My dad got up and walked twice on Thursday and again today with the PT. He is still nauseated, but at least able to get in some therapy. They are probably going to transfer him to a rehab center- that means he will probably still be in on Christmas :( I guess we will have Christmas there, although he might get a pass for the day. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
Dad's first day post-op was a little rough. He woke up feeling good and ready to get up and try out his new knees. Later in the morning he started running a fever and got nauseated. He was sick most of the day. I visited after work, and he was feeling much better. His fever had broken and he was eating. Hopefully today will be better!
My dad is out of surgery and everything went well. The doctor said that his knees were in pretty bad shape. He is still sleepy from the meds, but he will be getting up starting tomorrow. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers.
There are a few new pics on Flickr from Thanksgiving and the past few weeks. I am hoping to post in the next few days about our past weekend (my brother graduated!) and what we have been up to.
Please keep my dad in your prayers tomorrow AM- he is having both of his knees replaced!
ZOO DAY!!!
On Thursday, Walt and I took Lily and Gracie to the San Antonio Zoo. It was a really pretty zoo. The last zoo we had been to was in Abilene, so this was a treat! The girls started the adventure awake and seemed to enjoy the animals. Gracie fell asleep first.. somewhere after the Amazon Area. Lily got to see a few more animals before falling asleep in the Africa Area. They were doing some construction and adding more "Africa" stuff- I think they are just expanding what they have. We went in the morning so that it would be cooler.
That evening we went back to the RiverCenter Mall and did some more shopping with Mimi- check out the girls' loot!
Wednesday was definitely a "hump" day on our trip. We had planned on going to the outlet mall in San Marcos, but Wes woke up not feeling well. It got worse as the morning went on, so he, Rusty and Mica headed to the clinic. He was diagnosed with the flu and had to take 2-3 bags of saline because he had become dehydrated. Walt and I decided to take the girls out to stay out of everyone's way. We had passed a promising shopping center one of the days before so we headed back to check it out. We spent the afternoon shopping- found some really good bargains at Old Navy! There were no pics taken- sorry. Stay tuned for tomorrow... many pics to come!
On Tuesday we spent the early afternoon at the Children's Museum in downtown. The girls had a blast!!! They had a HEB mini-market set up in the basement that the girls had so much fun pushing the baskets and picking out food. They had part of an airplane that had a real cockpit and seats in it. There was a reading area with a clubhouse and kitchen area... too much to name everything. The girls fell asleep on the way there, but woke up shortly once we were there.
That night Walt, I, Wes and Mica went to the Spurs vs. Mavericks game. We had really good seat behind one of the goals. We got there early (even before the doors open) and was able to watch some of the warm-ups. Even though the guys didn't win, it was a fun night. Thanks Papa & Mimi for watching all the girls!
NEW PICS ON FLICKR!!
We arrived in San Antonio on Sunday around 5:30pm and got all our stuff into the hotel. I didn't take any pics of our suite, but it was beautiful. It was one of the Presidential suites with four bedrooms, 4 baths, kitchen, eating area and TV room! We loaded up all the little ones (Lily,Gracie and Cousin Anna) and headed down to the Riverwalk. We found a restaurant that could hold all of us and sat down to a lovely meal. We then headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed and the week ahead!
On Monday we walked downtown to the museum- which was closed on Mondays! We decided to walk a little further and go to the River Center Mall. We spent the afternoon eating and shopping! The girls were able to get a decent nap in the stroller. That night we went to Pappadeux for some yummy seafood! I had some amazing stuffed shrimp- yum, yum!!
The first few days went well with relaxation and good food. Upcoming... Children's museum and Spurs basketball!
I know it has been a long time since I wrote. I will be adding Halloween pics and vacation info shortly. We just got back from San Antonio and I am planning on posting a day-by-day post instead of one long post- stay tuned!!
