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| Field of Hope pennants |
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| Ry and the boys head to the Opening Ceremony |
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| Kalie & her triplet boys were this year's ambassadors |
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| Brrrr, it's cold outside... |
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| ...but cozy & warm in here! |
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| Mom with Andrew & John |
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| That was fun! Let's do that again next year! |
Monday, April 30, 2012
4.28.2012
I wanted to again say THANK YOU to all of you who made a donation to the March of Dimes in honor of our little men. We had a really great time, and I wanted to post a few pictures. The weather was lousy, but that didn't stop everyone from showing up to march! We bundled-up the boys so they'd stay warm, but still only walked part of the 3.1 mile course before turning back. At the opening ceremonies, they read Nathan's name during the Memory Moment, so there were a few tears but mostly just smiles as we looked around at all the happy, healthy "NICU graduates". There were several families of multiples that have offered advice & support to us through email & Facebook that we finally got to meet face-to-face, which was an added bonus. Overall it was a great day and we can't wait to do it again next year!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Gimme FOOOOOOD!
If there's one thing these boys excel at, it's eating. Really this shouldn't surprise any of us since both sides of the family love to eat too! We visit the pediatrician tomorrow and will ask about adding rice cereal to their bottles because John is sometimes eating 7-9 ounces at a time and Andrew is right behind him. Thanks to advice from Nurse Lisa, I've started feeding both boys at the same time. This cuts daytime feedings from around an hour and a half to 30-40 minutes which is a huge time saver. They recline in their Boppy pillows on the floor so I can hold a bottle in each hand. Occasionally it's a little messier, but still definitely worth it!
As John's cheeks begin to fill out, I think the boys are starting to resemble each other a little more. You can always tell which one is Andrew just by looking at his hair!
As John's cheeks begin to fill out, I think the boys are starting to resemble each other a little more. You can always tell which one is Andrew just by looking at his hair!
Friday, April 20, 2012
March for Dumplings
While Ryan and I aren't in shape for any 5K or 10K races anytime soon, we are pumped up to walk next weekend in the March for Babies to benefit the March of Dimes. The local chapter is having a 3.1 mile walk through the park to honor & remember all the premature babies born too soon and to raise money for stronger, healthier babies. We're looking forward to a great day to remember Nathan and to celebrate John and Andrew. Some friends will be there to walk for their own preemie babies, Lizzie and Taelynn, so it should be a fun day. I'm excited to see all those kids who were born prematurely years ago that are now strong, healthy, and thriving.
If anyone is interested in walking with us on 4/28, just let me know and I'll help you get signed up. I'm planning on forming a bigger team for next year's walk once we have one under our belts, so let me know if you'd like me to contact you next time. If you can't be there to cheer us on, but would like to help the cause, you can make a tax-deductible donation at my page below. Also, a huge thank you to those of you who have already made a donation!
http://www.marchforbabies.org/raharris05
If anyone is interested in walking with us on 4/28, just let me know and I'll help you get signed up. I'm planning on forming a bigger team for next year's walk once we have one under our belts, so let me know if you'd like me to contact you next time. If you can't be there to cheer us on, but would like to help the cause, you can make a tax-deductible donation at my page below. Also, a huge thank you to those of you who have already made a donation!
http://www.marchforbabies.org/raharris05
Monday, April 16, 2012
Weekly Update
Well, once again, time has flown since my last entry. It's been almost two weeks, so this is long overdue!
The boys finally got to do some traveling for Easter. We visited Grandma & Grandpa Tolan in Rochelle on Palm Sunday, and saw Grandma & Grandpa Harris in Arlington Heights for Easter. Andrew & John met several of our aunts & uncles, and finally got to meet their cousins, Kassidy and Alexandria. The boys do extremely well in the car and slept as they were passed from person to person at all of the festivities. Every time we leave the house, it feels like we're packing for a week-long vacation, but I guess it's better to be over-prepared...at least until we figure out exactly what we need to take with us.
In other news, John seems to be doing really well on the Enfamil A.R. formula. He still spits up on occasion, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as painful or as frequent. His cheeks are getting rounder by the day! We also switched Andrew from the preemie formula to regular Similac and he seems to be doing well. Neither one are picky about the taste - they gobble up anything we give them!
Andrew surprised us all by rolling over from his belly to his back on Saturday 4/7. We missed it the first time and didn't believe it actually happened, so we flipped him over and watched as he immediately did it a second time. I can't imagine how much life will change once they're mobile!
In the last two weeks, Ryan and I also had our first date night! We had a chance to go out for dinner and a movie while the boys relaxed at home with their grandparents. It was definitely a welcomed break, and one that we'll have to incorporate into our calendars.
Here are some other miscellaneous pictures from the last few weeks...
Andrew & John got to meet their neighbors Brooklynn, Brighton, and Brady. It looks like we've got some future babysitters across the street!
