Ashlyn & Caelan Black

New Blog

2010-01-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

We have a new blog site! In an attempt to stop separating the kids blogs, we have made one blog for the whole family. The first post is very long-winded, but I had a lot to catch up on.

Check it out at http://www.black-in-action.blogspot.com/

I will be making this a restricted blog so that I know who is looking at it, but do not let this deter you. Send me a quick note and let me know if you enjoy reading our blog - I will add your e-mail address to our list.

Due Date

2009-12-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Although the "babies" were two in August, I still think of their due date as a significant milestone. Today is the day that they are officially 2 years old in my mind.....so, Happy Due Date Ashlyn and Caelan! If you have had a baby born early, you know how hard it is to stop correcting their age in your own mind. I have realized in the past few months that I have finally stopped doing this and I believe that they have finally caught up to their age-matched peers. At their official weigh-in with the pediatrician this week, Ashlyn finally made it onto the weight curve (5th percentile, but she made it!) and Caelan was solidly sitting at the 25th percentile. They are doing everything that other 2 year olds should be doing and we are so very happy that they are progressing so well. Hooray!

Laity Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

We ended a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with Grammy and Grampy by going to the Laity Pumpkin Patch. It was such a beautiful day and the kids had lots of fun....milking cows, petting animals, walking through the corn maze and checking out the pumpkins. And of course, no Pumpkin Patch visit is complete without a ride in a wheelbarrow!

Headshots

2009-09-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Caelan's first surgery

2009-09-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Caelan returned to Children's Hospital yesterday for his first ever surgery. Ashlyn has already had 2 general anaesthetics (heart surgery and g-tube), but Caelan has so far been lucky despite his rocky start to life. It has been known for quite some time that he needed tubes in his ears to help drain the build-up of fluid, especially in his right ear, and to hopefully help his speech and hearing. We got the call a couple of weeks ago and he was booked for September 8th! Perfect timing because Johnny and I had already booked the time off work and would be available to look after him and the two girls. My biggest worry was the fact that the surgery was in the afternoon and he had to fast from the night before. I thought this would cause major melt-downs, but he was fantastic. I kept him out of the kitchen while the girls ate their breakfast and then we went to the park to play before taking him to the hospital. We arrived for our 12:15pm check-in time and he happily played in the waiting room while we waited for our turn. I wished I had brought my cameral to take a picture of him in his cute little yellow gown, but I forgot. Johnny took the girls for lunch and played with them out in the hallway during our wait. Caelan was finally called to go at 2:30pm. I was able to take him into the OR and play bubbles with him while they started his IV. I was told by the aneasthetist that "although his (medical) chart is not quite as big as he is, it is still very impressive!". Not what you would expect from an otherwise healthy 2 year old coming in for a minor surgery I guess. They had difficulty starting his IV due to the number of scars he has on his hands from previous IVs but they were finally able to gain access on their last attempt. Once the meds were given, he was "out" immediately and I was escorted out of the room. I was told it would take 20 minutes to finish, but when I came back to the waiting room 15 minutes later, I had already missed the surgeon and Caelan was already in recovery. Despite Shaylah's pleas, she was not allowed to come in with me to see him, so I went alone. He was awake and crying desperately for a cuddle....which I was all to happy to give to him. He refused to eat the popsicle they offered, but did take a few sips of apple juice. We stayed for another 1/2 hour and we were out the door by 4:00pm. The 3 nurses he had (pre-admit, recovery and post-surgical care) were all nurses I used to work with many years ago when I worked on the surgical ward at the hospital. It was great to see such friendly and familiar faces! Today he is back to his old self. Running, laughing and causing trouble. You would never know that he had surgery yesterday!

Happy Birthday to my Babies!

2009-09-01T13:58:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn is Two!

2009-09-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn is my delicate little girl. She is constantly coming to me to kiss her "owies" and to make everything better. She is becoming more easy-going as she gets older and loves to laugh. She is quiet in her bed and I only ever know she is awake if I hear her moving in her bed....she never cries or makes noise, unlike her loud brother. Ashlyn loves to sing (songs that she makes-up) and bounces to the music whenever it is on. She is learning new words weekly now and has even started to put 2 words together. She has come to me a few times to let me know that her diaper needs changing, so I guess potty-training will be in the very near future. While she is still unsteady on her feet, she has amazing climbing abilities. She weighs 21 pounds and is wearing size 18 month clothes and size 4 shoes.