No ... you are not experiencing deja vu. I had been planning on taking the girls to Dallas this past weekend to visit my sister (more on that later). Thursday night Lily had a low-grade fever, 99.5, and didn't have much of an appetite. The next morning when she woke up, in a pretty bad mood, she felt very warm. I took her temp and it read 104!!!!! I know, sounds familiar. I took her to the local clinic as soon as it opened and the doctor said it was her ear! He said that he didn't see the tube in the left ear, but that it was red and inflammed. We got some antibiotics to clear up the infection. Thank goodness we go to the ENT tomorrow for a check-up.
Now to the road trip. Like I said before, we had been planning this trip for many months. Originally I was going to be "Super Mom" and brave the road with the girls by myself- how hard could it be? One of the reasons we were going was to celebrate my birthday with my sister. It then turned into a mini family reunion with my dad's parents and his brother and wife. We hadn't seen my grandparents in awhile and the last time we saw my aunt and uncle was our trip to Dallas last year. Walt surprised me on Thirsday night by announcing he was going to be going with us! We left as soon as we could after the Friday morning drama. We stopped in Merkel to have lunch with Walt's brother and wife. We continued on to the Big-D and made pretty good time. We luckily missed the crazy traffic! On Saturday we went shopping at the Allen Outlet Mall and then headed to see family and eat pizza. On Sunday we went to the fair (more to come) and then the girls spent the afternoon with more shopping at Northpark Mall while Walt watched football. We got up on Monday, ate a good breakfast at the Pancake House, then headed back to Lubbock. We stopped in Abilene to visit with friends and previous co-workers before making it back to good 'ole Lubbock!
We started a family "tradition" last year of going to the state fair. I had never been before and I don't think Walt had ever been either.
So this year we returned hoping that the girls would be a little more "interactive". We went early to beat the heat and the busy crowds. We started in the livestock area to let the girls see different types of animals. They had a petting zoo in one of the buildings that was covered. The girls did enjoy seeing all the animals. We then went in search of a good corndog! We did find one-
We went through the car buildings to see all the new and upcoming models. After that the temperature was up and we decided to head back to the apartment. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon shopping- Walt gave me a shopping spree for my birthday!!
I know it is hard to read the words on the pictures above... but I had a moment of panic when I first opened this letter. I thought I had really been nominated. It was really fun to go shopping for me and find some really good clothes.
I know this is a really long post, but we had a busy weekend. I want to finish with pictures of bedmats that I picked up for the girls today. I had a patient who has a family member that sews adorable bedmats. They are a mat with an attached fleece blanket and pillow- she personalizes the fabric to your liking and makes them really fast. The girls are going to use them at daycare during naptime. If you want one I have her info-
Just when we thought we had turned a corner in the health department, Gracie comes down with tonsillitis! Her teacher said that she had a low grade temp Thursday afternoon @ daycare and was given Tylenol. She woke up on Friday morning burning up. She didn't have any other symptoms, so I thought she was getting more teeth. Walt stayed home with her, and her fever never really "broke". We took her temperature around 6pm and it was over 104!!!!
I immediately took her to the walk-in clinic to see what was going on. The doctor looked at her ears- clear, than looked in her throat- fire red!!! He even let me take a look. He sent a nurse in to take a swab for a strep test. It came back negative. The only other thing he said it could be was tonsillitis. We got an antibiotic and he also said that we needed to keep giving her fever-reducing medicine. (Extra tip: he said that you can alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 2-3 hours if needed.) So much for taking out the adenoids, I guess they should have taken out the tonsils while they were in there!
She has been pretty miserable up until earlier this afternoon. I think we finally have the fever taken care of- "knock on wood"! She has been extremely sensitive- anytime Lily comes near her or looks at her the wrong way she starts screaming. She also gets frustrated more easily and starts a "little tantrum". As long as Lily is not around or she is getting her way, she's fine.
Hopefully my next post will be about something other than our illnesses! Have a great week!
We went to the pediatrician this AM for the girls' 15-month check-up. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, so here is a general run-down:
Lily: 25 lbs, 32.5 inches tall, really big head!! (>97th%)
Gracie: 25 lbs, 31 inches tall, not so big head (60th%)
So, as you can see, Lily is a bit taller and still has the bigger head. They got 1 vaccine and the flu shot- so brave!! She said that she could see all 4 tubes and that their ears were clear! We haven't heard that phrase in a VERY long time!!!They are pretty much on target developmentally, except for their speech. They don't have 4-5 words yet. She said not to worry just yet- it could be because of their ear problems or sometimes twins have slower speech development. She said we'll see at 18 months.
