Evalynn & Elizabeth's Journal

March - April 2004

Welcome to Evalynn and Elizabeth's journal!  We were born on August 31, 2003 at 34 weeks, 5 days gestation.  Our due date was October 7th, so we were a bit over 5 weeks early.  Select the links below to get quickly to the section of your choice.  Thanks for visiting. 

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February 29, 2004: 182 days old  (5 months, 29 days (26 weeks) chronological or 19wks, 5 days adjusted age) HAPPY LEAP DAY!!!  The girls celebrated by starting our day at 3:30 this morning...This is one tired Mommy!

We dressed the girls up pretty for their 6 month pictures.

Lynn is wearing a dress worn by Mitzi ten years ago.

Lynn was a bit fed up by the time pictures were taken of them together, so I didn't get very many good ones.  This was the best of them.

After picture taking, the girls watched two Baby Einstein videos and this is them after the second one...

They looked so peaceful and precious...

March 2, 2004: 184 days old  (6 months, 2 days (26 weeks, 2 days) chronological or 20 wks, adjusted age) Lynn rolled over last night!!!  She's also started tucking her legs under her and tries to scoot herself forward!!!  Her legs have really strengthened since we bought the Jumparoo.  Liz's new thing is that she now likes to stomp her feet when we have her in a standing position.  It almost looks like she's marching in place.

Liz now prefers to hold her own bottle.  This morning she actually picked it up from her lap and put it in her mouth...usually she complains if she drops it.  She's also learned how to tip the bottle and sippy cups up.  Lynn is not far behind there either.

Solid feeding is going great.  The fresh pears I made were a big hit.  I did bananas yesterday...I didn't realize how hard it is to get bananas out of the ice cube tray.  The last couple days, the girls have eaten oatmeal mixed with bananas and water for breakfast and a veggie and fruit for dinner.

We've also found that a bottle of diluted juice helps get us through grumpy hour, which starts around 6 PM.

Yesterday, brother got his braces off!!! No more monthly visits to the orthodontist!!!

March 4, 2004: 186 days old  (6 months, 4 days (26 weeks, 4 days) chronological or 20 wks, 2 days adjusted age) Lynn had that fluke rollover about a month ago, but Monday, she did it for real!  It surprised us as we put her down on her belly and she just went over.  She did it twice yesterday.  She likes it when we clap for her!  Liz is so close to rolling back to belly.  She has figured out how to get to where she wants to go though without rolling.  She swings her legs around to move around.

I got a call yesterday from the Therapy Services department at hospital where the girls were born.  We have an appointment for Evalynn to be seen at the low birthweight clinic next Thursday (3/11).  They like to do a six month evaluation of the babies that were under 1,500 grams (3 lb, 5 oz--I had to do the conversion) at birth.  I'm guessing they'll do a check of all of her motor skills.  We're going to try to swing by the NICU to donate some preemie sleepers that we have.

We're getting ready to go to the girls' 6-month well baby check today along with more shots.  The good news is that we'll be done with shots for six months.  They don't get shots at the nine month visit.  I'll post the stats when we get back...

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We're back...with stats...

The girls are doing great.  We're to go up to 3 meals a day, which will decrease their formula intake.  Once all food has been tolerated, we'll be able to start giving them soft table foods to get them to learn how to chew. 

I was mistaken about the no shots at nine months....They'll get one.  They will also have blood drawn.  If everything looks good and they're gaining good weight from solids, we may be able to switch them to whole milk at that time.  We go back for their nine month check June 1st.

They're growing so fast!!!!!  Mommy is not ready for this!!!!

March 5, 2004: 187 days old  (6 months, 5 days (26 weeks, 5 days) chronological or 20 wks, 3 days adjusted age) Here's a picture I took tonight of Daddy with the girls.

I was probably too close, that's why it may be so blurry.  I'm sure we'll get more Daddy/baby pictures on Sunday (Daddy's birthday).

Today was our first day with three meals.  I decided to cut their bottles down to 5 ounces per meal time feeding so they're still hungry.

Oh, here's a picture of Big Brother with his braces off...

Home schooling Dan is going great!  There has been drastic improvements to his attitude and self esteem.  He even enjoys taking care of the girls.  He'll make bottles, wrap them for their naps, and on occasion has spoon fed a baby.  Tonight, he fed Evalynn carrots, while I was feeding Elizabeth bananas.  He still won't do diapers though, but I don't ask him to though.