Calean is a BIG boy now!

2009-09-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Caelan has become such a big boy these days and he seems to be growing up overnight. He loves to cuddle, wear his mother's shoes, carry a bag around to put all his treasures in...and generally just wants whatever Ashlyn has in her hands. He goes to bed easily for his naps, but likes to talk to Ashlyn for quite a while before succumbing to sleep at night. He enjoys picking up rocks when we go for walks, he loves to be chased or tickled and he thinks the game of keep-away is the funniest game ever. He is wearing size 24 months clothes and size 5 shoes and weighs 27 pounds.

Both kids love to be tickled! (videos)

2009-08-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Just an update

2009-08-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I have no pictures to post because our computer has not been working for the past 2 weeks...we are hopefully getting it back today in working order! I thought I should write a little update on the kids so that I don't forget this stage they are going through. They will be 2 years old in only 2 weeks and I am not sure where the time has gone!

Ashlyn - continues to amaze me. This is a little girl that had a grade IV intra-ventricular hemorhage at birth and she is now walking and talking. Grade IV means that the bleed was so large that it leaked out of the ventricle and caused further damage to the white matter of her brain. There are no higher grades. We were initially told that she would be profoundly impaired and that we may need to make decisions surrounding "life vs quality of life". I am so glad that God chose another path for her. There are definitely signs of of her brain damage, but she continues to surpass all my expectations. She is still quite unsteady on her feet and falls frequently...she has more bruises and scrapes than any child I know, but it does not slow her down. She gets right back up and keeps going. Her strengths are definitely in her fine motor skills and cognitive skills. Her favorite phrase lately is "Oh No!" and she says it very frequently. Other new words include, shoes (for which she continues to have a fetish), milk, juice, nose, and others that I can't think of at this moment :). She finally knows the difference between her g-tube scar and her belly-button, she likes to give kisses and hugs and she is starting to walk up and down the stairs instead of crawl. She is becoming a very sweet little girl.

Caelan - is definitely all boy. He has become a bit of a bully toward his younger sister lately, which does not make me happy. He wants whatever she wants and pushes her out of the way to get it. He laughs if I scold him and he thinks everything in life is a big joke. He loves it when he sees a plane in the sky or hears a train. He now says "wooda" for "What's that?" and "hi", but the rest is all jibberish. He walks up and down the stairs, loves to rough-house with his big sister Shaylah and loves to eat. He is becoming such a big boy so quickly and has a very fun personality.

New discoveries

2009-07-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Things we learned this weekend.

1. Caelan hates being dirty

2. Ashlyn loves being dirty

3. Caelan will not wear a hat no matter what you do

4. Ashlyn asks to wear a hat...but it has to be the one that she (not you) chose to wear

Raspberries

2009-07-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

As with everything Ashlyn does, the raspberries went down much more slowly and neatly than her brothers.

Ashlyn's stats:

Weight: almost 21 pounds

Favorite foods: pasta, berries

Favorite game: Peek-a-boo

Favorite book: anything with animals

Personality: independent, fiesty

New skills: walking, talking

New words of the week: More, banana, night-night, Ashlyn, book, balloon

Hates: when someone tries to help her do something

Favorite activity: climbing

2009-07-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

Caelan loves raspberries (almost!) as much as his Mama does.

Caelan's latest stats:

Weight: 27 pounds

Favorite game: Chase

Favorite foods: Fruits and Vegetables

Hates: Long sleeved shirts, wearing shoes

Personality: Very affectionate, loves to laugh, easy

New skills: walking up and down the stairs, starting to run

Language: lots of pointing and vocalizing, but no words yet

Thanks Carmen!

