Stairs, making faces, and dancing

Greetings!

Jonas and Elsa discovered the stairs last week. They are very fast scooting up the stairs (with parent supervision) and unsure of the going down part. We are officially gate owners now and have tried to strategically place them at critical access points to help shepherd the twin dynamos. It kind of works.

Elsa has picked up on mimicking some faces that she sees. She likes to puff up her checks and try to make sounds as she exhales. She seems very proud of this accomplishment. It is very cute to see!

Jonas and Elsa have both taken to moving their legs and hips when the music is playing. We found a "Raffi" channel on Pandora (a online radio station) that has great background music while we eat or play.

We only had one appointment this past week. This is such a rarity! Elsa had a feeding evaluation that went really well. She ate banana, yogurt, fried pea pods (7 calories a pop--you go!), and other solids. She is slowly getting used to a variety of solids. It is very exciting to see her have such great success.

Jonas eats everything.

We had a fun week and it was great to see lots of smiles and hear lots of giggles from twin a and b. Picture: Jonas and Elsa playing; Elsa with a big kid cup; Elsa smiling; Elsa playing; twins crawling.

God Bless,

Mari & Elsa & Dan & Jonas

Man-cave

Greetings!

As I type, Jonas and Elsa are both trying to turn the same page of a Curious George book. This collaborative effort is not going too well as they are still on the first page. However, it is great to see them having a great time together drooling and chewing on a book.

Jonas has decided that the underneath section of the activity bouncer is his 'man-cave'. He stores all of his toys there and crawls under there to hang out. We think he is eventually planning on turning it into his den. Elsa leaves him to it and enjoys the rest of the room while he is in there.

On Monday, both kids got their third RSV shot. This pricey little shot helps them from catching RSV, a common infection that most babies get a long the way but is particularly dangerous to preemie. The kids are champs with shots and have quick recovery times. I stopped by target and got my H1N1 shot this week and laughed at how puny getting one shot at a time is given what Elsa and Jonas get to enjoy on a regular basis:).

Elsa and Jonas are having a blast these past few weeks. They are talking, in mono-syllable chatter, and are both dancing now when they hear music, singing, or dad's guitar!

Pictures: 'It wasn't me...maybe the kid sitting next to me'; The man-cave; crawling in the kitchen.

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas

A well deserved break...

Greetings. Elsa had quite a busy week with various GI tests that involved her being strapped into an x-ray machine and rotating while eating. Needless to say, she was not a huge fan of the tests but was a trooper nonetheless. We have heard back on one test and are waiting to hear on the other. Basically, the GI specialist wanted to see if there was any tightening at either end of the stomach during the eating process. The first test came back with nothing of note and we expect to hear back in the few days the results of the second test. If nothing is found that is great and if something is found it can be treated so that is great too. We, especially Elsa, are just so glad to have the two days of testing in the books. Elsa is sleeping right now and enjoying the weekend break. Jonas is helping me type...

Other than the testing, Elsa and Jonas had a great week. Lots of playing, mono-syllable practicing, and movement. They discovered stairs yesterday. Gates will be coming soon.

God Bless,
Mari & Elsa & Dan & Jonas

I don't think she is a candidate for that...

Greetings!

This past week we took Elsa in to meet with a G.I. specialist based on the reoccurring suggestions that Elsa may need a G-tube to help with her weight gain. Within the first three minutes of our meeting with the specialist he looked at the chart, Elsa, and his notes and said that he didn't think she was a candidate for a G-tube. He was happy with her continued weight gain and her overall activity level. What a relief! The doctor did want to do a couple of studies on Elsa's GI tract to see if there were any narrowing at either end of the stomach that may be problematic for her. Overall, it was a wonderful appointment with lots of good information. Elsa is now in the 14 pound club (14-3ounces). She is trying to beat Mari's one year weight of 17 pounds...three months to go!

Elsa and Jonas celebrated their one year birthday with their good friend Joshua. Joshua was also born on December 12th. The three had lots of fun playing, crawling-go Elsa and Jonas!, walking-go Joshua!, and sharing toys. What a great day!

We had a great visit with some friends from our church this past weekend. They had been such a wonderful support during our time in the hospital it was a great joy for them to get to spend some time with Elsa and Jonas.

We had to enable an option to approve all comments on the blog after the spam message showed up on the last post. Sorry about that!

God Bless,

Dan & Jonas & Elsa & Mari

New Year!

Greetings and Happy New Year!
We rung in the new year with Elsa and Jonas in style with some good friends, good times, and a good meal. Mari received the Julia Child cookbook for Christmas and we put it to good use and cooked up some beef bourguignon--with countless Julia Child impersonations through out the evening.

Jonas and Elsa weren't quite ready for that dish but have had a really solid eating scorecard over break. Elsa continues to have really solid numbers for her total volume. We are excited to see a GI specialist in the upcoming weeks to get his take on what is going on with her eating.

Both kids are feeling over confident with their balance in the past couple of days. They like to stand up against a couch or a gate and then turn completely around with no hands holding on. The next three seconds or so they beam a big smile and seem particularly proud of their accomplishment. And then the ground rushes up to greet them. Again, they cry for second and then are back at it as if the past fall didn't occur. Love the spirit!

We realized that we took no pictures since the last blog. We do have a video but it needs a little unpacking...there is a Saturday Night Live skit where the teacher is constantly asking a student named "gilly" if she was the one causing trouble. It isn't a very funny skit but we have taken to saying "gilly" towards the kids in a funny voice. Without further adieu...

God Bless,
Mari & Elsa & Jonas & Dan