The girls are still doing well since surgery. Gracie ended up being sick about 1 week. She got a stomach virus and was teething too. Lily did great- couldn't even tell. The past few have been pretty normal with work and all. Hope everyone has a great week!
GRACIE IS HOME- YIPPEE!!!! When Lily and I got home for the day we were welcomed by the sweetest smile. Gracie was in the playroom, behind the gate, and when Lily saw her she ran over to her squealing with joy. I was starting to wonder if they even missed the 'other one'- I thought they were each liking being an only child. Everyone seems to be doing well. Hopefully the weekend will be the same.
We got home about an hour ago from the surgery center- I'll tell you, the kid doesn't even act like she had surgery. We got to the center at 7:15 and back to the pre-op area by 7:30. They gave her some medicine to keep her calm- she was feeling good about 15 minutes later. They took her back about 8:10 and the doctor came out to the lobby about 8:20. I didn't even get to finish reading through 1 copy of People- how will I ever know about Jessica Simpson finding true love?!! We went back to the post-op room and stayed there for 30 minutes. She was very restless and not happy with us. When we were able to leave, she was completely content- she was just bored in the small room. Since we have been home she has had part of a waffle and some milk. Right now she is taking a nap. Thanks for your prayers.
Lily is scheduled for her tubes tomorrow. We stopped by the doctor this AM for a final listen to her lungs. He said it was a go! We check in at 7:20 in the AM- we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I will update as I can.
Gracie is recovery like a pro! She had a great day today- little fussiness and good appetite. We were even able to travel up to Plainview to celebrate cousin Anna's 1st birthday. Thanks for all your prayers. We will find out Tuesday about Lily's schedule. Have a good Labor Day!
We arrived at the SurgiCenter at 7 am this morning to get both girls tubes in their ears and Gracie to get her adenoids taken out. They called us back to the pre-op area for initial vitals. Gracie had a snotty nose, but her lungs sounded clear to the anesthesiologist said she was good to go. Lily, on the other hand, was quite upset from not being able to eat and he said that she had "ronchi" (sounds like snoring) in her lungs. He said that proceeding would be dangerous and that he was cancelling her surgery. My parents had come up, so Lily waited with them in the waiting room (with milk) while Walt and I stayed with Gracie.
Funny side note: When we got back to the pre-op room, the couple next to us also had twins and they actually are in the girls' class at daycare! They were also there to get tubes. One of the boys also had to pospone his surgery because of chest congestion.
They came and got Gracie and Walt & I went to wait in the lobby. We waited about 20 minutes and then the doctor came out and let us know everything went very well. He said that her ears looked bad, the left worse than the right. He definitely thought the tubes were needed. He said that he suctions the ears while placing the tubes, and her left ear was like "suctioning out laffy taffy"! He tols us that we would be able to go back and see her in about 15-20 minutes.
When they called us back, Gracie was still out of it and very agitated. She had an IV secured to one of her wrists and was NOT liking that at all! We were able to give her some juice and the nurse gave her some Tyelenol with codeine to help the pain. We stayed in the post-op room 30-45 minutes and then got to come home. We dropped Lily off at daycare so she could play with her friends, and so that Gracie would have our full attention.
We got home and Gracie rested off & on for awhile. We watched some Praise Baby and VeggieTales. She ate some yogurt and jello throughout the afternoon, while also having plenty of fluids. She still is fussy, but doing very well considering. We will call on Tuesday to schedule Lily's surgery- I think it will be on Friday. I'll keep everyone posted on the recovery. Thank you for all of your prayers.
I know it's been a long time since I last posted. Every time I sit down to the computer nothing would come to mind. Then I started feeling hypocritical because I look everyday to see if the blogs I read have been updated without updating my own! The past few weeks have been pretty normal- sleep, eat, daycare, work, eat, sleep, etc. The girls are really growing and pretty much sprint to wherever they are going. They are really at a fun age!