2009-06-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

We have a very hard time getting pictures of us as a family. Usually it is either Johnny or I behind the camera and the kids do not stay put long enough for us to get set up. We have many pictures of the kids, but very few of them all together. So before they got too big....we thought we would call in an expert! Carmen is an amazing photographer and someone I have know since highschool. She was able to capture our family in photos that I did not think were possible. Please check out her blog to see a sneak peak of our photo session and look through her portfolio to see more of her amazing work!

http://carmenvandyckphotography.com/blog/two-times-the-fun/

Thank you Carmen for coming across the bridge and spending the morning with us. It was so great to catch up with you and we are so pleased with the pictures you have taken.

She's walking!

2009-06-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday (June 17th), Ashlyn decided she wanted to walk on her own and she has not stopped since! She has been taking a few steps for the past month, but was still more comfortable holding onto the walls and furniture. Now, she gets upset if I try to pick her up or hold her hand....she just wants to do it herself and she is very proud of her new independence. Go Ashlyn!

Ashlyn's update

2009-06-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn is a little spitfire. She is extremely independent and prefers to do things on her own time. She is not walking independently yet, but that does not slow her down. She is the better climber of the two babies and I often find her on top of pieces of furniture when I turn my back for just a second. Ashlyn has started to speak and now has several words.....ball, bubble, hello, uh-oh, doggy, kitty, Jackie. She loves to read books about animals and will mimic their sounds. Her favorite is the elephant and she gets her arm going just like Mommy and Daddy! Ashlyn loves to play with balls and will point out anything that looks like one. She is still tiny and only reached the 20 pound mark in the past few weeks. This was a big deal though because we got to turn her carseat around to be forward facing like her brother and sister! Ashlyn has already developed a fetish for shoes...what will she be like as a teenager?

Caelan's update

2009-06-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated anything about the kids in a while, so I thought I would briefly describe what they are up to! We have their big 18 month neo-natal follow-up clinic appointment at the end of this month and Caelan has an ENT appointment this week to check out his ears. He has had a few hearing assessments that demonstrate mild hearing loss...mostly attributed to too much fluid in his ears. I guess we will discuss the need for tubes in his ears. He does not have any intelligible words other than Momma and Dadda, but it is very easy to understand what he wants. He will bring you over to the object of his desire and point and babble unitl you get it for him. He has been walking well for several months now and has discovered how much fun it is to have someone chase him. He prefers to walk rather than being in his stroller and I let him walk most places we go now. He is extremely loving and sweet and I call him my "people pleaser". He is never far from my side and comes back to check on me and give me a hug every so often when we are at the playground. He is most upset when he knows that he has disappointed someone. He is happiest when he has food in his mouth. He has started to discover trucks and trains and loves to play in dirt and/or water.

Such a Big Boy

2009-06-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Caelan is becoming so independent. He has recently figured out how to walk down the stairs while holding the railing and to go down the slide on his bottom...both of which he used to do sliding down on his belly. He seems to be gaining skills so rapidly these days! He watches how Shaylah does things and then tries to imitate her. He is sure enjoying the summer-like weather we have had the past couple of weeks.

My Little Man!

2009-05-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Caelan recently got his first "real" haircut and, because of it, he no longer looks like my little baby boy.

Ashlyn and Charlie

2009-05-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Charlie is actually Shaylah's pet...a Telus animal brought home from work by Daddy....and he has been known as Charlie right from the beginning.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T14:05:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day is such a mix of emotions for me. I am so grateful for my children and I feel so full of life and grateful when I hear them call my name. It is the best job in the world and I do not take one moment for granted with my three blessings.

...but there is also a sense of extreme sadness on the day that we are meant to honor our own mothers.

This is the fourth Mother's Day I have spent without my mom and it does not get any easier for me. I miss her to the core of my very being. She was such a giving and caring person; she never thought twice about sacrificing her own needs/wants for those of her two daughters. I would give anything to have just five more minutes with her to tell her how much I appreciated her and loved her.

I have been trying to talk to Shaylah about her Grandma and I am so saddened by the fact that she will never meet her. My mom had such a special bond with children and she always made a big fuss over the little people in her life. She constantly talked about how proud she was of her great-niece Faith and great-nephews Declan and Gabe (Jen's kids)....the closest she ever got to being the grandmother that she longed to be. Even after she had passed away, we found gifts for these special kids hidden away in her closet.

