6-month check-up

Will and Kate went today for their 6 month check and they are doing great!!!! Kate is now weighing in at 13 lbs 7 oz. and is on the lower end of the chart, but on the chart, for children who are 6 months. Will is 12 lbs. 13. oz. And only his head is on the chart at about 50%, but they expect more from boys and their weight, so he is doing fine. He is starting to eat better and less spitting up, so I expect that he will surpass his sister soon.

Kate is going to get to try having some rice cereal. The criteria for trying is good weight gain and being able to hold their head steady while in the seated position. Kate is able to do this; however, we have to wait a little longer for Will, since he is still not as successful with holding up his head, for reasons mentioned previously. We think it will be good not to have to try feeding both at the same time anyway, so it works out just great!

And, as for the oxygen, their illnesses set them back about a month on their progress. So, Will is at .2 liters/min. and Kate is at .3 liters/min. However, last night, we did an oxygen challenge on Will and we think that he will be able to move to .1. He actually held his own with no oxygen for about 20 minutes with the cannula off of his face. That was the furthest either one has gotten on room air, so we were impressed. And I cried, because Will was so cute, I was so proud, and because he looked nothing like himself without the cannula on his face. 20 minutes and everything returned to normal and I breathed a sigh of relief. I have determined that when they are off of oxygen and the apnea monitors, I will have a few sleepless nights. Once Kate is 100% well, we will try to ween her down as well. Hopefully, next week.

They have both been evaluated for PT(physical), OT(occupational), and ST (speech). Appointments with PT and OT have now moved to every other week, because they see no concerns at this time and seem to be developing normally. For their motor skills, they are ranging from 4-6 months - higher than their gestational age (adjusted age) and just a little under their chronological age. And for speech and interaction, they are right on for a 6-month old. I am not surprised since their big brother was speaking in 3 word sentences at 14 months. They will be evaluated by speech again in July.

Keep checking for updates and sorry that it has taken us this long to include all of these big events.

Rolling over already??!!

Kate decided today that she was going to throw her head over and roll from her belly to her back. Gosh, I was sure surprised! And of course, I tried to video it, but kept missing it. I did finally catch one where I had to help a little, but she did all the pushing by herself. I was even trying to put her hand down so she would push off the floor and she pushed off my hand. Good girl!!!! I was so excited and then realized that this leads to more activity and she was already wrapped up in her cords. This should be very interesting, especially if they start crawling and are satill on oxygen. Talk about chaos. Anyway, enjoy the video!!

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE LOVEKAMPS

Well, I didn't get this out in time for Easter, but what can I say: We have been rather busy. Anyway, we had a great Easter as a family. Ben loved hunting for eggs and of course, eating all the candy. We had to do it inside, because it was freezing and had snowed the day before. He kept looking for eggs for 2 days. Will and Kate loved wearing their Easter bunny ears. Adorable!!! It was hard to get them both to smile at the same time though. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!!

Girls Night Out

Well, as you could have guessed, Will and Kate picked up some of Ben's congestion and cough and come Monday, Kate was not handling it too well. She was coughing and retracting with her breathing, so I took her to the doctor, where they had to increase her oxygen, from .2 to .5 or so. This meant an overnight in the hospital for observation and testing.

I wasn't even allowed to come home and had to wait at the pediatrician's office until they had a room available for her. Once over there, they did a chest x-ray for pneumonia, testing for RSV and pertussis (sp.?). Everything came back negative -thank goodness!! After some mucous management, they were able to ween her oxygen back down to .3 and we went home Tuesday evening. Since, then she has gotten better, but is still not 100%, but getting there. We have their 6-month check on the 16th, so I will try and update again with weights and what is next for them.

Boys Night Out

Josh and Ben got invited by Todd and Jackson Sleeper to go to Phoenix at Lake Roosevelt to camp out for the night.

Since Mimi was here, I thought it would be ok if they went and left us for the night. It was my first night in my house without Ben here, so it was rather weird, but I got used to it quickly and even had time to paint the majority of the downstairs while Mimi manned the babies. Ben and Josh had a great time, riding four-wheelers, shooting guns and bow and arrows, and of course, sleeping outside, even though Ben was a little cold after a late night trip outside after nature called. It was such a good bonding time for the two of them and I think Ben thinks Daddy is the best!!! Next time, Will is going to need to join them.

More pictures to come when I can get them from the Sleepers camera.

Vacation in Phoenix?