Today they were promoted at daycare to the "1's class". I was a little nervous because they have been with the same teacher since they started 1 year ago. (I can't believe I've been back to work 1 year- at one point I had been on bedrest and maternity leave longer than I had worked!) When I picked the girls up, their new teacher, Miss Veronica, said they had a great day. They were only really fussing at nap time and plyed well with the other kids. I was very excited to hear they had a scheduled "nap time". They will also start to learn colors, shapes, numbers,etc and they are going to teach them Spanish! I was very happy to hear all of this- I really think the structure will be good.
On Friday the girls are having minor surgery to have tubes placed in each ear- that's 4 ears! Gracie is also going to have her adenoids removed to help with all the congestion and runny noses. We haven't heard when they go in- I'll keep y'all posted. We are really excited to get this done and hopefully it will help reduce the number of ear infections. They had their hearing checked at the doctor and both had a decrease because both ears were completely blocked with fluid. The audiologist said that everything they hear is like they are underwater. We also hope that with better hearing their speech will come along.
Other than the surgery we have a pretty normal week. Hope everyone has a great week-
Lindsey
Gracie has also begun taking 4-5 steps at a time. The other night she was trying to walk, but she wouldn't pick up her right foot so she was just going in a circle! Both girls prefer to crawl because it is faster, but I have a feeling by next week they will pick up walking speed. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Both girls have been standing up on their own and acting like they want to walk for about a week now. Lily has looked like she has taken 1-2 steps, but we didn't think that counted- today I got to the daycare and was met with much excitement- "LILY WALKED ACROSS THE ROOM!" It was probably 10 feet and last we tried to reinact the scene- she would take 4-5 steps and then go to her knees. She really likes to step sideways! Anyways, we couldn't get the video camera to work but I will put the video online as soon as I get some. Gracie is really close too!
It has been a busy 2 weeks in the Henson family! It started with a family vacation to Ruidoso, NM. I can't remember the last vacation we took with my family. My parents were given a gift of a cabin for the weekend- it was fabulous! It was four bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, great room with kitchen, eating area and TV area. There was a big covered back porch with a hot tub- very nice in the cool, rainy weather! We were there Friday, Saturday, and then home on Sunday. The girls did well with the drive- although Lily's ears were bothering her in the altitude. Here's a pic of the cabin-
Yesterday the girls had their 1-year wellness check. They are pretty much the same in all objective categories (height, weight, etc)- in fact, the doctor asked at first glance if they have always been so close. They both are 29.5 in long (although I do think the whole lay them down and put a line at the feet and top of the head trick may be slightly flawed) and just under 23 lbs (Gracie is 22.15 & Lily is 22.13). Both of those measurements put them in the high 70- low 80 percentile. Now for the measurements that put them high on the charts. I can't remember the exact numbers (and I don't have the paper in front of me) but both girls have inherited their parents' huge heads. Gracie is in the 96th percentile and Lily is "off the charts".
We did discover that both girls still have ear infections. This really stinks because we just finished meds about 3 weeks ago (maybe) and the girls don't really have symptoms when their ears are bad. They have been fussy when you lay them down to change or going to bed, but we just figured this was "independence" starting. We got more medicine and hopefully it will clear everything up. The doctor did tell us about a device for home use that helps to monitor fluid in the ears. She said that some doctors even used it when she was a resident, and if it wasn't too expensive it would be worth the purchase. She told me that they use to sell them at Walgreens. After work I stopped by the Walgreens to see if they still carried the "ear thing". I looked by myself and couldn't find it so I asked the pharmacist if she had heard of such a device. After she looked at me like I had three heads, she proceeded to help, but it couldn't be found. I decided to do some research online before asking at another store. I found what the doctor was speaking of and it looked like it might do the trick. It is called EarCheck Monitor. They have a website and it is available through many different retailers. I am looking forward to getting ours in to see if it really works. It costs about $50, but that is the co-pay if we take both girls to the doctor, so it will pay for itself.