My mom was so supportive of me and made me believe I could do anything in life. She always had a way of making me feel better about myself, especially when I was feeling low.

With my mom in this world, I always knew I was loved. I miss the unconditional love that only a parent can give. I love you Mom!

Swinging

2009-05-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is from a while ago, but I liked the picture. She wasn't really enjoying the swing this day.

All Smiles!

2009-04-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

We have finally had some beautiful weather and the kids are really enjoying being able to play outside on the deck. Here are a few shots of them from this evening.

Enjoying a beautiful spring evening

2009-04-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Shaylah's 3rd birthday

2009-03-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn takes after her mother...always trying to get more cake!

Standing all by herself! (video)

2009-03-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Up! (video)

2009-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

The babies have both been sick with ear infections and pink eye, but I think after a week of antibiotics, they are finally feeling better. This is a little video of their new communication skills. They both know how to ask for "Up!".

Two Sick Kids

2009-02-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

Can't you just see the pain in Ashlyn's eyes? And Caelan's nose needs continous wiping. Both are pretty miserable.

Top 100 Baby Names

2009-01-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Of the three of our kids, I thought Ashlyn's name was the most unusual. I guess I was wrong! Ashlyn came in at the 90th spot on the list for the most popular names of 2008. Shaylah and Caelan did not make the list, even with different spellings.

Decorating the Christmas tree!

2009-01-05T11:06:00.001-08:00

We had the pleasure of spending Christmas with Johnny's sister in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia this year. Heather and Kevin have an amazing house and seem to have Christmas trees in almost every room of the house! This tree in the main living room was probably 12 feet tall...and after a few days, the bottom 2 feet of decorations had all been removed by some little hands. They just thought they were helping!

The objects of Ashlyn's affection

2009-01-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn said her first 2 words because of these 2 wonderful animals. "Diddy" and "Doddy" were often heard in their presence. Thanks Paws and Kirby!

Caelan's first steps

2009-01-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Two are Better than One

2008-12-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

The only thing better than waking up to one smiley baby in the morning....is getting smiles from two babies when you open their bedroom door. It's bliss!

Caelan

2008-12-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Caelan is such a happy an active little guy...a real boy. He loves to figure out how toys work and will sit for quite some time with one object. Caelan is on the verge of walking on his own, but seems to be quite cautious with respect to taking that first step. He loves to laugh and would eat all day long if I let him. His favorite foods are peas and grapes, or whatever Shaylah is eating at the time. Caelan probably weighs about 20 pounds. He still wakes up once in the middle of the night, but loves to have a good long nap in the day and falls asleep easily. He is definitely a Momma's boy and prefers to be with me at all times.

Update on Ashlyn

2008-12-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have given a more detailed update on the babies. Ashlyn has had quite a year! She no longer has any feeding issues and has a great appetite for most things. Her favorite foods are cheese and pasta, but she will gladly eat her frutis and vegetables too. Ashlyn is pulling up to stand at the furniture, crawling all over the house and especially loves to practice climbing the stairs. She cries when she has to come out of the bathtub and is the most stubborn of all the kids. She sleeps through the night and has a wonderful 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. She is sweet and gentle and seems to be the favorite of most of her relatives...I think because she is still so little. She hasn't been weighed in a while, but I am guessing she is still under 17 pounds (wearing the clothes that Shaylah wore at 6 months of age).

Visiting Great Gran

2008-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we took a visit to Great Gran's house for lunch. What fun we had! Since we will be spending Chrsitmas with Johnny's side of the family, we decided it would be fun to open a few Christmas presents so that Great Gran and Auntie Joan could watch.

Happy Due Date!

2008-12-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

The babes are now "officially" one year old!

Thanks Melanie (part 2)

2008-11-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

These are my favorites of the babies. You did an amazing job Melanie!

Visiting Great Granny

2008-11-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

Do we look alike?

Not too impressed

2008-11-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

The babies were not too impressed with dressing up this year, but they were good sports about it anyway.

