Fight for Preemies

Over 400 bloggers are uniting today to raise awareness for premature birth. Twenty million babies are born prematurely every year. Visit the March of Dimes website to learn more about how you can help fight prematurity.

My girls were born at 25 weeks, 1 day weighing between 1.6 and 1.11 pounds. They were frighteningly small and were faced with physical hurdles that were terrifying to think of. Some of the terms that we became familiar with included Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA), Blood transfusion, Chronic Lung Disease, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Apnea, and Bradychardia.

Looking back at pictures from their first days in the NICU takes my breath away because the girls were so fragile. It almost feels like those days we spent in the NICU were a dream and too life-changing of an experience to put into words.

But we were the lucky ones. Our girls survived.

Alyssa



Makena



Riley

Our happy, healthy, miracle girls!

We are so thankful for organizations like the March of Dimes who raise millions of dollars every year to fund research to raise awareness, help prevent prematurity and aid in developing medical advances that will help save babies.

2 year check-up

Thanks so much for all of the birthday comments for the girls! We loved hearing from all of you out there...it made our day EXTRA special.

As an added birthday bonus, the girls went for their 2 year check-up with Dr. G. I don't think I can get away with such a dirty trick in the years to come. But, I had the day off and now that I am back to work, I had to use my time wisely. The girls were definitely the most fearful than ever before in the doctor's office. Our pediatrician is awesome though and let the girls play with her stethoscope and other equipment until they were comfortable.

Their parting gift from Dr. G was their Hepatitis A vaccine. I know.....horrible. Poor Makena is terrified of needles from 2 winters of monthly RSV vaccines. She knows what is coming when that alcohol swab comes out and clings on for dear life.

Anyway, the girls are finally well on the growth charts for height, but still not really there for weight. Boo-hoo! I swear they feel so heavy when I carry them up the stairs every day.

Big sister Makena weighed in at 21 pounds, 8 ounces (1st percentile) and is 33.25 inches tall (40th percentile).

Middle sister Alyssa weighed in at 21 pounds, 6 ounces (1st percentile) and is 33.5 inches tall (45th percentile).

Baby girl Riley (a.k.a. Bruiser) weighed in at 22 pounds, 6 ounces (4th percentile) and is 34.25 inces tall (60th percentile). Guess who is winning all of those battles for the snacks in the house?

I also discovered tonight, that Riley is getting FOUR teeth in. I knew she had cut one tooth and another was close, but 2 more teeth popped out and I didn't even know it. I guess that must explain the puddles of drool on her crib sheet and onesie every morning!

The girls enjoyed their chocolate birthday cupcakes and will have more fun celebrating this Sunday with extended family.

Where's the monkey?

Every Friday, they girls have some extra fun built into their day in the form of early intervention services because of their premature birth. Since the girls were about 7 months old, an infant development specialist has been coming to our home and working with the girls on reaching their developmental milestones. The girls will continue receiving these services until they are 3 years old.

One of their favorite games is finding the monkey that is hidden beneath the plastic cups. It is so cute to see the girls all lined up in a row, sitting nicely (not biting, hitting or scratching) eagerly anticipating the game.

Riley is quite pleased with herself for finding the monkey!

Another favorite activity is blowing bubbles...who doesn't love bubbles?

I think mommy wins this game...I found the monkey swinging off of my kitchen table.