Mitzi helps with getting the girls up in the morning before she goes to school.  Wednesday, she was proud of herself for getting them diapered and to their highchairs for breakfast and only asked for help to get bottles ready.  That was one of the mornings I was in a deep sleep and must not of heard the girls wake.  I'm guessing Sissy got them up before they complained.  Dan and Mitzi constantly go in to check on them when they're sleeping.  They've also learned to tip-toe when they do it!

March 6, 2004: 188 days old  (6 months, 6 days (26 weeks, 6 days) chronological or 20 wks, 4 days adjusted age) We went shopping today.  We ran into two parents of twins girls.  One set at the mall are three months old and the other set at Walmart are 4 years old.  Michael also ran into a grown set of twins at Walmart, who find it hard to imagine they were once that small. 

We bought the girls new spring jackets and bonnets.  We went big (12 months), since the jackets will probably be worn through October.  All we need to do is to roll the sleeves up.  We found the best coats at JCPenney after going to Sears and Kohls.

There are so many cute summer outfits out...I could have gone wild in JCPenny, but didn't.  Both girls are in 3-6 month clothes now (Liz is at the top end of that, Lynn at the lower), so they'll probably be in 6-9 months by summer.

The girls also got their first toy car and truck.  They make popping sounds.  These were the toys that caught their attention the most in the store.  We usually show them the toys and play with them before we buy.  We played with them before the girls went to bed.  They've already got the idea of rolling them on their wheels to make them pop.  It's so amazing how quick they catch on to things.

Well, Mommy needs to get dinner going...

March 8, 2004: 190 days old  (6 months, 8 days (27 weeks, 1 day) chronological or 20 wks, 6 days adjusted age) Lizzie just rolled onto her belly.  She's been trying for a couple of weeks.  She did it twice, so it was no fluke. 

Daddy's birthday went well.  Most of the day we just spent sitting around playing with the babies and Daddy played with his new video game.  Mommy made a homemade cheesecake with a pecan crust.  We went for dinner in Toluca and everyone (especially the waitress) went ga-ga over the girls.  Lizzie got to chew on a carrot stick, but really had her eye on Mommy's steak! 

Lynn came down with quite a cough overnight.  Daddy is on his way home with cough medicine.  She's not congested, but the cough sounds horrible.  She had a decent diaper rash over the weekend, so between that and the cough, I'm hoping it's just a teething thing.

Better go, they're both crying...

March 9, 2004: 191 days old  (6 months, 9 days (27 weeks, 2 days) chronological or 21 wks, adjusted age) Lizzie is officially mobile!!!  More on that below...

Here's pictures I took tonight while the girls were playing...

Both happy...

Lynn starting to get fussy (notice they're holding hands)...

Lynn finished with floor time and Lizzie trying to help...

Immediately after this picture, Lizzie put her hand over Lynn's mouth.  I guess she figured that would help Lynn stop crying (yup...made it worse!).

I decided to keep Lizzie on the floor while I held Lynn.  Lizzie began to roll from her back to her belly and then back on her back.  Here's a few of the pictures I took of the process...

By the time she landed on her back, she traveled the entire blanket.

I also decided to try Lizzie on a new sippy cup we bought last weekend.  It has a softer spout than the rest of the sippy cups we have and I think the liquid comes out easier.  She loved it and was able to hold it.  She drank out of the cup three of the five formula feedings today and one time she drank 8 oz out of it and only needed help picking the cup up once.

Lynn is getting better rolling over.  She tries to roll onto her belly.  She makes it to her side.  She's also doing much better grasping objects and has lots of fun playing in the exersaucer and bouncing around in the Jumparoo.

They are growing so quick...

March 12, 2004: 194 days old  (6 months, 12 days (27 weeks, 5 days)) I cancelled Lynn's appointment at the Very Low Birthweight Clinic for yesterday due to her cold.  I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to take her out.  It's now a congested type cough and runny nose. 

We took Lynn to the doctor this morning, since I noticed more wheezing.  It seems that Lynn has the beginnings of bronchitis. She's now on Albuterol (oral, not the inhaler) and Orapred, which is a steroid. He said that she may start to reject formula, so we're to give her either pedialite or gatorade to keep her hydrated. Daddy is coming home with some pedialite tonight, since she's only taken half the formula she normally does. If she develops a fever and shows signs of dehydration, we're supposed to take her back in. I'm guessing if we would have waited a day or two, it would have turned full blown RSV.  She weighed 10 lbs 12 oz.  She's gained 7 oz over the last week.  She was being a little piggy before she got sick.