Snack time at Mother Goose

2008-11-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

We attend a Mother Goose program once a week at the local community centre where we sing songs and tell stories. We all love the chance to get out of the house, meet new people and learn new songs.

Vote Life!

2008-10-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Da Mihi Animas: Americas Choice 2008: Vote Life!

Time saver

2008-10-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

I discovered this week that Ashlyn will feed herself....what a wonderful thing!

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Ashlyn

2008-09-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn

2008-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn is not yet pulling to stand, but she does occasionally like to stand and play in her exersaucer. Since she has started crawling though, she is happiest being placed on the floor where she can explore and roam. She is getting much faster and stronger and we are so happy that she is on the move!

Big bully.

2008-09-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Caelan is a bit of a bully. In his quest to crawl and climb, he doesn't care what (or who) gets in his way. His favorite place to play is on top of another human being...whoever happens to be on the floor at the time. As you can see, the girls don't seem to mind (yet!).

Standing

2008-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Caelan loves to stand. He is standing in his crib when I go to get him in the morning and he stands up any chance he gets throughout the day.

Hanging out with Jackpot

2008-09-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Giggles (video)

2008-09-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Shaylah had Caelan giggling this morning.

What a difference a year makes

2008-08-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn 945 grams (2 pounds, 1 ounce)

On August 29 of last year, these two precious babies were brought into the world 14 weeks too early. Here are the first photos taken of each of them.

Caelan - 980 grams (2 pounds, 2 ounces)

Happy Birthday little ones!

Now it's Caelan's turn

2008-08-07T22:41:00.001-07:00

Caelan's stats:

Weight: 18 pounds, 10 ounces

New skills: Crawls on his belly, pushes up onto his hands and knees

Number of teeth: Four

Favorite play spot: Outside on the grass

Best characteristics: Big smile, very loving, sleeps more than his sister, great eater.

11 months chronological age: 8 months corrected age

2008-08-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn's latest stats:

Weight: 14 pounds, 7 ounces

New skills: sitting and rolling aound the room

Favorite play spot: under the coffee table

Number of teeth: Two

Most exciting event of the month: Her g-tube was removed!

Best characteristics: Easy going (except when Caelan steals the toy she is playing with), sleeps 10-11 hours at night, loves to laugh

Ashlyn has become a thumb sucker

2008-07-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Before!

2008-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

After!

2008-07-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Many of you know I have been growing my hair for quite a while with the idea of donating it to Locks of Love. I finally did it!

My Marathon of Pumping

2008-07-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have been pumping full-time now for almost 11 months. We are not talking once or twice a day, but enough times to establish a milk supply and provide enough milk to feed 2 babies for the first few months of their lives (about 7-8 times per day). I was hoping to get both babies breast feeding before leaving the hospital, but unfortunately Ashlyn was not able to orally feed until she was 6 months old. By that time, it was too late to introduce the breast and she would only take the bottle. And so the pumping continues! I made the decision early that I would provide breast milk for her as long as I was giving it to Caelan, because I want them both to have the same benefits that it provides. My views about pumping have changed dramitcally over the past few months though and I no longer hate it like I once did. It is, however, extremely time-consuming, especially since I can't feed the babies at the same time. My routine consists of feeding Caelan by breast, pumping for Ashlyn and then feeding her by bottle. I have been pumping so much that I have actually worn through the motor on my hospital-grade electric pump...I am sure not many people have done that! Luckily it was warrantied and I received a brand new pump. I plan on continuing this routine until they are at least one year old for their corrected age (December), but at least with the introduction of solids last month, I have been able to cut my pumping time in half. I think I am through the tough part and am pretty proud of myself for persevering.

One other note: For those of you that can't breastfeed...many people talk about the strong bond that mom and baby develop as a result of breast-feeding. I just want to say that I do not feel a stronger bond with my breast-fed baby than I do with the one that is bottle fed. The bond is the same and it makes no difference!

Two Heads are Better than One

2008-07-12T14:57:00.001-07:00

Crawling soon?

2008-07-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Caelan pushed up onto his knees for the first time this week. I am entering a new era where the babies never stay in the position I leave them on the floor anymore. Caelan usually finds himself trapped in a corner somewhere and starts screaming for help.