The boys finally got to do some traveling for Easter. We visited Grandma & Grandpa Tolan in Rochelle on Palm Sunday, and saw Grandma & Grandpa Harris in Arlington Heights for Easter. Andrew & John met several of our aunts & uncles, and finally got to meet their cousins, Kassidy and Alexandria. The boys do extremely well in the car and slept as they were passed from person to person at all of the festivities. Every time we leave the house, it feels like we're packing for a week-long vacation, but I guess it's better to be over-prepared...at least until we figure out exactly what we need to take with us.
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| John, Kassidy, & Andrew |
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| Andrew, Aunt Kelly, & Alexandria |
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| Andrew, Alexandria, & John |
In other news, John seems to be doing really well on the Enfamil A.R. formula. He still spits up on occasion, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as painful or as frequent. His cheeks are getting rounder by the day! We also switched Andrew from the preemie formula to regular Similac and he seems to be doing well. Neither one are picky about the taste - they gobble up anything we give them!
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| Dinner time on St. Patrick's Day |
Andrew surprised us all by rolling over from his belly to his back on Saturday 4/7. We missed it the first time and didn't believe it actually happened, so we flipped him over and watched as he immediately did it a second time. I can't imagine how much life will change once they're mobile!
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| It's nice that for now we can buckle them in and walk away! |
In the last two weeks, Ryan and I also had our first date night! We had a chance to go out for dinner and a movie while the boys relaxed at home with their grandparents. It was definitely a welcomed break, and one that we'll have to incorporate into our calendars.
Here are some other miscellaneous pictures from the last few weeks...
Andrew & John got to meet their neighbors Brooklynn, Brighton, and Brady. It looks like we've got some future babysitters across the street!
Andrew and John got dressed up for the Cubs' home opener and lounged around watching baseball all day. Maybe this will be the year...
And finally...these pictures I simply posted because I think they're cute!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games. At our house in the last week, this seems to have become the theme - but with two very different meanings.
First, we have been playing a guessing game to figure out how much, when, and what to feed the boys. We've been trying to find the magic amount of formula so they get enough to hold off their hunger until the next feeding, but not so much that it makes them spit up. The boys are typically taking five ounces every four hours. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less - sometimes they fuss after 3.5 hours, other times 4.5. Unfortunately, ever since he was born, John has been our little "pukester". The poor guy has acid reflux, so he spits up at every feeding. Any parent will probably tell you that babies and spit up go hand-in-hand, and it's very normal. The doctor won't prescribe medication unless it's enough to interfere with his growth - which it isn't. While he spits up frequently, the amount is pretty small, so for now it's just more of an inconvenience to us as we try to keep him upright after he eats. The doctor's other piece of advice was to try changing formulas, so that's our next move in the guessing game. They've done so well with the formula they're on, so it might be trial & error for a while to see if something else reduces the reflux. At their appointment on the 26th, John weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz and Andrew was 10 lbs 4 oz. They were 21 and 21 3/4 inches in length, and while they've made tremendous progress since birth (3lbs 10.5oz and 4lbs 7oz), they're still in the very low percentiles for two-month-old babies. Since they're gaining weight so quickly, we hate to switch things up but it's worth a try if it makes John's tummy happier!
Second, like many others, I have been sucked into the trilogy of books. You may have been living under a rock if you haven't already heard about the movie "The Hunger Games" which came out last weekend. It's based on a series of best-selling books that have a huge & loyal following. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I started the first book last week and finished all three in a matter of days...which is quite a feat with two newborn babies to take care of. If you don't know the plot, it's a dark story about a post-apocalyptic country, Panem, that is divided into 12 districts and ruled by the Capitol. As a brutal reminder to the districts of their failed rebellion years earlier, the Capitol forces each district to provide two tributes - a boy & girl aged 12 to 18 - to compete in an annual fight to the death - the Hunger Games. The main character, Katniss, volunteers for the Games in order to spare her little sister who's name was randomly selected to compete. With such a horrific storyline, it was tough to imagine why so many people have gotten hooked on the books or wait in lines to see the movie. I don't read very often and I'm definitely no book analyst, but my only explanation is this...the trials and suffering that the characters endure are so extreme that you're glued to the pages and keep reading because it just HAS to get better. You can't wait to finish the paragraph or page or chapter in hopes that there is some relief. Some sort of happy ending. Throughout the story, circumstances seem utterly hopeless - at times it's difficult to read - but yet your connection to Katniss and her loved ones keeps you entranced and propels you to keep rooting for them.