The doctor also said that the girls could start on whole milk. I was excited about this because formula can be pricey when you are feeding 2. We did switch to the transitional formula (9-24 months) about 2 months ago and it is cheaper. The catch is, the daycare workers mentioned that if the girls were on milk the daycare provided it for us while they are there. I haven't figured the difference in cost yet, but I am pretty sure that will help us on our grocery bill! I figured the girls would have no problem switching to the "real stuff", but the doctor said that some kids have to develop a taste. We decided to try some whole milk at dinner last night (about 2 oz)- the girls LOVED IT! They drank it very quickly and wanted more. I didn't want to over-do-it the first time, so I mixed up some formula to top them off. Lily was fussiest so I gave her formula first. While I was in the kitchen making Gracie's, Walt started laughing really loud. I came around the corner to see what had happened, and this is what he said - Lily took the cup, started to drink and then pulled the cup away from her mouth. She then proceeded to look at the cup, then threw it on the ground in disgust! He said it was priceless! She did eventually finish the formula, but I don't know how happy she was about it.
I know this was a lot to read, but it has been awhile since I have written. This upcoming weekend we are going with my family to Ruidoso. I am looking forward to some time off from work and getting to see the girls outside of the normal surroundings. We are staying at this big rental house, with 4 master suites, that my parents were given as a gift from the church choir to spend some time at. Walt and I went to Ruidoso a few years ago with our friends Brandon & Danyel, and really enjoyed the town and the scenery. I will post some pics when we get back- have a blessed day!
Well, we survived the girls' 1st birthday! It is hard to believe that 1 year has gone by. (I know everyone says that) The girls' actual birthday was on Friday, and we had a pretty quiet day. Saturday was the party, and we had a blast! We celebrated with family and friends all afternoon. The girls received tons of fun and beautiful gifts (see Flickr for details). The girls had mixed responses to their 1st taste of processed sugar- Lily enjoyed picking off the icing, Gracie was more reserved and has issues with different textures.
Thanks to everyone who helped us this past year through prayers, babysitting and encouraging words! The first few months are a blur, but the past months have been so much fun with the girls development- physically and personality-wise! I am excited about the years to come! Please check out Flickr for many more pics of our big girls!
Just a post to let everyone know that there are new pics & videos on Flickr- enjoy!!!
You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are
So you fall in bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Well, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten
That you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
With every "I know you can do it"
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain over time
They become a river
And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
You're beautiful
So beautiful
How you're changing the world
Yeah, you're changing the world
You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you
You are changing the world
One little heartbeat
At a time
And you're changing the world
- Steven Curtis Chapman
"One Heartbeat", This Moment
I am looking forward to my first Mother's Day with the girls! I hope all the mothers that are reading this know what a blessing you are to your children. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
I am so excited for our friends, the Hunts. Yesterday Molly gave birth to Lucy (7 lbs. 11oz, 20in). (I think those are the right numbers.) I can't wait to go visit and meet their newest addition.
No this is not a metaphor... it actually happened. I knew this day would come at some point, but it still shocks you when it actually happens.
Yesterday I got the girls home and decided that it would be bath night (yes, I will admit, we do not do baths everynight. that's what lotion is for!)- only one at a time. Gracie was first because I thought she had a dirty diaper and needed to be changed. It was a fast bath, but it got the job done. After I got her all wrapped up in the towel, I thought I would let her play on the floor in their room before getting her in her pjs (al la natural). I put down a "safe" pad so if she had an accident it would not soak into the carpet. I can't remember if it was before or after Lily was done with her bath, but I looked down on the floor to see how Gracie was doing and this is want I saw:
Gracie was now off the pad, and onto the carpet and she had left a nice present! I quickly picked her up and put her in her crib. I couldn't resist taking a picture so that when she gets older I can remind her of this day!
New subject.
I just love all the cute little dresses that are out for spring and summer. I have decided that the girls will most likely be in one most of the time. They make changing diapers especially easy, and Walt even commented the other day they make getting the girls dressed "a piece of cake". Here are a few pics of the girls in dresses their Mimi got them.