Feet

2008-07-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Taken just to show you the difference in the size of their feet. Caelan is on the left, Ashlyn is on the right.

The sweetest thing

2008-07-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn remains the sweetest of all my babies. She has been through so much, but she is calm, happy and easy to take care of. She loves getting attention from Shaylah and laughs easily at her antics.

Mr. Personality

2008-07-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Caelan has developed quite a little personality in the past few weeks. He loves to play and laugh, especially with his sisters. He now has 3 teeth, with one or two more about to break through. He still loves to eat, although vegetables are not his favorite thing in the world. He is quickly gaining size on Ashlyn and probably outweighs her by 4 or more pounds.

Vocal Chord update

2008-07-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your prayers! Ashlyn's last bronchoscopy showed that her left vocal chords are working! They are still sluggish, but there has been a huge improvement in their movement and we have been officially discharged from ENT (ear, nose, throat). She is also feeding very well and has decided to eat like a normal baby. She cries when she is hungry and eats as much or as little as she wants. This may seem trivial, but to us it is a huge milestone. No more fighting and screaming when it comes to eating time. She is still suffering from reflux. I tried weaning her off the medication, but she started vomitting frequently...so we are back up to full strength Ranitidine. That is our next prayer request.

The exersaucer

2008-07-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Caelan loves to stand! This is his new favorite place to be (besides his mother's arms).

Caelan's Update

2008-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Caelan is a sweet, yet demanding, baby and has become quite a Momma's boy already. He is growing very quickly, weighing in at 7400g (about 16 1/2 pounds). He is rolling in both directions and is on the verge of sitting on own. He has a tooth that is just under the surface and he loves to eat. Caelan will gobble up anything you put in his mouth (except if it comes in the form of a bottle)...he is definitely not a picky eater. He passed his hearing screening, but is likely going to be near-sighted and need glasses when he grows up (just like his mom - poor guy!) He loves to be part of the action at all times and hates it when he is put down in another room, often fighting sleep just so that he doesn't miss anything.

Ashlyn's update

2008-06-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn has been doing very well the past few weeks and seems to have turned a corner with respect to her eating. We are officially no longer using the g-tube for feeds and she is gulping down all of her bottles (without aspirating!). She is not exactly excited about eating solids yet, but we are working on finding a combination of foods that she likes. So far, bananas seem to be the key ingredient. She weighed 5.85 kg (about 13 pounds, 3 ounces) at her last weigh-in and she has passed both her recent vision and hearing screenings. She still is delayed with her gross motor skills, but she is progressing so nicely that I am not concerned at this point. She is such a happy baby and is quick to give out the big belly laughs that we love to hear. She has an appointment later this week to see if there is any change to her paralyzed left vocal chord, but her sounds have not made any improvement, so I am not overly hopeful that there is any recovery. She is a great sleeper, just like her big sister, and has no problems sleeping 10 hours at night.

Feet

2008-05-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn discovered that she has feet this week. It is the first developmental milestone that she has achieved before her brother, so I am thrilled for her!

Whose tongue is bigger?

2008-05-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Two heads are better than one

2008-05-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

One day they will be conspiring against me, but for now they are just happy to play together. They are starting to really become interested in each other and will reach out for the other when playing on the floor.

Stares

2008-05-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am starting to find it quite funny that people think we are such a spectacle when we go out in public. Whether I am alone with the 3 kids or I have Johnny with me, it never ceases to amaze me how many people stare at us, do double takes or whisper (not so quietly) amongst themselves about our family. We get a lot of smiles and many people come up and talk to us about the kids. People are always amazed that we get out of the house with 3 small children in tow. I have heard the phrase "Wow, you have a handful!" so many times in the past month.

Ashlyn's giggles

2008-04-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Praising Ashlyn for rolling over by herself...even though it wasn't caught on video. She was pretty proud of herself!

Caelan's First Roll

2008-04-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Caught on tape!

Playtime

2008-03-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

The babies don't get to spend a lot of time just hanging out together on the floor....usually I am busy feeding one or the other. They were all smiles today as we had some rare time to just "play".

