The past week has included: a 911 call, a fire in the neighborhood (separate from the 911 call), storm with hail damage, a sick husband, a sick baby, 3 trips to the doctor, fighting with the insurance company, & a lot of chaos! Our life continues to be crazy! Every week I think I am finally going to start their baby books, write thank-you notes, get housework done, maybe take a nap...WRONG again! I barely have time to update my blog as many of you so kindly remind me. Where shall I begin? How about a good note. The girls went for their 2 month check-up which included immunizations last Wednesday. Lexa has surpassed her sister weighing in at 9 pounds, 15 ounces... a long way from her lowest weight at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. Geneva weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Both handled their shots well. I wonder if their month of hospitalization somehow lowered their pain tolerance compared to other babies. Two nurses laid each baby on the exam table, 1 at a time, and counted to 3 stabbing each leg with a needle simultaneously! The girls both cried but only for a few seconds. The worst part was an oral vaccination that triggered Geneva's sensitive gag reflex. Luckily Mommy recognized the panic stricken face & grabbed the burp cloth in just enough time. Monday morning at 2:00 a.m. was the 911 call to report my neighbors in a domestic disturbance, to put it mildly. Let's see... Tuesday morning Patrick woke up sick with a 103 fever but no other symptoms. We tried to keep him away from the kids as much as possible, but with twins that is really impossible. I cannot do everything 24/7, so a day later...Geneva wakes up with a 102.4 fever. I am having flashbacks of my conversation with the neonatologist who told us if either girls got a fever in the first few months--that meant automatic hospitalization because of their prematurity & inability to fight infection. I call the pediatrician on call who confirmed that we might as well head to the ER as hospitalization is likely. Well by this point it is 8:00 a.m. & the clinic is open, so I make an appointment for 8:45 a.m. I would like to make a side note here... I took Geneva to the doctor by myself & left Lexa home with Patrick. It was SO easy transporting just one!! I kept looking around..."I know I am forgetting something!" It was a weird feeling. So anyway the doctor obviously felt it was a virus caught from Daddy & that as long as she was eating & staying hydrated & the fever was controlled with Tylenol that we could monitor her at home. What a relief. I think I would have been in the psych ward if Geneva had to have been hospitalized again. Another side note, Geneva weighed in that day at 10 pounds, 4 ounces! Quite a gain in one week's time. So Wednesday & Thursday were pretty rough with a sickly girl & husband. She is such a sweetheart though--rarely crying, just looking at me with her big blue eyes, whimpering like a little sick puppy. She is much better & her fever finally broke this morning. Daddy had the worst of it & still doesn't feel back to par, although his fever is gone now, too. I love my husband to death but he is a TERRIBLE sick person. Very dramatic!!!! Everything is an emergency! Thank God I was the one who was pregnant is all I have to say. [Don't worry Patrick never reads my blog!] So far (my fingers are crossed) Lexa & I have been spared which is a true blessing. I don't know how 2 sick parents could possibly take care of 2 sick kids at the same time. So during all of this we had a terrible thunderstorm on Wednesday night with no warning. I was on my way back from Walgreens when golf-ball sized hail started & huge lightning bolts. As I crested the hill to our neighborhood, bright orange flames were shooting up... one of the houses in the neighborhood next to ours was on fire. Our neighborhood was covered in thick black smoke for hours. Our roof has some hail damage as well as my car. Craziness! Oh-- and the medical insurance!! Let's just say that with my hospitalization for a week, surgery, & the girls' hospitalization--our medical bills are well over $500,000. Our insurance has been great about paying their part except for the actual doctor portion for the neonatologist stating that although he is the only neonatologist at the hospital (he literally works 7 days a week) & even though the hospital is in-network, that he is an out-of-network doctor, so now I am in an appeals process. It's always something, but I am fortunate to have a great job with insurance when so many people are without, especially now. Speaking of work.. I am heading back August 31st, but we won't bring that up yet...
Geneva's foot--so cute!
Patrick & Whiskey behind closed doors in their man cave, trying to escape the chaos
Geneva a little under the weather and not liking the Bumbo too much
Lexa in her new favorite spot, the Bumbo seat
Can you believe my little preemies are 3 months old and so chubby??!! We went to the doctor today (big thank you to Darlene, my co-worker & friend of 5 years who helped me out, don't think I could have done it by myself). Lexa is in the 75th percentile for weight at 13 pounds, 1 ounce (keep in mind she is compared to normal 3 month olds, technically she is not even 2 months based on her due date). She has made up for her lowest point of 3 lbs., 13 oz. for sure. Geneva is in the 50th percentile at 11 lbs., 15 oz. but is longer at 22 inches compared to Lexa's 21 inches. Isn't it funny that it was the opposite at birth--Lexa was lighter & longer. Darlene agreed today with the blog poll results--Lexa a "miniature Patrick" & Geneva a "miniature Leslie." Daddy is in awe of Lexa & just stares at her glowingly stating, "she really does look like me, doesn't she!". He is hoping she will be daddy's athlete & outdoor girl. If our Sunday outing to the park is any indication, she will be. We broke out the 2 umbrella strollers, each pushing one. We got stopped every few feet, "Are those twins?? They look like baby dolls." One girl even asked to take their picture on her cell phone. Crazy. It was our first outing other than to the doctor's office several times where the nurses always go crazy for them, too. Anyway, back to the park--they did great. Geneva (like her mom) doesn't appear to care too much for the outdoors preferring to sleep through most of it. Lexa, on the other hand, was wide-eyed & soaking it all in keeping her best friend, the bippie, in her mouth the entire time. Guess she did inherit something from me! I think I was attached to mine until at least 3 years of age. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Aren't they sweet holding each other's hands. Yesterday Geneva was quite fussy during blanket time & Lexa (with bippie in mouth) just kept studying her, crinkling her eyebrows, "saying" What is wrong with you?? Geneva continued to fuss, so finally Lexa just stretched out her hand & placed it on her belly & it worked. Geneva stopped crying. So sweet!
