Happy Holidays!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Holidays!! From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season! Best wishes for a wonderful 2010!

Love,
George, Rebecca, Luukas, Olivia and Cole

Santa visited Luukas!

Click on the link below to see a short message that Santa sent Luukas!



http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/1c31072b075edad55b243df1d65ad2fa

One year ago today...

\
Olivia Christine Anders, Baby A, 17 lbs 11 oz and 28 3/4 inches at one years old! She's in the 25-50% for height and 10% for weight.


Cole Justice Anders, Baby B, 23 lbs 4 oz and 30 1/2 inches at 1 years old! He's in the 75% for height and 50% for weight!

our babies were born! Their first birthday has brought back tons of memories of my pregnancy, delivery and of the first few weeks with Olivia and Cole. Looking back, I can't believe that I survived 16+ weeks of strict bedrest (8 weeks which were in the hospital). It feels like it was eons ago that I laid in bed, on my left side, cooking babies for months on end. I have to admit, there are days that I miss being catered to and taken care of like that though!!!

Then there were the first 4-6 months with the twins. BOY, were those tough, especially with Olivia's health problems and me having to go back to work sooo soon! Living on 3 hours of sleep a night was terrible!! But, we had our great times too and many laughs as George and I debated the best ways to care for the babies, schedule their day, etc.

The last 6 months has been amazing! The babies have gotten their own personalities, Luukas has adjusted well to them (minus some jealousy issues when others are around), and the babies have met some major milestones!! Olivia's health is coming along and she's getting all of the PT and OT services that she needs! We moved and are finally settled...and even though we are more broke than we've ever been due to our paycuts, we are the happiest we been in a long time!

As I'm writing this, my three kids are playing together, the fire is a crackin' and the tree a glowing! What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the twins first birthday!

Finn Camp Xmas Party 2009

Each year since Luukas was born, we have attended the kids party at the Finn Camp!! It is a great family tradition. We have a potluck lunch, the kids sing and then Santa comes with gifts for all of the little one's who have been good throughout the year. The kids love sitting on Santa's lap too!!!

Our family pictures!

Thanksgiving Day 2009

I love Thanksgiving!! It is TRULY my favorite holiday! Maybe because we get too eat tons of food and not feel guilty about it until 12 hours later and maybe because there's not the pressure of having to shop for presents until after the big meal. I love Thanksgiving and I love it because of my wonderful family and our great traditions!

There is nothing more than I love than going to the Finn Camp for Thanksgiving, spending time with our big extended family and watching the little one's run around! The food is great and the company is even better! In 10 years, I've only missed Thanksgiving at the Finn Camp twice - once when George had pneumonia a few years back and then last year when I was on bedrest. Both times, I was devastated. Most years, George and I tailgate at Ford Field while watching the parade and then attend the big game before heading to Wixom. Hopefully one day we'll get to do that again (as soon as we find a sitter for all of these kids! LOL!), but this year was just as grand as we slept and lounged around all day before heading out to get my dad and go to the Finn Camp!

I love Thanksgiving and I'm sooo glad to be able to pass on our Finn Camp Thanksgiving traditions to Luukas, Olivia and Cole!

Eating...more and more and more.

Boy, how things can change! 4 and a half years ago I was one new mama who was simply afraid to feed my young son table food, even though he started eating applesauce with his Prilosec at just 2 months old! Here's the truth - one of my biggest fears in life is of someone possibly choking. Probably has something to do with my dad constantly choking on food. That fear, on top of Luukas having so many preemie issues, truly hindered how early I started table food with him and I'm convinced it has affected his eating habits for years.

Well, 4 and a half years later, I still have that fear, but I am overcoming it...thanks to my youngest son, COLE! Yes, "that boy can EAT!" He eats EVERYTHING - from peas to pineapple to cheerios to graham crackers to turkey dinner and the fixin's at Thanksgiving, etc. You get the point right?!!! The first graham cracker he had was at Olivia's occupational therapy appointment and yes, I had to leave the room for fear of him choking. Everyone laughed at me and they laughed even more when just 10 minutes later I was letting Cole eat the graham cracker laying down!

Cole's great eating habits have really helped me overcome my fear, so much that I'm introducing all of the same foods to Olivia at meals, even with her known feeding issues. I've learned that she likes peas just as much as baby food peas! I've also learned that she is feeding/eating better because we are working her muscles each time we give her table food! Cole is not just helping his sister out...he's also encouraging his big brother to try new foods each day. It seems that Luukas doesn't want his brother to outdo him!!

Soooo, this post goes out to Cole for helping me overcome my feeding fears and for teaching Luukas that trying new foods and following "Dr. Antone's 5 bite rule" ain't so bad after all!

PS - I still have to leave the room at times....which my sister-in-law, Shawn, said probably isn't the smartest, but I'm always right there and I run right over to check every 5 seconds! LOL!

Olivia and Cole - 11 months old!

WOW!!! Did time fly or what? I can't believe the babies are already 11 months old. The last few months have really flown by, especially with all of our life changes going on.

I remember when I couldn't wait for the twins to get older and more independent and now that they are, I SOMETIMES wish they were still my little cuddlers who stay in one place! Cole is crawling full speed. He is our escape artist who likes to check out EVERYTHING! Olivia is rolling over all of the time and she manages to scoot pretty far on her butt! She is sooo giggly now too! They both are truly VERY HAPPY babies, especially when their big brother, Luukas, plays with them!

Some pics to share!

Grammy, the kids and I at Blake's Cider Mill!
Olivia and I kept each other warm at Blake's on a 40 degree day!
The Tarantula's soccer team - Fall party at Blake's Cider Mill
Luukas in his 2009 Halloween Costume! AND he's NOT Thomas the Train for the first time in four years!
Luukas playing at one of his Fall games!

WOW...it's been a while since I've posted!

Wow...it's been a long time. The Anders family has been very busy though with our move to Troy, which has included lots of renovations! It's been very hectic, but also exciting to be in a home with THREE bathrooms and a basement!!

Luukas is loving kindergarten and especially his friends and teacher. He has learned soooo much already this year and he has impeccable handwriting! We just had Parent Teacher conferences this past week. Mrs. Fitzpatrick said that Luukas is a SPONGE - he takes in everything! Now we just have to get him to get out of the habit of skipping the number 15 when counting from 1 - 20! LOL!

Olivia and Cole are making tons of milestones! Olivia is sitting up and rolling over (with some assistance due to poor muscle tone). She has 2 teeth and is doing better with eating solids! She still loves peas and sweet potatoes the best! We continue to go to OT and PT once a week to help her with eating and gross motor delays. Cole is 23 lbs, eating graham crackers, bananas, and cheerios, and he is CRAWLING all over the place! They each are developing their own little personalities and they are really starting to interact together. Sometimes I can't tell if they are playing or fighting - especially when the hair pulling comes out!

