Melissa and Tim Meet the Lil' Longhorns

So on our very short trip to Austin for Kim and Rob's wedding we stopped by my old roommate Melissa's house.  They haven't had a chance to make it up to Dallas so this was their first time to meet the babies.  It was a Saturday so you can probably guess which outfits the kids are wearing!  Melissa said Tim wouldn't hold the babies, but by the time picture time came around he looked like a natural!  Thanks for letting us stop by guys--we love you both!  Hope to see you again soon!

Tim and his mini twin

Church Family Pictures

Last month before we stopped taking the babies to church for the RSV season, they had photographers up there taking pictures.  This would have made the babies about three and a half months.  Lolli-Pops got  their picture taken as well.  I think they both turned out really good!  The babies were trying to help the photographer get the artsy look, none of them looked at her!

If You Tell Amanda She Can Take a Picture

Amanda and Jay came by to see the babies today.  She inspired me to write a post based on the books by  Laura Numeroff in her, If you Give...series.

If you tell Amanda she can take a picture,
she'll ask you for outfits for each baby.
When you give her the outfits,
she'll want a bow to match Madison--
and pants for the boys to make their onsies look nice.
Then she'll need the Bumbos for the babies to sit in,
she'll then need a blanket to cover up the Bumbos.
When you get the blankets and Bumbos
she'll decide to take them outside.
She'll set them up and then need some decorations,
a pumpkin or two, small bag of candy, any fall symbols will do!
She'll empty the bag of candy, you'll have to pick up the bag. She'll set up the candles,
and you'll have to get her matching tea lights.
Once she's all ready to go, you'll have to get the camera.
She'll want you to take pictures, but the babies won't smile.
To get the babies to smile, you'll have to go find a toy.
On the way to find a toy,
she'll decide she wants to be in the picture.
Once you return you'll have to make everyone smile.
She'll probably get bored and want to take her own pictures,
you'll have to give her the camera.
After she takes some pictures,
she'll want the babies inside--
you'll have to clean up the big mess.
Once the babies are inside, she'll probably want new outfits.
When she's finished dressing the babies...she'll want you to blog about her big fabulous day.
And chances are, once she reads the blog, she'll want to take another picture!

Tyler is the first!

I wouldn't have guessed that Tyler would be the first but it seems that being the biggest has its advantages in the rolling over category!  I laid him on the mat and sat down next to him.  I looked up at Carter in the excersaucer and looked back down to see him rolling over.  I was so excited for him, he probably thought I was crazy!  I picked him up and started yelling yea Tyler!  I put him back on his tummy and that turkey rolled over again...so much for tummy time!  

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon...

Our first spoon feed was a success!  I waited all day for Jeremy to get home from work eagerly anticipating the upcoming experience.  When he walked in the door I asked him if he was ready and he said, "For what?"  Ohh I said, "Haven't you been thinking about spoon feeding all day?"  His response...well let's just get to the pictures!

We set the babies up in their Bumbos on top of the kitchen table, I know we broke the rules, but we were careful and watched them the whole time!  Jeremy picked out the ABC bibs, which now I'm afraid may be permanently discolored, but well worth the fun!  We took before and after pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Don't they look so sweet and clean?

Madison's first bite!

What in the world are they doing to me?

Tyler's first bite.

Give me some more of that stuff!

Carter's first bite.

Tyler sucked his thumb the entire feeding.  Maybe it helped him suck his food down.

Carter a bit puzzled as to what we were doing at first, began to really enjoy his cereal.

Madison decided to help me clean her face.  Apparently she follows in Pops' footsteps in the area of saving food for later.

Here she was just making a mess!

And the after shot, needless to say, now it is bath time!

Random pictures for their 5th month birthday!

Tyler after a very tiring bath time experience.

Carter looks like he is wiped out too!  These robes were given to us by a good friend, Rebekah.

We were at Lolli-Pops house, luckily we had a matching bow for Madison, it seems to complete the ensemble.

The babies were wishing their Grandma a happy birthday, not that it needs much explanation!

Averie is holding her cousin Madison.

This was at Kim and Rob's wedding, not exactly sure why, but Tyler is the only one we got pictures of; I swear I'm not playing favorites!  We are so happy for you Kim and Rob!

These next pictures are from our first time in the excersaucer!  If I do say so myself my kids are pretty cute!

Tyler wasn't quite sure what to do at the beginning so he was just sorta hanging out.

You know Madison is a ham for the camera.  She was having a good time though.

Here I was trying to be artsy with my photography skills.  I was trying to get a smile in the mirror but alas it didn't work.

Carter was the most playful in the excersaucer.  He was reaching, grabbing, and slapping all the toys.  He was the best at getting the different things to make music.

First Picnic

We decided Sunday lunch was going to be picnic style this week.  My dad picked up the grub and Jeremy and I brought the house.  I said to Jeremy as we were leaving, "It's funny we are going to have a picnic and our entire SUV is full and we don't even have the food".  We packed up Bumbos, blankets, chairs, car seats, babies and one large diaper bag, full with all the loads of stuff they need to eat and set off on our journey.  We got to our desired destination and set up the sight waiting for Bobba, Lolli, Rebecca and my cousins, Kassie, Kim and Rob (Kim's fiance).  Of course Pops had to make fun of all the stuff we brought, but I think this may be the first time that we used everything we had!