In some ways, the world that Katniss lives in is really not that different from ours. While we don't have our children fight in televised death-matches, every day there are painful losses - people suffer from horrible diseases, families are torn apart, people lose their lives, governments oppress their citizens, and friends deceive you - all of which are just the result of living in a fallen world. The difference is that while the story of Katniss' circumstances often seemed utterly hopeless, we have been given a hope. Psalm 20:7 says "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” We have been promised that this life isn't all there is. We have a God who loves us enough to send his Son to walk on this earth, endure the suffering, and feel the heartaches that you and I experience daily. His perfect Son gave his life to pay the price for all the ways that we fail to meet God's standards. We can be confident that there's an eternity in heaven waiting for us if we simply acknowledge the sacrifice and say "Thanks Jesus, for taking the punishment that I deserved." As Easter approaches, I encourage you to stop and think about that. Does your life seem more like the one from Panem - filled with despair, heartache, and suffering - or one that's Christ-centered and revolves around forgiveness, peace, and hope?
As someone who has spent many weeks of the past few months confined to a recliner, I know what it's like to miss out on the fellowship and encouragement that attending a church can bring. Jesus didn't intend for us to walk this road alone. So if you ever feel hopeless, or alone, or forgotten - I encourage you go check out a church this Easter week. If you don't have one to go to, come to ours. Or try someplace new. They will welcome you with open arms.
First, we have been playing a guessing game to figure out how much, when, and what to feed the boys. We've been trying to find the magic amount of formula so they get enough to hold off their hunger until the next feeding, but not so much that it makes them spit up. The boys are typically taking five ounces every four hours. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less - sometimes they fuss after 3.5 hours, other times 4.5. Unfortunately, ever since he was born, John has been our little "pukester". The poor guy has acid reflux, so he spits up at every feeding. Any parent will probably tell you that babies and spit up go hand-in-hand, and it's very normal. The doctor won't prescribe medication unless it's enough to interfere with his growth - which it isn't. While he spits up frequently, the amount is pretty small, so for now it's just more of an inconvenience to us as we try to keep him upright after he eats. The doctor's other piece of advice was to try changing formulas, so that's our next move in the guessing game. They've done so well with the formula they're on, so it might be trial & error for a while to see if something else reduces the reflux. At their appointment on the 26th, John weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz and Andrew was 10 lbs 4 oz. They were 21 and 21 3/4 inches in length, and while they've made tremendous progress since birth (3lbs 10.5oz and 4lbs 7oz), they're still in the very low percentiles for two-month-old babies. Since they're gaining weight so quickly, we hate to switch things up but it's worth a try if it makes John's tummy happier!
Second, like many others, I have been sucked into the trilogy of books. You may have been living under a rock if you haven't already heard about the movie "The Hunger Games" which came out last weekend. It's based on a series of best-selling books that have a huge & loyal following. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I started the first book last week and finished all three in a matter of days...which is quite a feat with two newborn babies to take care of. If you don't know the plot, it's a dark story about a post-apocalyptic country, Panem, that is divided into 12 districts and ruled by the Capitol. As a brutal reminder to the districts of their failed rebellion years earlier, the Capitol forces each district to provide two tributes - a boy & girl aged 12 to 18 - to compete in an annual fight to the death - the Hunger Games. The main character, Katniss, volunteers for the Games in order to spare her little sister who's name was randomly selected to compete. With such a horrific storyline, it was tough to imagine why so many people have gotten hooked on the books or wait in lines to see the movie. I don't read very often and I'm definitely no book analyst, but my only explanation is this...the trials and suffering that the characters endure are so extreme that you're glued to the pages and keep reading because it just HAS to get better. You can't wait to finish the paragraph or page or chapter in hopes that there is some relief. Some sort of happy ending. Throughout the story, circumstances seem utterly hopeless - at times it's difficult to read - but yet your connection to Katniss and her loved ones keeps you entranced and propels you to keep rooting for them.
In some ways, the world that Katniss lives in is really not that different from ours. While we don't have our children fight in televised death-matches, every day there are painful losses - people suffer from horrible diseases, families are torn apart, people lose their lives, governments oppress their citizens, and friends deceive you - all of which are just the result of living in a fallen world. The difference is that while the story of Katniss' circumstances often seemed utterly hopeless, we have been given a hope. Psalm 20:7 says "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” We have been promised that this life isn't all there is. We have a God who loves us enough to send his Son to walk on this earth, endure the suffering, and feel the heartaches that you and I experience daily. His perfect Son gave his life to pay the price for all the ways that we fail to meet God's standards. We can be confident that there's an eternity in heaven waiting for us if we simply acknowledge the sacrifice and say "Thanks Jesus, for taking the punishment that I deserved." As Easter approaches, I encourage you to stop and think about that. Does your life seem more like the one from Panem - filled with despair, heartache, and suffering - or one that's Christ-centered and revolves around forgiveness, peace, and hope?
As someone who has spent many weeks of the past few months confined to a recliner, I know what it's like to miss out on the fellowship and encouragement that attending a church can bring. Jesus didn't intend for us to walk this road alone. So if you ever feel hopeless, or alone, or forgotten - I encourage you go check out a church this Easter week. If you don't have one to go to, come to ours. Or try someplace new. They will welcome you with open arms.
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