My new job is going well. I am working with 3 and 4 year olds who have developmental delays. I work with a great team and I am learning new things each day. I truly miss Romeo, but I'm soooo thankful for this opportunity in Fitzgerald. It's been great to be closer to home and especially to be able to drop Luukas off at school and pick him up at the end of the day! Oh, and I have NOOOOO paperwork, which is another HUGE bonus!!! In addition to my Fitzgerald position, I'm also working 8-10 hours per week at Eastwood Clinics. Business is booming there thankfully!

George is doing well also. He (along with his dad, brother and some close friends) has done a wonderful job getting the house livable! He's made all of the decisions regarding renovations....I'm just the clean-up girl and the unpacker!! LOL! Truly though, the house is the way it is because of him!

As I sit here watching Cole and Olivia play, I am reflecting on all of the transitions I've gone through in the last year and especially in the last few months. New babies, new job, moving, parents divorce, Dad's upcoming surgery, Mom moving to Florida, etc. You name it....I've been there! Some days are really hard and those are the days when I just want to run away from it all. I always have to remind myself to be positive and that everything will be OK. I know that in the long run things will always turn out for the best. What makes it easier though is knowing that I'm not alone...that lots of my friends and family members are going through multiple transitions this year as well. Together we will all make it through these "depressing economical times." We're all gonna look back in 10 years and be amazed at how well we've all turned out. I just know it! :)

It's a miracle....we made it to 9 months!!!

The Twins 9 month Well Visit!

Today Olivia and Cole had their 9 month well visit!! We had their appointments two weeks early due to fear that we would lose our health insurance.

The babies are doing GREAT!!! Olivia is finally on the CHARTS! She weighs 14 lbs, 11 oz and is in the 3-5% for weight. She is 27 inches tall (25-50%) and her head circumference is 16 3/4 inches (10-25%). Now that she has complete hearing, she babbles all day long. We wake up to it and go to sleep to it. We love hearing her babble!!!!

Cole is almost CRAWLING!!! He gets around soooo fast, we really have to keep a close eye on him. He weighs 19 lbs, 11 oz and is in the 25-50% for weight. He is 28 inches tall (50%) and his head circumference is 17 1/2 inches (25-50%).

We "cash for clunkered" their infant seats today for 20% off coupons to BabiesRUs and bought their new seats! I took a picture of the babies in their infant seats for the last time....it's amazing to think how small they were in those seats last December.

On the homefront, Luukas starts full day kindergarten on September 8th!! We can't wait and he's excited too! George is going to take him to a meet and greet next week!

I was laid off from my social work position in Romeo....something we found out may be a possibility 5 hours after we bought a new home in Troy. I immediately put out my resume and interviewed for a great position as a Behavior Specialist for Fitzgerald Schools. The position could bring great opportunities my way and is my program/position to develop, something that I am very excited about. Unfortunately, I had to take a $20,000 pay cut though. We've already cut back since my pay was cut by $800/month from Romeo after my maternity leave....so we're really stressing now. But....we're remaining positive and not giving up hope on our new home!!!! We'll just pray for early SNOW STORMS!!!

Our baby girl's first surgery...

Olivia had her first (and hopefully last) surgery at Children's Hospital today.

Dr. Macha, her Gastrointestinal doctor, did an endoscopy. She biopsied 3 spots on Olivia's stomach. We will get the results of the biopsy next week. Also last Tuesday Olivia had more blood work done and she will be having a pulmonary sweat test done on Monday of next week to rule out Cystic Fibrosis. Dr. Macha said that she would contact me late next week with ALL of the results.

Dr. Haupert, Olivia's ENT, checked out her ears and surprisingly found that both ears still had fluid in them. He went ahead and placed tubes in each ear and then she had an ABR (sedated hearing test) which she passed with flying colors!!! This was exciting news for George and I as Olivia has had 2 hearing tests in the ENT office since June and she failed both of them. Grammy and I knew that Olivia's hearing issues were solved as soon as she came out of the OR and into the wake-up room today. She was alert, laughing, and looking all over the place. She even became startled quite a few time - probably because of all the new noises she was hearing. Since she's been home...she's been cooing more and trying to keep up with her talkative brothers!

We just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and support! We love you all!

Family day at Spencer Park

While we haven't managed to take a vacation this summer, we have been able to spend many days together as a family and for that I am most appreciative! Check out this cute video of everyone at Spencer Park - where we fish, play, go to the beach and EAT picnic style!!!

Luukas reads to his sister and brother!

Aren't these the days?! When I can say how much Luukas LOVES Olivia and Cole!! I'm sure some days he wishes that we'd take them back, but overall he is doing great as a BIG BROTHER!! He is very helpful...especially with opening doors when we are pushing the stroller. I just had to share this cute video of him reading books to the babies. He might not know all of the words, but he's trying and definitely doing well as a beginning reader!!

Luukas entertains Cole - while Mom is at work!

Note to self - when I leave the craziness breaks out!!! LOL!

Olivia and Cole's Baby Naming Ceremony

Well....it only took 3 months, but I've finally figured out how to upload the video that was taken at the baby naming!

One thing I've been terrible about since that day has been getting Thank You notes out! I have pictures of the kids sitting here for all of our guests...and I feel bad that I've yet to mail them. SOOO....here's a great big THANK YOU to all of our guests! Thank you to all of our friends and family for your generous gifts for the kids over these last 8 months and for all of your support and love!

We love you all!

We waited for so long...

We waited for so long to hear Olivia laugh, smile and giggle that I had to take a moment to capture her beautiful expressions today! Olivia is a fighter!! She has started PT and OT and is working hard to teach her muscles how to work effectively so that she can eventually sit up, eat correctly, and move around! We are in constant contact with her doctor's (I counted....she has a pediatrician and 7 specialists plus EarlyOn involved now - so many that I had to make a binder for all of the medical reports) and still trying to get EXACT diagnoses.


Olivia has come a long way, but still has a LONG way to go too! We have additional hearing tests (including a sedated ABR), an endoscope for GI/Reflux issues (to look at her Reflux and also to see if she is absorbing food correctly/rule out Celiacs Disease), a neurology appointment, and an appointment to consider getting her a helmet to correct plagiocephaly (flatness of the head) coming up in the next few weeks. Also, we'll be having a genetic consult with the geneticist on September 3rd. All of these appointments combined may just give us some LONG AWAITED answers. It has been a very overwhelming experience, but we have WONDERFUL doctors and nurses who are VERY knowledgeable and who also take the time to answer all of our questions. I bet they don't even know how appreciative I am of the multiple times they have all acknowledged the rough road Olivia has endured and the positive and caring way George and I are handling things!! On that same note, I also am soooo appreciative for my friends and family who let me cry, laugh, and just plain ol listen to me share stories and experiences.

Love to all!

A weekend without Daddy...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Well, we SURVIVED (barely)....a weekend with Daddy away. George finally got a chance to head out of town and get Up North with friends. I'm sure it was a much needed vacay after being a stay-at-home dad for 4 months. I was very proud of myself....I survived, kept the kids entertained and even managed to sleep last night! For entertainment, we packed up and drove to Luukas' Tball game to find out it was cancelled...went to Aunt Meg's and Uncle Gregg's for a BBQ....and we had a Lemonade stand. By noon today, I was completely worn out and couldn't WAIT for George to get home!