Doc also gave me a recipe for a balm that should help her diaper rash/blisters, which popped this morning.  I'm to mix Desitin with A&D ointment and Maalox.  We'll see if that works.  If it doesn't, I have a recipe for something else.

March 17, 2004: 199 days old  (6 months, 17 days (28 weeks, 3 days)) Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  Well, the girls' sleep pattern has changed over the last several nights.  Saturday, they were both awake at 3:30 am.  Sunday night, Lynn was up at12:30.  They were both up at 1:30 yesterday and today it was 4:00.  This makes for tired days for Mommy.  I've been told that this may be an indicator that some development change is coming soon.  Maybe teeth?  Let's hope so.  These girls have some sore gums. 

We're also considering separate cribs.  I really wanted to keep them together, but I think Lynn has been waking Liz up, so I guess it's about that time.  So, I'm working on reorganizing their bedroom to accompany two cribs.  Yesterday, I took the computer down in their room (it was mainly for Mommy and Daddy's use when we were up for feedings anyway).  The desk was moved into the dining room so Mommy can have more room to sew.  The girls have almost reached the max size changing table/bassinet attachment we have on the pack n play, so that will also come down.  We've been using the twin sized bed we have in there anyway for changes.  I'd like to be able to keep that in there, but we'll see.  I really want to be able to have the two cribs together.

Lynn's cold seems to be breaking up some, I guess.  Her last dose of the Orapred will be today.  We'll see what happens when she's not on that anymore.  The diaper rash is clearing up.

Old man winter is still keeping his grip on us.  We got about an inch of snow Monday night and I just looked out and there's another inch out there.  That looks a bit more than 'just flurries' to me!  C'mon spring!!!!  Maybe it will help if I get off my butt to take all my snowmen down.

Liz has really been rolling, over and over and over.  She made it under the dining room table last night.  Lynn has figured out how to move around without rolling. 

Big brother was having fun with the camera yesterday. Here's a couple pictures he took...

I'm going to see if I can get a bit more sleep...

Here's pics I took of Dan this morning getting ready for a CAP activity...

March 19, 2004: 201 days old  (6 months, 19 days (28 weeks, 5 days)) We had one night where the girls slept until 5:30.  This morning Liz was up at 4 am kicking her sister, who slept right through it.

Lynn's cold has cleared up.  We haven't had to give her any cough medicine the last two days.

I rearranged their bedroom last night so we'll be able to fit another crib.  We plan on going out this weekend to get it.  I took down the changing table/pack n play to give us more room.   Today, I ripped out the carpet.  Again, another covered hardwood floor.  I have no idea what the previous  owner was thinking.  But, he sure tacked and stapled down the carpet well.  I started at 8 am and finished around 3 pm.  It only took about an hour to get the carpet out.  The rest of the time was spent getting rid of the tack board and staples.  I'm sure glad that's done.  I left the carpet in the closet.  It was going to be too hard to get in there to remove the tack board with the closet organizer.

Better go...Mommy's hands hurt.  Adios Winter!!!!!!!!!!

March 20, 2004: 202 days old  (6 months, 20 days (28 weeks, 6 days)) We bought the new crib and mattress this morning from the money we got from selling the infant car seats and the matching stroller (we bought an umbrella stroller last month to take the place of the stroller).    We got it home and put together before naptime.

Here's our wall o'crib...

Liz is sleeping in the crib to your left.  Lynn is in the crib to the right.

Here's pictures I took after hanging things on the walls and after I cleaned up the other side of the room.  Yeah, that's the dog on the bed...

The twin size day bed is our changing area.  This allows us to change both at the same time.  It also saves Mommy and Daddy's backs.  The Garfield & Odie latch hook wall hanging had to go back up.  The girls love looking at it.  Great-Grandma Howe made that for Mommy when she was in her early teens.

Last night, Liz rolled from the middle of the dining room all the way to Mommy's computer desk.  I guess she wanted to come see Mommy.  I still need to work on getting stuff up on the walls.  Then we'll have the nursery I've dreamt of.   It took this long to get it done.  We also put a door knob cover over the knob of the door that's not used (there's two doors in that room, but the one leading out to the hallway is the only one used).  We also put in a light switch lock.  I was picturing them flipping on and off the lights in the middle of the night.

I celebrated the last day of winter by finally taking down all the snowmen, winter related decorations and yeah, the Christmas cards!

Happy Spring everyone!!!   HEY!!! What happened to spring????  It was up to 65 by noon and then the winds came (again)...