I know, what was I thinking? When Josh was out of town, I packed the kids up to head down to Phoenix to meet Josh for the weekend between trips. Talk about an adventure. We got down there on Friday around 3:00pm, unpacked into the hotel (very organized), and Josh met us at the hotel at 8:00pm. This day was pretty uneventful!! And, then Ben woke up in the middle of the night with a fever. Really makes life fun when you are going down to the warm to swim in the pool, plus being in a closed in space with babies that aren't supposed to get sick. So close that the babies got back to their roots and slept together (if you call this sleeping).

On Saturday, Ben was a trooper and swam for all of 30 minutes and then wanted to be out of the pool, because we think he had too much fruit for breakfast, which meant an afternoon in the bathroom. Yet another sickness. I think the most exciting thing about the afternoon was the ladybug he found.


Will and Kate enjoyed their time in the sun and having their bellies in the sun. Mommy enjoyed taking the pictures of one of their first adventures outside - at least for an extended period - since it is too cold in Flagstaff this time of year. Oh, I also enjoyed the margaritas!

Britney, a friend of ours, came down to help with the kids and Josh and I were able to go out on a date. Then, Josh left early early on Sunday morning for his next business trip.

Since Ben was sick, I decided that we (me and Britney) would take the kids over to the Tempe Art Festival on Sunday. Brilliant decision, since it is hard to push the double stroller on an empty street, but add about million people to a closed street and boy is it fun! We did have a good time and I certainly could not have done it without Britney. Ben got his face-painted, like Batman of course. I think superheros are inate in boys. And being a superhero sure is tiring, he passed out and slept in the bottom of a stroller all the way back to the hotel. Even missed the return trip on the lightrail (transportation new to Phoenix and very cool).

Then, our friends Jason and Helen came down, met us at for lunch at Tempe and spend the night with us at the hotel. It was so nice to have them there. They played with Ben a bunch, broguth me take out and helped me load up the kids and all of their stuff the next morning, just in time to pick my mom up from the airport. Mimi came to visit.

Play Hard - Sleep Hard

We have really been having a good time at home. Thank goodness, since that is where we spend most of our time these days. With Will and Kate's developing personality and Ben's continued craziness/personality, life is pretty fun around here. Enjoy some of the pictures and videos of our play time.

Well, we finally have some news to update with the twins. Will has moved from .2 liters/min. to .1 and Kate from .3 to .2. At least after this oxygen challenge, they went in the right direction. We will hopefully test them again the beginning April and look forward to saying goodbye to all the equipment and live life as "normal" kids.

Also, we had a home visit from the nurse with NICP (Neonatal Intensive Care Program). She follows-up wth us once a month to make sure the kids are doing well. And, she says that they are doing great. Not only have they gained a lot of weight (Will is now 10lbs 14 oz. and Kate (aka Bacon according to our neighbor) is 11lbs. 2 oz.), they are also developmentally above their adjusted age (which is determined from their due date of Jan. 10th). And for other stats, Will and Kate are both 21 3/4 inches long and Kate's head measures 38 cm and Will's measures 42.5 (big noggin for such a little boy - lots of brains). They have both started smiling and interacting a ton, which is awesome and makes it all worth it. They have even discovered each other. Ben even thinks it is pretty cool to get them to smile. And one time, Will lost one sock, so he took his off and gave it to him - it was so thoughtful! Fun to start seeing some interaction between the three of them.

Ben is doing well and seems to be adjusting to having to stay at home. His dad bought him some new batman pjs with cape and all and he does not want to get out of them. Thank goodness TV is so educational!! He's also been spending quite a bit of time playing games online from his favorite cartoons and has recently been trying his hand at typing. So far he can handle "Ben" and "MH" pretty well and is working on "Josh". This will one day be followed by "Mary Hampton" - Mimi and Poppy didn't do him any favors with a name like that!

We have been trying to get out more and my dear friend, Jenny, picks him up once a week so that Ben and one of his best buddies, Ezra, can play together. We have made a trip down to Sedona, where 7 of his friends and their parents met us, and he has begun a gymnastics class on Fridays, which he and I both enjoy. It is nice for him to have some instruction, because he is missing school and it is the first class that he has taken not requiring parent involvement, so allows me to sit with Will and Kate and actually watch and take in everything he is doing. Gosh, he is growing up!!! He has even started writing his name, which I think is pretty good and is reading some words. Amazing!!!

I hope that you all enjoy the slideshow below. To get more pictures, take a look at Mary Hampton's Facebook account. See ya!

Visit to our old Stomping Ground

On the 19th, we had to take Will and Kate to Phoenix for an appointment with the pulmonologist. We are still working to try and get them off of their oxygen. Not definite, but the pulmonologist hopes that our last appointment with him will be in March. Amazing, maybe only a month or 2 more of oxygen. Once that is gone, we will think life with twins will be pretty easy. At the least, we will be able to get out a little more often, which will help to get Ben away from the TV.