The twins are 7 months old today!!! Cole sat up for the 1st time and he is VERY close to getting his 1st tooth!! He babbles all of the time and loves the exersaucer! Olivia rolled from front to back for the 1st time today and she is getting BIG! She coos all of the time and loves the jumperoo (now that her toes can touch the ground!). Her big blue eyes are PERFECT!!

Olivia will be starting OT and PT this week to help with poor muscle tone and feeding issues. She had a barium swallow test last week and passed, though she continues to have some difficulty eating due to tight facial muscles. We are awaiting some genetic results and for George to go get tested...but we do know that she is a carrier for Fragile X, has a deletion on Chromosome 2 and an extra Chromosome 21. The doctors are awaiting this latest bloodwork and trying to figure out what it all means...then they will call us to set up a consultation. Also, thankfully...the fluid in Olivia's ears is GONE which means NO TUBES! With that said, Olivia saw the ENT for the 2nd time last Friday. Her hearing test continues to be inconsistent (though she passed her newborn hearing test) and there is a good possibility that she has some hearing loss, especially to tones. She will be seeing the ENT again in 4 weeks and will be having a Sedated ABR (hearing test) done at Children's Hospital in 4-5 weeks (there is a long wait list).

We all had our slew of doctor's appointments last week, as Luukas had 2 cavities filled, George saw the cardiologist and both babies saw the opthalmologist. Olivia's eyes are doing OK...while Cole appears to be pretty far-sighted. We'll see the eye doctor again in 6 months.

Other than doctor's appointments...we've been spending time working and enjoying Luukas' TBall games! Luukas is going to TBall camp this week and Safety Camp next week which he'll just LOVE! After that...it's some much needed Mommy time (I like to call it a fun-filled MOMMY CAMP) until September 1st! We're hoping to fit a quick and cheap trip into our summer at some point!!

LOVE TO ALL!

June and July with the Anders kids!

The Anders kids - May/June 2009

Olivia and Cole's 6 month Well Visit

The twins - 6 months old!

Waiting patiently for the pediatrician!

Olivia Christine - 12 lbs 2 oz, 24 1/8 inches and 16 1/8" head circumference

Cole Justice - 17 lbs, 26 1/2 inches long, and 17" head circumference

Cole says "Pimpin ain't easy!"

Olivia and Cole had their 6 month Well Visit today! They are both doing GREAT!!

Cole is in the 50% for height and the 25-50% for weight and head circumference, while Olivia continues to be our peanut. She is in the 5% for height, the -3% for weight and the 10% for head circumference.

Olivia has made tons of gains as she is now smiling and cooing constantly. She loves to roll from back to front and she is a mover and shaker!! She also is tracking all of us, especially her brothers!! With that said, we still have some things to work on with her. She will be starting physical therapy and occupational therapy for poor muscle tone soon. She'll also be working with a speech therapist monthly on oral motor feeding issues. We will be seeing the neurologist next week for all of the results from the neurological work-up. So far, most things seem to be fine with the exception of Olivia having fluid in her ears and some gross motor and speech delays. She is taking medicine to try to relieve the fluid. We'll know in July whether or not she'll need tubes. Last, we FINALLY seem to have the Reflux under control. The best part of that is....she is finally sleeping through the night!

Cole is our talker! He is constantly yelling, I mean talking to us! LOL! He loves to roll back to front and also play in his jumperoo. He is VERY alert and watches every move we all make, so much that he gets upset when we leave the room even for a second. I think he gets that from his Dad. Speaking of George, Cole continues to look more and more like him every day. He is doing great health wise, other than a few spit-up's here and there and bad eczema. He appears to be on track developmentally based on his actual age!!

Luukas is doing well! He is a pre-K graduate now. Soccer season ended, but we have quite a few games of T-ball left! Let us know if you ever want to come watch!! It's a lot of fun!

Happy summer to all!

Olivia and Cole - 5 months old!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Well we're 2 days into being a completely healthy family! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way!!! Mom and Olivia have clean bills of health after having been through so much. Olivia is a brand new baby. She's smiling and laughing all of the time! Thank goodness!! Yesterday, she ate cereal for the first time! She and Cole LOVE LOVE their Barley cereal. They are quite the characters, those two, and they are constantly looking at each other!

Crazy diseases and illnesses LEAVE MY FAMILY for good!!

So every time I call our pediatrician's office or take Olivia in, I swear they must think I'm half crazy or at least have munchhousers syndrome or something. I even mentioned this to Dr. Antone this week and felt pretty good about his response!! He confirmed it.....I'm one of the parents that brings my kids in when they are ACTUALLY sick. PHEW, what a relief that was to hear considering I'm calling the office and the on-call doctor ALL OF THE TIME! Poor Dr. Antone talked to me at 6 p.m. on Sunday while driving home from his sister's house and at 3 a.m. Monday morning while trying to get some sleep in between feeding his new baby. Then, guess what, the poor guy had to see Olivia and I just 6 hours later at his office, all for a good reason.

Our baby girl has been going through a lot lately. Let me give you a time line:

March 2nd - saw the Gastro dr for the 1st time
March 6th - had an Upper GI
March 12th - seen at the peds and by a surgeon for a lump the size of a prune on her neck.
March 16th - hospitalized for 4 days for the lump and a WBC count of 31. That lump turned out to be Staph Aureus. She had to be on IV antibiotics, then 2 1/2 weeks of oral antibiotics and she saw the Infectious Disease doctor in early April. Olivia was healthy for about a week until...
Spring Break - mid April - saw the ped for her 4 month check up, went to the opthamologist as recommended by the Infectious Disease dr, and saw the neurologist for cognitive and motor delays. Immediately upon getting her shots, Olivia developed a fever and cold/respiratory symptoms which
we were told was a virus.
3rd week in April - had an EEG to rule out infantile seizures, still had cold symptoms and a low grade fever.
The next few weeks and into May - Olivia had a developmental assessment done by EarlyOn and she had an MRI and blood work done (ordered by the neurologist). Throughout all of this, she continued to run fever and it would get up to 102 degrees at night. We saw the dr's (both our ped, in the ER and the after-hour clinic dr's) at least 6 times and eventually Olivia had 2 chest X-rays, received 2 antibiotic shots, and was diagnosed with pneumonia which needed a round of Amoxicillan. Our peds office was still convinced it was all viral since she had clear congestion, a hoarse voice, etc.
May 13th - Olivia woke up from a nap with a 105 degree fever. WOW...can you say...THAT FREAKED ME OUT. I took her into the after-hours clinic and she was diagnosed with an ear infection and was given an antibiotic shot and a RX for Omnicef. We saw the ped the next day who also gave her drops for conjunctivitis. The fever continued, never really going under 101 degrees. Eventually not even Tylenol was breaking it which brings me to Sunday night.
May 17th - On Sunday, Olivia was somewhat lethargic, not eating well, running fever in the evening, and her stomach was extremely bloated. Like I said above, I called Dr. Antone twice and eventually ended up giving her Motrin at 3 a.m. - a one time dose since it's not really recommended in kids under 6 months. We went to the office in the morning and Olivia had a 103.8 degree fever and a WBC of 29. Dr. Antone sent us to Beaumont for a blood culture, CBC and a urine culture. The CBC came back at 24. Dr. Antone then gave Olivia another shot of antibiotics and a RX for Bactrim for a suspected bladder infection and home we went. Later that night, she continued to run fever and it wasn't breaking. She was admitted to Beaumont where she stayed for 2 days on the peds floor.