First we set the babies up for their much loved photo sessions...yes I have them sporting their Texas gear, it is football season and we won't be getting out much!

I have to show off her Little Diva longhorn outfit!!

Don't they look like little sports announcers!

Then Kassie came to meet the Ballew-Berries for the first time!  She was a bit hesitant but I convinced her she wouldn't drop one.  I coerced Rob, Kassie and Kim to feed the babies but I did help a little with the burping.  The babies were very happy with their cousins!

It's never too soon to practice!

Three full, fat and happy babies...

Thanks to everyone for such a good time at the picnic, I hope it was a relaxing, refreshing break for you.  We love you all and think about and pray for you everyday.

Bill Bates Pumkin Farm

 

Madison and Mommy

Tyler and Mommy

Carter and Mommy

We went to our first PAMOM outing as a family!  I really wanted some cute pictures of the kids with pumpkins so I asked Jeremy if we could drive to Celina (1 1/2 hour round trip) for the pumpkin farm, of course the good daddy said "yes".  We had a photographer all set up but Becca Lee's husband had been sick that week.  :(  But here you go Rebecca you can see all that you missed!  As soon as we got there I began to think, um yeah they are too young for this, but oh well let's get the pictures and scram!  The man at the gate gave us our cups of animal feed.  (We gave this away as soon as we got in the gates, Jeremy didn't want to feed animals.)  I have at least a year before they want to do stuff like that!  We found our first photo spot.  We strolled up the bus and began unloading.  Two families had time to hurry in before we got everyone ready.  Thankfully the second family offered to take pictures of us all.  After Jeremy took plenty of pictures with me with each child we put them back in the stroller. Now we are off to find our pumpkins. Jeremy is impossible to shop for pumpkins with; they all looked the same to me, but he had to make sure we got the perfect ones!  After finding the best two we took a few more shots.  As we were leaving we had  to get a few more pictures.  On the way out there was a steel horse, without thinking there was a chance I asked Jeremy to get on, he hesitated but before I knew it he was on top of it.  (I was gonna settle for him next to it but don't tell him!)  I snapped up a few shots and told him he would definitely be making it onto the blog.  Yes, you can click on the pictures and save them for your pleasure!  We jumped back in the car and made the long journey back home.  Our first pumpkin patch was a success!

The two best pumpkins in the patch.

The babies first picture with BEVO!

I am certain my husband loves me!

RSV--Respiratory Syncytial Virus

If you have been following our blog or talked to Jeremy or I you have probably seen or heard about these three little letters - RSV. If you are not aware of RSV you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had it by the age of two. For full term babies, RSV is usually not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be severe. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are at the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, and other sometimes fatal complications. Our babies were born premature, are multiples, and had low birth weights; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications.

Starting now in October through the end of April we will be on whats called in the preemie world, "RSV Lockdown". That's 7 months of no church, shopping, going out to eat, or taking the babies to other crowded areas.... sounds crazy I know... but for the most part that's the way it was right after the babies had come home. We will only be taking the babies to necessary doctors appts during the RSV season. But Laura, your babies are 5 months old now and they are fat and healthy?! True, and we want them to stay that way. It was just a few short months ago they were fighting to live in the NICU. They do look like big "normal" healthy babies now, but their lungs have a lot of catching up to do. Can’t they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?! The simple answer is NO. Since our babies were pre-term, they did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection.

Here's a brief explanation I found at http://www.rsvprotection.com/

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a very common virus. RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and children. But premature babies or those with lung or heart problems have a high risk of getting very sick if they catch RSV early in life. This is because premature babies do not have fully developed lungs. Also, because they were born early, they may not have received virus-fighting substances (called antibodies) from their mothers that help them fight off RSV and other viruses. Each year, an estimated 125,000 infants in the United States are hospitalized with severe RSV, the leading cause of infant hospitalization. Severe RSV infections may cause up to 500 infants deaths annually in the United States.

I encourage you to research more on RSV to get a clearunderstanding of it and its potential danger. Here are a few other helpful links I have found:

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/rsv.htm

http://www.preemiecare.org/

http://preemies.about.com/od/preemiehealthproblems/a/RSVinPreemies.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/12/17/hm.rsv/?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

To help prevent RSV we pretty much expect the same as always from friends and family. We ask that you do not bring over children, don't visit if you have been or have been around someone who is sick within the past 2 weeks... regardless of how much you want to see and miss the babies! When visiting we ask that you wear freshly washed clothing or bring a change of clothes to change into. You will also be asked to wash and sanitize your hands upon arrival. If Jeremy and I feel like someone visiting has symptoms of a cold or other sickness, we will ask you to leave. 

As of right now the babies will not be receiving monthly Synagis shots during the RSV season.  They have missed the insurance criteria by 4, 5 and 7 minutes.  If the babies had been born before midnight instead of directly after they would have recieved the monthly shots to help them fight RSV.  These shots are designed to help protect preemies and other high risk babies from severe RSV but cannot prevent it.  We have appealed the insurance company's decision but are not sure if they will cover the very high cost of administering the shots.

Are we over protective parents? Absolutely. We have every right and reason to be. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the babies contracting RSV or any other serious illness. Their lungs are still very fragile until they are 2-years-old. Please understand that we do not mean to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help keeping our babies safe. We ask that you continue to keep our precious babies in your prayers that we may make it through this season as fat and healthy as ever! :)