March 27, 2004: 209 days old  (6 months, 27 days (29 weeks, 6 days)) The week has been super exhausting here.  I think we had one night this week where the both girls slept the entire night.  Liz has been waking around 3 am and fell back to sleep around 4.  Lynn usually sleeps through with the exception of this morning.  She woke up shortly after Liz fell asleep and I don't think she fell back to sleep.

Here's pictures I took yesterday.   Lynn was rocking herself with one foot in the Jumparoo and looked so bored (she brightened up when I brought the camera out).  Liz was ready to pose.

The weather the last couple of days have been warm.  We actually left a window open last night it was so warm in the house.  The heat hasn't kicked in since Tuesday or Wednesday.

We're starting to make plans for our trip to Minnesota to see Grandpa and Grandma Jerry.  So far, we're thinking it will be easier to travel the night of April 7th (Wednesday) and hope the girls sleep through most of it.  We'll be coming back Easter Sunday.

I decided to get out the quacking duck bathtub the girls got from Grandma Wilson tonight to see how well it would be accepted.  Lynn cried at first.  She calmed down when I turned on the shower head.  Lizzie loved it.  We won't be able to bathe them together though.  Lynn was taking quite a beating from her sister.  We kept Liz in and she kicked for almost 20 minutes.  She was asleep shortly after her bath.

March 29, 2004: 211 days old  (6 months, 29 days (30 weeks, 1 day)) Yesterday was a rough day...The girls were up at/around 3:00 am and refused to go back to sleep.  So, Mommy and Daddy took turns napping throughout the day.

I gave the girls Biter Biscuits for the first time yesterday...I know from past experience that those create a huge mess, so they were taken down to the diaper...Then it was time for another bath.

I heard the girls 'gabbing' around 2:30 or so this morning.  Lynn didn't really start fussing until 3:20.  When I went in there, Liz was sleeping on her tummy.  So paranoid Mommy kept checking on her.  She slept until 7:45 this morning.

Lynn rolled onto her tummy this morning for the first time!  I'm sure the two will start moving in different directions before long.

They're both beginning to naturally wean from their miracle blankets.  Liz has been working her way out for several weeks.  Lynn just started last week.  Last night/early this morning Lynn just had one leg in her blanket.  Here's her good morning smile...

March 31, 2004: 211 days old  (7 months (30 weeks, 3 days)) Seven months old today!!!  Too bad Evalynn and Mommy are sick.  My cold has moved to my chest.  I guess it's better than the living in a bubble feeling I had the last few days.  

Evalynn started throwing up last night all over Mommy and Daddy's bed (Mommy had to wash bedding anyway...just didn't expect it to be last night).  She did it a few more times before falling asleep around 11 pm.  She's held down pedialyte since then and we gave her some formula a couple hours ago.  So far, so good. 

We're crossing our fingers that we're all healthy by the time we leave for Grandpa's next Wednesday.  The last 4-6 weeks have been rough around here.  I must not have knocked on wood long enough.

It looks like Lizzie's tooth may be popping through soon.

I hope to take 7 month pictures when we're feeling better.

April 2, 2004: 213 days old  (7 months, 2 days (30 weeks, 5 days)) We were finally well enough to do their seven month pictures.  The girls were also in good moods this morning.  Evalynn is in the short sleeved shirt.

Lizzie is starting to cough.  They're both starting to eat Cheerios.  Liz is trying really hard to get onto her knees, so I'm guessing crawling is right around the corner.  She gets frustrated that she cannot get to where she wants to be.  Lynn is typically happy just where she is.

I'm also in the process of cleaning files on this website, so if you see any pictures that don't come up (will usually have a box with a red 'X' in it), please email me at mommabird@mchsi.com.  I've begun storing archives (old pictures and journals) in a different location to allow room for all the pictures to come.

April 7, 2004: 218 days old  (7 months, 7 days (31 weeks, 3 days)) We're getting ready for our trip to Minnesota.  We plan on leaving around 3:00 this afternoon, which should put us at Grandpa Jerry's between Midnight and 3 am, all depending on how many stops we need to make.  Mommy's birthday is Friday, so we'll be at Grandpa's for that.

The girls were introduced to Mitzi's Girl Scout troop last night for a show and tell night.  They were a big hit.  The weather was so nice that we sat outside.  The girls spent about an hour and a half outside, which is the longest they've been out. 

I'll post an update when we get back.  Happy Easter!!!

April 12, 2004: 223 days old  (7 months, 12 days (32 weeks, 1 day)) We got back from Minnesota around 10 PM last night.  We had a great time and the kids got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Jerry.  Mommy had a great birthday. 