It's hard to recall all that has happened since I wrote last. The girls are "sick-free." I went to the doctor tonight and now I have an ear infection! Anyways, the weekend before last we all packed up in the Jetta and headed down to Brownwood. My great uncle was having a birthday party to celebrate his 80 years! The party doubled as a family reunion since we hadn't seen some cousins in about 6 years. This was also the first time that most of my mom's family met Lily & Gracie. It was a cool, dreary day but we made the most of it. It was so good to see everyone. My mom's cousin has twin boys that are now juniors in high school! It was fun to have 2 sets of "doubles!"
Here is Lauren, Gracie (under the blanket), Dad, Walt & Lily
We have had a busy past week. Aunt Lauren came for the week (and brought her "friend" John, the policeman!). The girls had a blast staying up past their bedtime and playing with their aunt. I was able to take some time off from work on Good Friday and the Monday after Easter. On Friday we went to Canyon to see all the Hensons for a few hours. After visiting, we traveled a few more miles north to Amarillo to visit all the Bandys. We had some good dinner and fellowship with everyone. We traveled back to Lubbock late Friday night, but the girls did not sleep in the next morning. Lauren, the girls and myself spent all Saturday doing what girls do best- SHOPPING!!! Walt spent the day at home (for full details of his day see his blog) not feeling well. On Easter Sunday we woke up to cold, dreary weather. Luckily I had been watching the weather and knew that it was going to be cold, so we had purchased sweaters to go with the girls' dresses. We went to church with the fam- the girls were beautiful. Lauren left Sunday night- we miss her already!
On Monday the girls had their 9-month wellness check. They are growing like crazy -
Lily: 20.6 lbs, 28.5 in
Gracie: 19.10 lbs, 28 in
We found out that Gracie had an ear infection- I thought Lily had one... missed it again. Kids should come with "indicator lights". She has started antibiotics and is feeling much better. This week has been more "normal"- whatever that is with 2 infants. I hope everyone had a great Easter holiday. Be sure to check out the new pics on Flikr!.
Last weekend we had a visit from Wes, Mica & Anna (Walt's bro & fam). We went out to lunch with them & Walt's parents. Let me set the stage for everyone..6 adults, 3 infants in highchairs & 1 waitress. She was definitely outnumbered! Everything was going well and then we wanted pictures of all the girls together, that's when the fun began!
Lily did not want Anna to touch her.
Well, the girls celebrated a fun 1st Valentine's Day. They received beautiful cards, clothes & big bears from grandparents. We had a pretty normal day for the most part. The girls went to daycare while I was at work and Walt was at his course. After work we went home to welcome Walt home only to find him not feeling that well. I sent him to the walk-in clinic before our night out. The girls and I went over to my parents, where we waited for my dad to fly in from Louisiana. Walt and I had plans to attend a benefit concert at 7:30, and he called at 7:00 saying that the diagnosis was a mild case of strep. He said he still wanted to go to the concert, so I jumped in the car to get downtown to meet him at the theater. We were a few minutes late, but I so glad we went. The music was AWESOME, and it was for a good cause. It was for a local piano player, Doug Smith (www.dougsmith.com), who was in a car accident last year. He sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury. The concert was made up of several "West Texas" musicians and all the proceeds went to Doug and his family to cover medical/ rehab expenses. The absolute best part was the end, when Doug came out and played the piano! It was very moving. We left the concert at 11:30 to pick up the girls. We got home after midnight and very tired. It was a long day, but very memorable. I hope everyone had a great day with those they love. Here are a few more pics-
Walt has been out of town for work yesterday, today and tomorrow. We miss him very much and cannot wait until he gets back! He is the best daddy and husband- we love you!
Happy Valentine's Day Aunt Lauren! We hope you have a great day... you better call and give us all the details! We love you
Lily & Gracie
HAPPY VALENTINE'S WEEK!
I hope evryone has a great week with those they love. I am going to try very hard to post daily pics of the girls in their cute outfits. Check out Flickr for more photos!
I hope this entry finds everyone doing well. We had a great Christmas & New Year with all kinds of family. I was finally able to get all of our current pictures up on Flickr. Hopefully I will soon have video to post.