Well, low and behold, our ped was right. Olivia had a viral infection - well 2 actually and she also had C-diff (an infection of the colon) which you get from antibiotic use. Poor thing had been sick for over a month....2 months if you count the Staph infection. The only treatment required now is daily use of PROBIOTICS and lots of rest!

Olivia's doing pretty well now that she's home!! Hopefully our bout of weird illnesses is over. According to Dr. Antone, she should be almost completely better within a week. I think she's gonna beat his prediction!! LOL!

We still have lots of upcoming appointments (ENT, geneticist, gastro dr, neurologist,and ped for 6 month check up), but we'll take them a day at a time. For now, we have 2 weeks of appointment free living and I am looking forward to that more than anything!!

Oh, I just wanted to add one more thing!!! Even through all of these crazy illnesses, our baby girl has gained almost 2 lbs in 2 months. She was 10 lbs 13 oz last Monday at the peds! GOOOOO Olivia!

5 months old!!

Olivia and Cole are 5 months old already!!! Olivia has gained weight and is catching up to Cole finally. Today she weighed 10 lbs 13 oz. YIPPEE!!! Now if we could get just get her healthy. These high fevers are SCARY!!!

The babies are doing great! We have started Cole on cereal. He's doing OK for a beginner! LOL! Both babies are rolling over - back to front and smiling, laughing and cooing. They are keeping us busy!!!

Luukas is now playing T-ball and soccer. He's loving both and especially the attention he gets from us when he has a game/practice. He's getting ready to graduate from Pre-K and move on to the "real thing!"

Here is a pic of Olivia and Cole at 5 months old...

What a few weeks it's been...

We've had a busy few weeks!! I'm not even sure how I've kept my head on straight between all of the doctor's appointments, Olivia and my pneumonia, and Mom's carotid artery surgery. Mom's artery was 80% blocked and she had surgery one week ago. She is doing GREAT!! She is staying with Josh and Laura for a few weeks so that she can receive all of the help she needs to recuperate. I am soooo thankful for their help and support for mom! Luckily hockey season is over and Josh's hours are more flexible. He was able to spend every day with Mom at the hospital and has just been a wonderful brother like always! Sarah also came into town for mom's surgery and returned again just TWO days later with J.J. and Ken to help mom and to attend Luukas' birthday party and the baby naming.

We had a fun-filled weekend with the party!! Our good friend's, the Passut's, drove into town from Virginia. It's been a year and a half since we've seen them, so the visit was great!! The mom's (our playgroup mom's along with my SIL and Jena and Sue's friend Kelly) enjoyed a night out on Friday night (just what I needed to downgrade my stress level) and the dad's went to the baseball game on Saturday night! Charlie and Luukas (friends since 6 months old) had a BLAST! Of course, there were the usual fights, but five seconds later they were best buds again!! It was also great to see our godson Jamie as he's gotten sooooo big since our visit to the Passut's when they lived in New Jersey. Jena, Sue, Taryn and I were tickled to have four of the five playgroup boy's together again!!

The party had its glitches, but overall everything seemed to go OK. It was pretty chilly out and we received word two hours before it started that the trains weren't going to run due to the park being muddy and flooded. George's quick thinking helped us come up with a back-up plan which included getting Darth Vador to come to the party. Luukas was very excited about this since he has really been into Star Wars lately. In the essence of not asking people to come to two events, we held the baby naming on the same day. The baby naming was very special. Our minister, Rev. Sandy Hess, led a beautiful ceremony which included my brother in law, Ken, leading the family in the Kiddush (using the cup that we used at our wedding and at Luukas' baby naming). George's grandmother and aunt also made the babies their special bonnets which came out beautifully!

Olivia Christine is named after George's sister, Shawn Christine. Her Hebrew name is Fraedal Raizel, meaning joy and rose. Her godparents are my sister and brother in law and the Passut's.

Cole Justice is named after George's brother, Chris. His Hebrew name is Binyamin David, meaning son of right hand and beloved. His godparents are my brother and sister in law and the Passut's.

Thanks to everyone who sent prayers Mom's way and also to everyone who attended Luukas' party and the baby naming! Luukas LOVED all of his presents! One of these days we'll get around to writing thank you cards!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Anders' kids WELL VISIT'S!

Today all 3 kids had their well-visit's!!

Luukas had his Kindergarten physical. He weighs 33 1/2 lbs and is 40 1/4 inches tall. He was a brave boy as he received 4 shots and had his finger pricked. He was very cute throughout the appointment, especially when he had to do his vision and hearing exam (which he passed!).


Luukas with our favorite nurse, Beth!


He even made it to soccer after all of that! Of course, the first thing he told Coach Tim was to be careful with him because "I had 5 shots today."


Olivia and Cole had their 4-month physicals.

Olivia now weighs 9 lbs 6 oz and she is 23 1/8 inches tall. Her head circumference is 15 1/8. She is in the 75% for height and 25% for weight on the preemie chart, while being in the 10-25% for height and -3% for weight on the regular charts. Olivia gained a pound in the last month which made Dr. Antone pretty happy! We are able to start cereal (oatmeal for both - no rice) for her though we might wait a few weeks since we were told the longer we wait (until she's closer to 6 months), the less allergies she might get. It's a tough call for us because we so badly want her to gain more weight, yet we already know she has allergies to cow's milk and soy and wonder what/if anything else she might be allergic too. Olivia also saw the neurologist this morning. She will be having a full work-up done to rule out lots of things. We'll know more in the next month or two.


Our precious baby girl!


Cole weighed a whopping 13 lbs 14 oz at today's appointment. He is 24 1/4 inches tall and his head circumference is 15 3/4. He is in the 25% for weight, 15% for height and 5-10% for head size on the regular charts. He's off the charts on the preemie charts at this point! We are also able to continue to try cereal with him as well and we got some good tips for how to deal with his eczema and cradle cap that we've been struggling to get rid of for the last few months.


Our big boy!!!

Luukas is VERY happy that he doesn't have to have shots for 5-6 more years. I must say my poor kids received at least 15 shots total (between all 3 kids) today. Good thing George and his mom were there to help!!