Party Animals

2008-03-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

The babies love a good party!

Raccoon

2008-03-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

This furry little guy was the reason Jackpot was barking all afternoon yesterday and wouldn't come inside. He was just trying to protect his babies! :)

Caelan is 6 months old!

2008-03-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Weight: 12 pounds, 10 ounces (5735 grams)

Percentile: 10th-25th for corrected age (3 months)

Length: 60 cm

Ashlyn is 6 months old!

2008-03-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Weight: 10 pounds, 12 ounces (4875 grams)

Percentile: 10th-25th for corrected age (3 months)

Length: 57.5 cm

Now that's a handful!

2008-03-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Enjoying tummy time

2008-02-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn is 5 months old!

2008-01-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn's Stats:

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Blue

Weight: 9 lbs, 8 ozs

Looks like: Her Daddy and big sister

Personality: Laid back and happy

Dislikes: Diaper changes

Likes: Soothers, Mommy's singing, smiling

Caelan is 5 months old!

2008-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

Caelan's stats:

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

Weight: 11 pounds

Looks like: His Mommy

Personality: A worrier (or so we think!)

Dislikes: Soothers, tummy time, being hungry

Likes: Cuddles, bath time, eating, eating, eating

Birth Anouncement

2008-01-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Smiles from Ashlyn too!

2008-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

First smiles from Caelan

2008-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Random Shots of the Kids

2008-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Together again

2008-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

Family Visits

2008-01-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Grandpa

Great Gran and Auntie Joan

Great Gran

Grammy and Grampy

Cousins Faith and Declan

Cousin Jen and her daughter Faith

Just in time!

2007-12-22T04:52:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn made it home yesterday, just in time for Christmas. Shaylah is a very proud big sister and loves to "help" with the babies. She keeps saying "two babies!", as if she can't believe her luck. We feel so fortunate to finally have the whole family together...what a wonderful gift!

Home Sweet Home

2007-12-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, exactly one week after his due date, Caelan was allowed to come home. We are thrilled to finally have him home and can't wait for Ashlyn to join us. Shaylah was so excited to see her brother...she is constantly wanting to kiss him and touch him. "Caelan" is the first word she says in the morning and the last topic she talks about at night. Jackpot is doing very well also and actually seems to like the new addition. So far Caelan has been such a good baby, waking up a few times in the night to feed, but falling back to sleep again quite easily. He seems very settled and happy so far!

Due Date - Ashlyn (video)

2007-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today on her due date, Ashlyn weighs 3250 grams (7 pounds, 3 ounces). She is a very calm little baby and loves to snuggle, preferring to sleep against your chest. She is not allowed to take any food by mouth yet, but she will be able to come home tube-fed. She misses having her brother share a bed with her and she looks forward to the day that they are re-united!

Due date - Caelan (video)

2007-12-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

Today on his due date, Caelan weighs 3535 grams (7 pounds, 12 1/2 ounces). He is learning to feed orally and is currently taking 3 full feeds by mouth each day. He loves to have a bath and suck on his soother, but he cries when he has his diaper changed. He is a very noisy little guy and can often be heard grunting when he is awake. We love seeing his little personality emerge!

2007-12-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

This hungry little squirrel greeted me as I walked into the hospital today.

This beautiful rainbow greeted me as I left.

3 months old today!

2007-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn and Caelan are officially 3 months old today...even though they are still 5 days away from their due day of December 4th. I never thought this day would come! We had a meeting with their doctors today and discovered that there is actually an end in sight. They are thinking that Caelan will be ready in 2-3 weeks and that Ashlyn will probably follow him home sometime in January. We were hoping to have them both home for Christmas, but we don't want to rush Ashlyn if she is not ready. Having Ashlyn in hospital will just mean that Christmas dinner will be done cafeteria style instead of with our extended family...but at least we won't have to cook! I have spent Christmas day in that hospital before (except that I was an employee instead of a patient) and I must say that the hospital does a really great job of trying to make it special for the kids.