The girls were wonderful on the trip up and back.  They didn't sleep much, but didn't complain either.  We thought that they'd be up half the night last night.  They actually slept the entire night.  It's been a while since Liz has slept the night, so this was a welcome blessing to Mommy.

These pictures are with Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Joyce:

These are with the girls' cousins.  The first picture is with Breena and Karena (not sure if the spelling is right).  Breena is two and Karena is 6 weeks old (born on Leap Day-Feb 29th).  Breena and Karena are Brent and Tina's daughters (Brent is Joyce's Son).  The second picture is with Brady (in the middle), who is Cousin Kathy's son.  He is 6 months old and was born October 6th, which was the day before the girls were due.  He already weighs 19 pounds!

These are with the girls' Great Aunt Marlene, Great Uncle Lyle and Cousin Scott.  Scott and Lynn were talking back and forth.  It was so cute!

April 16, 2004: 223 days old  (7 months, 16 days (32 weeks, 5 days)) It was 85 degrees here today!!!  Grandma Willis, Dan and I took the girls outside for pictures.  Here they are...

Liz sat by herself for several minutes in the grass.  This was the first time she sat this long.  Evalynn also sat without propping for a few minutes.

April 21, 2004: 223 days old  (7 months, 21 days (33 weeks, 3 days)) Things are going ok here.  It looks like we may be weaned from the miracle blankets.  Liz has not slept with it since Friday night and Lynn has spent the last two nights without it.  We now put them down with the afghans Grandma Joyce made for them.  It has holes so Mommy won't freak out if they happen to pull it over their head.  We've been weaning the last several weeks, so it's nice not to have to swaddle anymore.  With it so warm last weekend, Mommy was worried they'd get too warm.

Daddy installed a ceiling fan in the girls' room Saturday.  It has a remote so we mounted it near the door we use (the actual light switch is near the original door in the room).   The light also dims so that is really nice if we're up late with the girls.

We had tornados in the area last night.  The destruction was about 30 miles north of here.  One of the towns hit was Utica, which is where Mommy and Daddy used to go when we went on our weekend getaways.  We loved going through the shops and antique stores there.  I heard that most of the downtown area was destroyed.

Here's a hilarious picture Grandma Willis took of Liz Saturday.

April 23, 2004: 225 days old  (7 months, 23 days (33 weeks, 5 days)) All is well here.  I started offering the girls whole milk yogurt Wednesday.  They love it.  They get it twice a day; in the morning with their cereal and at dinner with fruit.  Lizzie also had her first french fry Wednesday night.  She'd get mad when she had all the potato sucked out of it and wanted more.

The girls have been sleeping great.  I'm guessing they're in a growth spurt.  They eat lots and have been more tired.  Liz sometimes takes a second nap.  They're both trying to crawl.  The girls reached out for each other this morning and held hands.  It was so cute!  They're putting together simple words...ma-ma, ba-ba and last night Liz said da-da.  Dan and I could swear that she also says brother...it comes out as bo-er.

Mommy has been doing lots of weeding of the flower bed and we're going to try to get the garden cleaned out.  We'll need to get radishes planted soon.  No weeding got done last year since I was not allowed to do any, so the weeds have taken over.

April 27, 2004: 229 days old  (7 months, 27 days (34 weeks, 2 days)) Liz is really into saying Ma-ma...over and over.    I went to a couple garage sales on Saturday and found lots of clothes for the girls (I think the summer wardrobe is complete).  I also found two plastic Playskool trikes that apparently are not made anymore.   Liz loves her trike and gets mad if she falls off or is taken off.  She had her first official temper tantrum yesterday because Dan gave her a ride on her bike and then put her down in the crib for a nap.

Lynn is still trying to figure out if she likes her bike.  She doesn't sit all that well on it yet, but should be soon.  Lynn has been holding her bottle for about a week and a half now (when she wants to).

Here's a picture of Liz on her bike.  She still needs to be watched so she doesn't fall off, but would rather do it herself.

Mommy got about 6 inches of her hair cut on Friday.  It doesn't feel like a rope for babies to climb anymore.  Dan and I expanded on the garden Saturday and have radishes planted.  We're trying tomatoes from seeds and those are in the breezeway.  18 cups were filled for the tomatoes.  I'm sure they won't all make it. Dan is going to try sweet corn.

Aunt Marjorie went bargain shopping and found two beautiful dresses for the girls.  We received those yesterday.  I may try those for 8 month pictures.

Better go...there's two babies eyeballing their mommy wondering where their breakfast is at.

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