On an important side note, PLEASE PLEASE say some prayers for my mom. She is experiencing some serious health problems. She has some tests later this week so we'll know more then. As many of you know, my mom is my best friend and we have always been very close. The thought of something happening to her or of having to watch her go through things is very sad and scary for me. I love my mom more than anything and she's been there for me thick and thin. I'm just hoping I can live up to helping her as much as she's helped me/us through the years!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sooooo....Luukas didn't really want to share his birthday with Easter. Not that he had a say in how the calendar was written!! It's very hard to believe that he is 5 years old now and the twins are 4 months old!! Luukas acts very grown up and George and I always look at each other in amazement of this precious child we have raised so well! Luukas started soccer again, he LOVES LOVES LOVES Legos and Star Wars, and he's just an all around HAPPY kid!!! He cracks us up....as he uses my camera to chronicle the entire ride from our house to Oakland Mall (he didn't miss ANYTHING on the way - there were 100 pics on my camera when we got home!) and to chronicle George as he walks from the kitchen to the living room! Also, Luukas said to George last night, after being told numerous times that it was bedtime, "Daddy, I'm 5 now. I can stay up as late as YOU!!" Ya right kid!!! LOL!!

Yesterday morning, I overheard Luukas telling Cole in the most squeekiest voice ever, "It's my birrrrrthday Cole. It's my birrrrtthday!" Luukas loves his brother and sister, even though he still asks me at least once a week to "take one of them back because then Daddy will have more time to play with me." Never mind that George plays Star Wars with him from 3 p.m. til bedtime every day! What can we say....he LOVES Star Wars!

Wishing you all a WONDERFUL Spring!!!

SOOOOO BIG!!!

The twins (and Luukas) are getting SOOOO BIG!!!

Today, Olivia and Cole had their last Synagis shot! They did great!! Olivia weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz and Cole at 13 lbs 4 oz.

Our big boy is starting cereal by this weekend!!! Oh, and the other exciting news...Olivia's new formula, Neocate, will be covered by our insurance company for up to one year!!!

As we were leaving the doctor's today, George said...."Well they gave us 3 cans of formula, so I guess we can afford to go to Taco Bell tonight!!!" My comment back, "Well they're covering Olivia's formula which is going to save us over $200 a month so I guess I can finally go get a haircut and hi-lites now!!!"

By the way, check out the slideshow....Luukas wants everyone to know that Cole can say Ella's name now!!! Oh, and Cole is almost as big as Luukas!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Olivia Update 2!

Well, Olivia saw Dr. Freij on Thursday. He is the Infectious Disease doctor. She weighed 9 lbs!!! This means she has gained almost a pound since being admitted to the hospital!!! The lump is almost completely gone and is not expected to come back!! YIPPEE! This is a miracle too since they told us to give her 1/2 the strength of Keflex that we were supposed to.

Things are great here for now! The babies are getting very active!! We have lots of doctor's appointments in the upcoming weeks, so it's going to be VERY busy!! Next week are their Synagis shots. During Spring break, all 3 kids will have well-baby/kid visits! Hard to believe the twins will be 4 months old soon and Luukas will be 5! The twins are also going to see an Opthomologist during break and Olivia will be seeing a neurologist to address some concerns that George and I have. After all of those appointments, including 2 appts for mommy, we're heading to Indianapolis to visit Cousin Kelly and her family for a much needed vacation!!!

Olivia's HOME!!!

Olivia came home Wednesday evening!! She was able to tolerate the Keflex. We learned that she has Staph aureus - non MRSA strain. This is good news as weeks of Keflex should clear it up. Olivia will see Dr. Freij, Infectious Disease, next week for a follow-up appointment. At this point, they are not planning on draining the lymph node as it is still too hard. It has gotten a little bit smaller, which is good news. The BEST news is that her White Blood Cell count went from 31 on Sunday to 19 yesterday!!!!

Thanks for all of your prayers!! It was a trying week, but we are glad to be back as a family. Well, I'll speak for George and I. Luukas learned what it was like to have one sibling instead of two over the last week and he's insistent on giving up one baby because "Daddy had more time to play with me when there was only Cole to take care of." Sorry to tell you Luukas.....but you are stuck with two siblings!!!! I worked to darn hard to get them here!! Of course, he could not take his eyes and hands off of his baby sister when she got home, so I'm pretty sure he still loves Olivia and Cole both! LOL!

A crazy few days....

Well, Olivia didn't make much progress over the weekend. In fact, she went downhill and we ended up back in the Beaumont ER on Sunday. She went from eating 4 oz regularly prior to Thursday, to 3-4 ounces per feed on Thursday and Friday and then to only 1-2 ounces per feed by Sunday. She was extremely lethargic as well and I thought she was running fever. I called the pediatrician and he made me bring her in.

Within 30 minutes of being here, we were told that Olivia would be admitted for IV antibiotics. Still we sat in the ER for 7 hours while they did some blood work and an ultrasound. The ER doctor contacted Dr. Chan who happened to be out riding his motorcycle. Twenty minutes after being called he was at her bedside attempting to drain the lump/cyst. At that point, it was still debatable whether we were working with a brachial cleft cyst or an infected lymph node. Dr. Chan was only able to aspirate a little fluid...thank goodness enough to test though. IV antibiotics were started and we were moved to a room on the pediatrics unit.

Almost immediately Olivia started to perk up. Her eating was better on Sunday night but then regressed again yesterday. We found out today that Olivia has a Staph infection. We're not sure how she got it and they are still testing the susceptibility to determine which antibiotics are best to treat it, but I am relieved we finally know what's going on. We'll have more answers tomorrow and the docs may try oral antibiotics (a VERY high dose) tomorrow afternoon. If Olivia can tolerate them, she may be able to come home Wednesday night or sometime Thursday. She'll be on antibiotics for a while and she'll need to see the Infectious Disease doctor, Pediatric Surgeon (in case the lump is drainable in the future) and Opthamologist (for her possible lazy eye). Like I said, I'll update more tomorrow. I'm exhausted and have to work in the morning. In the meantime:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/staphylococcus.html

Another day at Beaumont...

Just wanted to send across another update. Today we were able to get in with Dr. Chan, the pediatric surgeon at Beaumont. He was REALLY glad we brought Olivia in vs. waiting until next week, like the ER doctors recommended. He was very displeased with the ultrasound they did in the ER last night and immediately sent us to Radiology so that Olivia could have a REAL ultrasound.

Dr. Bloom, the Radiologist, was GREAT! He explained everything in full detail as he did the ultrasound and immediately called Dr. Chan to share the results. The just of it is that there is some debris in Olivia's neck...meaning most likely she has a Brachial Cleft Cyst - a birth defect. Unfortunately, the area is so inflamed that it was hard to get good pictures. He was able to see some lymph nodes and thick fluid as well, which could be lymph adenitis.

Dr. Chan recommended that Olivia stay on the Keflex for now and that we come back on Tuesday. We are to do warm compresses a few times a day as well. The hope is that Tuesday, Dr. Chan's partner will be able to drain the area a little and that we'll get better answers regarding if it's a cyst vs. lymph nodes. If it is a cyst, she'll have to have it surgically removed within the next few months, as it will keep reappearing if we don't.