Our little ones were placed into separate cribs last night and are no longer co-bedding. Ashlyn is having a terrible time with reflux and has been doing a lot of vomitting since the weekend. The trouble with being in the same bed is that she tends to throw-up all over her brother. You should see the amount of laundry I have done over the past few days! We are happy that they are still side-by-side in the nursery and that they still get to see each other every day during our double cuddles.

Sisters

2007-11-24T19:20:00.001-08:00

Shaylah - one month old

Ashlyn - 2 days ago

100 days

2007-11-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Johnny reminded me today that it has been exactly 100 days since our hospital experience began. I was admitted on August 17th....a day that I will never forget. It has been exhausting both physically and mentally and we are both very anxious to start living life as a family.

Thanks (and a little venting too!)

2007-11-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

I would just like to thank the many people who have e-mailed/called to say how good the babies look lately. We feel uplifted every time someone gives them praise! They are precious gifts to Johnny and I and we are so thankful to have them in our lives. There have been many ups and downs in their short lives already and I am sure that there will be many more to come. I need to say that I get very frustrated when people tell me that they are worried about the babies or that it is so hard to hear about their setbacks. I know they mean well, but these babies are actually doing very well for being born 3 months early. It is very stressful to us when the focus is on the negative aspects of their health, especially when we already struggle on a daily basis to maintain a positive attitude. So here is the challenge for the week....next time you hear that things are not going as we had planned, please think of all the good things that have happened in the past 3 months since their birth. God has their lives all planned out and we trust that everything happens for a reason.

Co-bedding

2007-11-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our favorite nurse (Erin always gets things done for us!), our babes are now able to sleep in the same crib. They were apparently fighting with each other last night , but they were very peaceful together today. Tomorrow I plan on bundling them in one blanket so that they can feel each other's presence. I hope to continue co-bedding them when they come home...at least until Shaylah is old enough to move into her big girl bed. Both babies are doing very well with their breathing and just need to learn how to eat orally before they can come home. This is a very slow process with preemies and could take many weeks. We are still hoping to have the babies home before Christmas, although the reality is that it could be the New Year before we are together as a family. The babies both weigh well over 6 pounds each now and are actually starting to get a little bit chubby (as all babies should be!). Caelan is the more active of the two and is very alert; Ashlyn is extremely peaceful and loves to snuggle right into your chest. She is such a sweet baby.

What's in a name?

2007-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

First names: Shaylah, Caelan and Ashlyn are all Irish Gaelic names. We chose them simply because we liked them. There is no special meaning to their first names.

Middle names: Each middle name was chosen with special meaning in mind.

Marlyn: Chosen to honor my mother, who passed away suddenly just 11 months before Shaylah was born. My mom was truely a remarkable woman and would have been so proud of her grandchildren. She loved kids, even choosing a profession that helped shape the minds of the young children that came to see her each week. I miss her more than I can express, especially when I think of the moments with Shaylah that I would love to share with her. She taught me how to be a nurturing person and I think that I am a better mother because of her.

Geoffrey: Chosen to honor Johnny's older brother who died at birth. While losing a baby at birth would have obviously been a horrible experience, Johnny and I are grateful that God chose to give life to another little boy only one year after his death. There would have been no Johnny if Geoffrey had survived.

Faith: Chosen to honor God. We believe that God is in control of all things, even when they do not go according to our own plans. We know that little Ahslyn was meant to be here and we are grateful that God has protected her so far. We look forward to seeing what He has planned for her future!

Feeding issues

2007-11-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

So, we finally have the feeding issues all figured out with the nursing staff. We have been told that the policy is not to give the babies a bottle until breast-feeding has already been established (if it is the mother's wish to breast-feed). Pre-mature babies have a hard enough time as it is figuring out how to breast-feed and introducing a bottle only makes it more confusing for them. No one knows why a bottle was given to Caelan last week, especially when we were not consulted first. As of this week, I am introducing Caelan to breast-feeding once a day until he gets stronger and is able to do it more often. He usually only lasts about 5-minutes and doesn't actually get any milk. It is a huge learning curve for him. Ashlyn will begin once she is officially off CPAP and her feeding tube is taken out of her mouth and put in through her nose.