things. Kids that spend so much time on their backs are a little better at this than him. (but he's only 4 weeks old... what do they expect!)

Social work: We really don't need help on this front...we both feel we are doing a great job, especially with all of our family/friend support.

OMFS (oral-maxial-facial-surgery)- Henry's jaw should naturally grow forward. By the time he's done growing, he should have a very normal looking jaw. Probably no need for jaw surgery.

Plastic surgery: They fix the cleft palate. He does have both soft and hard palate involvement. But his "jaw line" is intact. Surgery is usually done between 9-12 months, but since he has such a small lower jaw, we may wait until 15 months. This is purely to give the surgeon more room to do the surgery. For insurance purposes, I'm hoping for a December surgery. The plastic surgeon is very impressed with his weigh gain and how well he's doing for having such a large cleft palate, so she said she would meet with us in November to see if a December surgery is possible.

Speech Therapy: he will need speech therapy. I had speech therapy, it's fine with me. But currently, she is more interested in his eating skills. She is very happy with how well he's eating and gaining weight.

Audiology (aka: ears): Henry will need tubes in his ears. Kids with cleft palates have an increase of fluid behind the ears. Hopefully his tubes will be placed when his cleft palate is being fixed. However, if we have to wait to fix the palate until he's 15 months, we may do the tubes sooner.

Geneticist: This is not a genetic issue. Other than the Pierre-Robin there is nothing "wrong" with Henry. Any future kids (if we have them) will not have any higher risk of a cleft palate. Basically, this was a mechanical failure of growth not a genetic one.

OVERALL: Lucas and I heard everything we wanted to hear. Yes, Henry has a very small jaw. Yes, Henry has a tongue that is very far back. Yes, Henry has a large cleft palate. Yes, Henry is very cute. Yes, he is growing better than other kids like him. Yes, his jaw will grow in time. Yes, his tongue will grow forward. Yes, he'll be able to stick out his tongue. Yes, for everything Henry has, he is doing GREAT!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Six Slides

Right next to our library, is a great little park. It has two play sections, one for smaller kids, one for older... a total of six slides! Owen slid down all six... he was in a little bit of slide heaven.
Slides are great... so is all the bark dust.
Going in.
Coming out.
And what playground would be complete without a swing. Each time he swung forward, it looked like he had a different expression on.
Shy:
Surprised:
Joyous:
Serious:
Contemplative:
I seriously have about 5 more pictures... he's just too cute!