Soooo...pray that Olivia has a good weekend. She isn't eating well and is more tired than usual. We have to watch for fever, wet diapers, eating, etc. If she gets a fever or is dehydrated or continues to not eat well, she'll have to be admitted for IV antibiotics. We're definitely hoping that isn't the case!

Olivia Update!

We received Olivia's new treatment plan. She started Prevacid this past Sunday and will be switched to Neocate formula as soon as it's approved by my insurance company. We have turned her Nutramigen formula into a 24 calorie formula by adding more formula to the same amount of water. We are working with a dietician at Children's Hospital. Olivia weighed 8 lbs 2 oz on Monday and 8 lbs 3 oz on Thursday (yesterday). Dr. Antone spoke with two neonatalogists and they all agree that she's growing. He doesn't want me to worry any longer about her weight...but you all know I will.

Just when we have this all figured out...Olivia's neck swelled up Thursday morning. Our neighbor Misty noticed it while she was watching the twins and immediately told George. We took her to the pediatrician's in the afternoon and were referred to Beaumont as she had a high white blood cell count. Dr. Antone consulted with 2 other peds at his office and they all felt the lump was a lymph node. He shared that we could either take her to Beaumont ER on Thursday night or wait and see a specialist on Friday morning. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, I opted to go ahead and take her. While in the ER, Olivia had an ultrasound on her neck which showed a Branchial Cleft Cyst.

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001396.htm

The doctor's are also ruling out Lymphadenitis

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001301.htm

and have begun Olivia on Keflex to see if it will take the swelling down. Our neighbor, who is a nurse, told George that she feels it's an infection....and I tend to agree with her since Olivia hasn't been eating well all day and has been extra tired.

So....the wait begins to see if the Keflex will work. I'll be calling Dr. Antone as soon as his office opens on Friday morning and also calling Dr. Chan, the pediatric surgeon at Beaumont. If the lump does not go away by next week, it will most likely have to be removed.

The TWINS are 12 weeks old!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Friday marked the 12th week of the twins lives! It's amazing to think back and see how much our family has changed in one year! This month marks one year from the time I walked into IVF Michigan to speak with Dr. Abuzeid about going through another round of IVF. Boy, are we happy that worked out for us! It was a rough 8 1/2 months of being pregnant, but we are so lucky and count our blessings daily! Things are getting easier day by day. George and I have worked out a night schedule so that we can each get some sleep. The babies are still eating almost every 3 hours, especially Olivia.

Olivia had her Upper GI at Children's Hospital on Friday. Things went well and other than seeing Reflux, there were no other concerns. We are going to be starting Prevacid by Monday and Dr. Antone is going to be keeping a close watch on her weight. She'll have a weight check at the end of the week. I am concerned that she's only gained 2 1/2 lbs since birth. Cole has gained 5 1/2 lbs....but they are completely separate babies and I try my hardest not to compare them. Even Luukas had gained 5 1/2 lbs by the 3 month mark and his body composition resembles Olivia more than Cole's does. My greatest concern is Olivia's failure to thrive and whether or not her body is taking in the nutrients correctly. If you remember, Olivia and Cole were considered discordant twins because of their weight difference and one of the main reasons Dr. Kazzi delivered me at 33 weeks and 6 days was because he felt she would do better outside of the womb. Soooo, the Jewish mother worries!!!

Enjoy a few pics of Olivia and Cole at 12 weeks and of them meeting their Great-Grandma Lincoln for the first time!

11 1/2 week update!

It's hard to believe but Olivia and Cole are already 11 1/2 weeks old! On Monday, they visited Dr. Antone for their Synagis (RSV) shots. Olivia weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and Cole weighed in at 11 lbs 2 oz. Both babies have a very slight cold and cradle cap. We are trying T-Gel for the cradle cap, as we have already tried olive oil. Cole's cradle cap is all over his face - red bumps, scaly eyes, etc. I thought it was an allergic reaction to his formula, but it's not. Cole is now on Soy formula and Olivia is on Nutramigen. Knock on wood....we seem to have FINALLY figured out which formula's work for them! The twins are eating every 3 hours around the clock lately. Occasionally, they (especially Cole) will go 5 hours between feeds at night. George and I have them on a schedule so that helps! We are managing to work together so that we can get as much sleep as possible!

Monday also brought Olivia's GI appointment. We waited 5 LONG weeks for her to be seen by the doctor. The appointment was very emotional as their scale said she only weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, which would have meant she gained a mere 3 oz in 2 1/2 weeks. Based on that information, the GI doctor did a ton of bloodwork, ordered her to start Reglan in addition to keeping her on the Zantac, ordered an Upper GI test for this Friday, and discussed possible hospitalization due to lack of weight gain. She also discussed changing Olivia's formula to a higher calorie formula. None of this made sense to me since Olivia has been keeping down more food now that she's on the Nutramigen. I was in tears the entire appointment worried about my little girl. The emotional roller coaster ended once we got to Dr. Antone's and she weighed in at 7 lbs 15 oz, meaning that she gained 11 oz in 16 days. Boy, what a relief that was!!!

So now, we are waiting to get instructions for a new treatment plan to treat Olivia's GERD. Dr. Antone will be speaking with Dr. Macha tomorrow. I spoke with her today and she requested that I have Olivia's growth chart faxed over to her. She also mentioned that all of the bloodwork has come back normal! Looks like we have a little one on our hands, just like Luukas was. If anything at all, I would like to see that Olivia not have to go through the Upper GI if it's not needed. Also, maybe we can look at adding calories somehow to the current formula to help with growth.

Olivia and Cole are much more alert and starting to get their personalities! Cole is our jokester and Olivia is our serious baby. She is VERY observant and will catch every wrong move you make! LOL! Cole on the other hand will laugh at you any chance he gets!!! He likes to grab Olivia's pacifier's out of her mouth, while Olivia loves to grab shirts, glasses and Nana's necklace! We moved Olivia to her new crib (a gift from my Romeo friends!) over the weekend as she was sliding out of the Inclined to Sleep and right into Cole's legs at night. We were worried he would roll/move on top of her. They love their cribs!!!

I have to run to get Luukas at preschool. Speaking of Luukas, we go to kindergarten round-up next week. I can't believe he's going to be 5 in 6 short weeks. WOW...time flies!!!

Have a great rest of the week!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Olivia and Cole's Two Month Well Visit

Olivia and Cole had their two month well visit this past Monday! Hard to believe that they are now 8 weeks old. Their visit was a few days early due to it being time for their 2nd Synagis (RSV) shot. They also received their first round of vaccinations.

Olivia weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long! Her head circumference was 13 3/4 inches. She is in the 3% for all three areas for her actual age and in the 10-25% for her weight and the 25% for her length and head circumference corrected age. She has a small belly button hernia that should correct itself. She is drinking 3-4 oz now per feed!! We've made some progress with her Reflux by changing her formula to Enfamil Gentlease (the formula we were using is being discontinued) and breaking her Zantac into 3 doses per day. Also, she still needs a Prune juice/water mixture every now and then, though I noticed that since we were able to stop the Iron drops on Monday for both babies, she seems to be doing better in the pooping area!! Boy, the things that make new mom's proud!! While Olivia is growing, it's at a slower pace than Cole due to her body make-up and partially due to the Reflux. She has an appointment with the GI doctor on March 2nd. Even though her Reflux is more under control than before, we are keeping the appointment, as she still struggles with projectile vomiting at least once a day or so.

Cole weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long! His head circumference was 14 inches. He is in the 5% for height and weight and the 3% for head circumference for his actual age and in the 50% for his weight, 50-75% for his length, and the 25% for his head circumference corrected age. He is growing like crazy and still eating us out of house and home, as he's now up to almost 6 oz per feed!!!!

Olivia loves her crib mobile (thanks Aunt Meg and Uncle Gregg) and being rocked!! She also loves her pacifier, which Luukas calls her sucky! Speaking of Luukas, Olivia is looking more and more like him each day. Cole loves taking baths (I think he purposely messes up his outfits so he can get a bath!), his vibrating bouncy chair, and laughing at his sister when she cries. He looks a lot like George!!

We have started going on outings!!! Our first outing was to one of our favorite restaurant - Leo's Coney Island. Of course, that morning I was putting the stroller's in the car and when I finished I sat in the car waiting for George and the kids. He came strolling out of the house, locking the door and everything, WITHOUT Olivia and Cole! LOL! Our next outing was to Kohl's so that I could buy clothes for work. Yep, you read that right....I am heading back to work this Friday. It will be quite the transition, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. George and I were saying how surreal everything is - just 2 months ago I was finishing up an 8 week stay in the hospital and 4 months on bedrest - and now we have 8 week old twins and I'm heading to work for the first time this school year (minus the 2 teacher days that I worked). Boy, does time fly when you're having fun!!!

Well, it's late. We've been trying to get the twins to sleep for hours. Luukas is at his gramma's for a spur of the moment sleepover. I'll pick him up later today (Thursday) so that he can go to my work and show off his new siblings!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cardiologist Appointment Results!

Last Tuesday, Olivia and Cole visited Dr. Humes down at Children's Hospital. Olivia weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and measured 18 1/2 inches long, while Cole weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 20 inches long. Both babies had a thorough exam which further confirmed that both PDA's remain closed! It is not expected that they will spontaneously reopen, thus Olivia and Cole received a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH!!!

The twins are continuing to do well! They are still eating us out of house and home, as you'll see by the pictures! Cole eats about 4 1/2 to 5 oz per feed now, while Olivia eats approximately 3 1/2 to 4 oz per feed. Her weight gain has not been as fast as Cole's, partially due to her Reflux and also due to her body make-up. She is following Luukas' growth pattern and looks like him too!! Cole appears to look more like George! We seem to have a better grasp on Olivia's Reflux now, as we've increased her Zantac and also are giving her 1/2 oz of Prune juice mixed with a 1/2 oz of water once a day to help with constipation. Hopefully, this will help her little tummy feel better!! We've already seen proof of this as she was seen at the pediatrician's on Thursday and weighed 6 lbs 5 oz - a 3 oz weight gain in just TWO days!

As far as sleep goes....WHAT IS THAT?!! Just kidding!! Surprising, Cole is sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night and Olivia is sleeping 4-5 hours straight. For the most part, the twins are fed at the same time throughout the day which helps George and I to get some rest! Now, I just have to concentrate on getting them more on a set schedule, as I am heading back to work in 12 days.

We are now able to have visitors, including kids!! We ask that you only stop by if you are good and healthy, as the twins are still building their immune system and can also still get RSV. Last, please don't be offended when George and I ask you to both wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitizer before touching the babies! We still have to protect our lil' ones!!!

We hope you are all having a great weekend!!

P.S. - For those of you who received our announcement and are confused about the name change, SEE GEORGE!! LOL!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Looking back...

It's been over a month now since Olivia and Cole were in my belly. Lots of thoughts have went through my mind in the last month as I think a lot during my sleepless nights! I am sure for each person the birth of a child forever changes their lives. For me...it was my pregnancy with the twins that has forever changed who I am as a person. 16+ weeks of strict bedrest (8+ which were spent at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital) truly made me appreciate the little things in life and FREEDOM. I endured more during my pregnancy than I have my entire life. It is only because of my positive attitude, ability to follow the strict bedrest orders, and the loving care and support of my doctor's, nurses, family and friends that Olivia and Cole are with us today.

So with that said I want to THANK ALL OF YOU:

First I want to thank the love of my life, George, for agreeing that expanding our family was more important than buying and keeping a camper!! All I have ever wanted in our marriage is to make you a daddy! The love and dedication that you give our children and I can be seen a mile away. The hardest part of my pregnancy was being away from you and Luukas for 8+ weeks. I hated not being able to help you do things around the house and just plain not being there for 2 months. I know the time I was in the hospital was very stressful on you. All I can say is that we are both better and stronger people because of the last 9 months!

Luukas - You are the best son anyone could ever ask for. You've been through more than most 4-yr-old's and yet, you just keep smiling! Thank you for being such a good boy for Daddy and everyone else who took care of you while I was in the hospital. Thank you for understanding why Mommy hasn't been able to lift you up since April and for helping me so much around the house. Thank you for coming to visit me every couple days and for cuddling with me while we watched SpongeBob and ate hospital ice cream together. Thank you for all of the hugs, kisses and "I love you's." Most of all, thank you for being such a great BIG BROTHER!!! You amaze me every day!!!

Thank you Dr. Abuzeid, Dr. Ashraf and all of the staff at IVF Michigan. Without you we wouldn't EVEN HAVE Luukas, Olivia and Cole. We are forever grateful for the work that you do with couples struggling with infertility. The dignity and professionalism that you treat families with makes going through the in-vitro process a whole lot easier.

Thank you Dr. Kazzi, Dr. Fabian, Dr. Thomas and all of the OB residents and Maternal Fetal Medicine staff at St. Joe's. You put up with me for 8 1/2 LONG months! You dealt with my fears, anxiety, tears, and joys of happiness. Dr. Kazzi...you knew all along that I would get to 34-35 weeks in my pregnancy! Even I didn't believe I could get that far, but the whole time you kept pushing me to get further and I did! Thank you for your constant support and for never looking at me like I was crazy when I asked my million questions and demanded tests. You have a god given gift to care for pregnant women and you do so in a very humble way.

Thank you to the nurses and PCA's on 3WAN at St. Joe's. You helped me get through 8+ weeks of hospital bedrest. You became my family over those long weeks and I will never know how to repay you for keeping me sane! The long (and late night) talks, constant encouragement and laughter, yummy milkshakes, midnight snack runs for weird combinations of food, and the patience and care that you gave me helped make each day go by faster. Thank you for putting me in check when I needed it and for always being candid with me! Each of you never gave up on me no matter how much I complained, cried, doubted things, worried, etc. Thank you for celebrating each milestone of my pregnancy with me and for just plain 'ol being there! It is because of your love and support that I made it to 33 weeks and 6 days gestation!! With that said, no offense, but I never want to see another needle or hospital bed, so I promise to come visit you all...but only as a visitor and not as a patient!

Thank you to Dr. Desai, Dr. Holtrop, Dr. Pampati and all of the NICU staff at St. Joe's. You took care of Olivia and Cole just as you would your own children! You also showed George and I that a positive NICU experience IS POSSIBLE! A special thanks to Vernette for making me come back to St. Joe's Emergency Room two days after being discharged from my delivery. YOU SAVED MY LIFE!

Thanks to Dr. Antone and all of the staff at Northeast Pediatrics!! We are so lucky to have found the best pediatrician office in the world! You are all very dedicated to the idea of the WHOLE child and to maintaining optimal health for all! Thank you for always being there for our family!

Thank you Mom and Dad, Aunt Meg and Uncle Gregg, Shawn, Toni and Randall, Dad (George Jr.), Noelle and John, Sue, and Chris and Rose for taking care of Luukas (often at the spur of a moment) and for putting together the twins nursery for George and I. The time you dedicated to our family allowed us to keep Luukas in a routine, something that was very important to us. Thank you for your constant visits to see me at the hospital too. Also, a special thanks goes out to my Mom, Aunt Meg, and Toni for attending my numerous ultrasounds and doctor's appointments with me.

Mom, thank you for making sure that George, Luukas and I had clean clothes to wear and a clean house to live in for the last 5 months. Thank you for visiting me every other day (sometimes every day) that I was in the hospital as well and for letting me call you in the middle of the night to chit-chat and calm my fears, tears, and anxieties. I am so lucky to have you as a mother and I cherish each day that we have together.

Thank you Chris, Rose, Shawn, Josh, Laura, Sarah and Ken - George and I could not ask for better siblings! We appreciate all you do for us and are so honored to make you the namesakes and godparents (also Jena and Charlie) of Olivia and Cole.

Thank you to all of you who took time out of your busy lives to visit, call, email, and text message me while I was on bedrest and in the hospital. I know I will miss someone if I attempt to name all of you, but know that I truly appreciate the support you provided my family and I during those 4-5 long months. Thank you also to Tina, Bridget and Sue for driving me back and forth to the hospital. Oh and I must not forget to mention how much I appreciated those of you who brought us food...THANK YOU for giving me a break from hospital food! Last, thank you everyone who dealt with my tears regarding my fear that George wouldn't answer his phone and be at the hospital in time for Olivia and Cole's birth. HE MADE IT!!!

Thank you to my Romeo co-worker's and administrators. I am very proud to work for such a fine school district. The support you have shown me while on medical leave made missing work a lot easier. A special thanks to Margaret, MaryJane and Julie for answering my trillion questions regarding my leave. Also, I can't forget my Eastwood Clinics co-worker's and director! Thanks for always calling and checking up on me!!

Last, but not least, thank you to all of my new friends I made during the length of my pregnancy. From my friends who blogged with me day in and day out on the pregnancy site to Joyel, my post-partum doula, who taught me all about breastfeeding even if it was short-lived. To my Mom's of Multiples group - Thank you for welcoming me with open arms. I have already learned so much from all of you and I'm forever grateful to GoMOM's! Cathy, Angela, Teresa, Jessica and everyone else from GoMOM's....Thank you for providing us with meals and encouragement and support during my pregnancy and during these first few weeks as parents of twins. Only you can appreciate what it's like attempting to feed two babies at once....or feeding one baby and then thinking you can go to sleep, only to be reminded via a second crying baby that you have another feeding yet to do!! Jessica - you are also a gift from God! Each day I was on bedrest, I looked forward to opening my email and seeing one from you. Your experiences from the 10 weeks you spent on hospital bedrest at St. Joe's in 2007 helped me to get through my hospital bedrest. I know we were meant to meet...as the last few months have been truly healing to both of us in very different ways. I am so thankful to have you as a friend and truly feel like we are soul sisters. I look forward to our families growing up together (yours literally!!) and to watching Parker, McKenna, Olivia, Cole and Baby Watson become fast friends, just as we have become!! I am soooo excited for what 2009 is going to bring to your family!!

This is a very long post, but there is no short way to thank each and every one of you for what you have done for our family in 2008! We love you all!

Happy One Month Birthday Olivia and Cole!

It's VERY hard to believe but Olivia and Cole are one month old already! They saw Dr. Antone today for a final weight check. Olivia gained 9 oz in one week and now weighs 5 lbs 12 oz and Cole gained a pound in a week and now weighs 6 lbs 11 oz!! Olivia is eating about 80 ml per feed and Cole is already almost up to 120 ml (4 oz). Both babies are doing GREAT, minus the Reflux and constipation issues with Olivia. Her Zantac has been increased some and also we have stopped using Thick-It in both Cole and Olivia's bottles, as per Dr. Antone, their digestive systems should be mature now. We're hoping that stopping the Thick-It will help Olivia's constipation some! Olivia and Cole will see Dr. Antone next on February 2nd for their Synagis (RSV) shots and two month appointment. Last, both babies are able to use their swings and bouncer seats now!! The bouncer became a lifesaver for me on Sunday night when George was gone snowplowing. Thanks Auntie Noelle for suggesting I finally use it!


I've included some pics from today and also 2 short video clips of Luukas with his siblings!


Update 1/14/09: Stopping the Thick-It has proven to be successful for Olivia!!!! No more hours and hours of straining at night!! We are still using it for Cole as it helps coat his stomach.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Kids say the darndest things!

So I decided to start an ongoing post regarding comments Luukas has made since the twins were born. His wording is soooo precious and he's so comical at the same time. Since I have a short memory, I can just log on here and add things as he says them, that way I won't forget! Let me know if you have anything to add to the list!


1. Olivia, you're the best girl ever.
2. Don't cry baby girl. SHUSH UP Cole!!
3. I know baby girl....my poops hurt too. It's gonna be OK.
4. LOOK at ME Cole, just LOOK AT ME!!
5. Hey Cole, my baby boy.
6. I love you baby boy. I love you baby girl.
7. Rock a bye Olivia. Go to sleep now. It's naptime.
8. Mommy, I want to go camping. I said, "OK, Luukas but I was thinking we'd go visit Jena and Charlie this summer. They live near the ocean." Luukas replied, "OK...but we have to leave the twins at Becken's house and take Becken with us because he hasn't seen Charlie in a long time."
9. "I want macaroni and cheese, mommy." I said, "I'm making hamburger helper...it's the same thing." Luukas said, "No it's not." I said, "You need to try it. How come you try new foods for Aunt Meg and not for me?" Luukas said, "Because Aunt Meg is a better cook than you!!" Two weeks later after a good spaghetti dinner, Luukas decided that I really do know how to cook!
9. "Mommy, who's driving me to Madi's party on Saturday?" I said, "Probably Aunt Ginger in Great-gramma's car." Luukas said, "That's good because Great-gramma is old."