Also, when we went to Phoenix we were able to go by St. Joseph's and we saw our primary nurses (well, most of them). Even Edith and Josephine (my nurses in antenatal when I was on bedrest) were working that day. Marina was working and Lisa drove over to meet us at the hospital. We also saw Sarah, who was a primary for another child in Will and Kate's pod, that helped us a lot and ironically her name is Sarah Kate (the two names we were thinking of for Kate). Of course, we were not able to see our night primaries (sorry we missed you, Janeen and Jeannie). We also weren't able to see our neonatalogist, Dr. Fortunov, because she was on leave since she had her first baby - it is a girl!! Congratulations Regine!! Everyone was of course impressed how big they had gotten. Josh and I thought it felt like we had never left there., and Ben wanted to immediately go to the snack machine and the waiting room - his two favorite places there. Enjoy the pictures.

Pictures

If you join Facebook.com, you can see some more pictures of the babies and Ben.  They are under Mary Hampton Lovekamp.  We will probably be putting more pictures on Facebook because of the ease of use.  Keep checking back though, because we will update this blog once in a while.  Thanks to everyone for your support.

4 Months Old!

Well, we're still here but as most of you might imagine, finding time to update the blog has been somewhat difficult.  Above is a sampling of recent images with a few taken on the first day or two after they were born to provide some perspective.  As you I'm sure can tell, they have both been doing a lot of growing, although of the two of them, Kate is definitely the better eater and it shows.  At their last doctor's appointment on Monday we learned that she had finally surpassed Will, weighing in at 9 pounds 7 ounces.  Will was just behind her at 9 pounds 6 ounces.  Tomorrow we are heading to Phoenix to return Kay to the airport (she has been here for 2 weeks to visit and help out - THANKS!) and to visit the pulmonologist for a second time.

Although they are both still on oxygen and apnea monitors, they appear to be progressing and we expect that in the next week or so we'll be able to wean their oxygen back slightly, although I think it will probably be another month or so before they're off completely.  The same will most likely go for the apnea monitors unless the doctor feels especially generous tomorrow....we'll see.

Well, that's all for now.  I hope that everyone out there is doing well and if any of you get a wild hair and want to make a trip to Flagstaff to pull some all-nighters you are more than welcome!  I can't promise it will be as much fun as some all-nighters we might have had before but I'm sure you'll remember it!

Love -

Josh, MH, Ben, Will, and Kate

We're still here...

At long last...another blog update.  I hope you all have been well and have coped without having more frequent updates.  Apparently having 3 kids is no vacation!

All kidding aside, we have all been doing very well and Will and Kate are continuing to get bigger and have had a number of good doctors' visits since our last update.  That said, they are both still on oxygen and apnea monitors for the foreseeable future - a necessary evil it seems, especially at altitude here in Flagstaff.

Ben has continued to be a good big brother and is already requesting that we have more kids.  I think he last said that we should have 7 total.  It is definitely cute but I'm pretty sure that he is going to have to get used to the idea of having just one little brother and one little sister.  He continues to make sure each day that he is still three years old.  And, as his mama is, he is ready for the snow to melt for more trips to the park.

In other news, Gammie is leaving Flagstaff tomorrow, marking the end of her nearly 3 week stay.  MH and I will both miss having her here to help cook dinners and help out with the kids and cleaning around the house.  Looks like we'll be on our own again for a little while.  Actually, just a little while.  Kay (MH's mom) is coming back for 2 more weeks on Feb. 5th while I have to be down in Phoenix for about 4 days.

Kay will be heading home again on Feb. 19th, so if any of you out there want an all inclusive (sort-of) stay in Flagstaff let us know and we can hook you up with a place to stay.  You do, as our former guests will tell you, have to work for food (that includes cooking it...)!

Their Time Has Come

Newsflash...Kate and Will were due yesterday, and today had their 3 month "birthday". Things have been going well at home with all three kids and Papa and Gammie. Both Kate and Will have been emptying bottles and look to be packing on the weight. It seems that life with infant twins is really pretty simple: eat, sleep, cry, diaper, eat, sleep, cry, diaper, eat...

Saturday we had a local photographer come to the house and take pictures of the family. There is a little sample below. We've also been spending as much time this weekend as possible outside with Ben, taking advantage of the snow that is still left (there is plenty...). He and Papa built his first snowman last week while on a short hike (the pint-sized one in the pictures) and then Saturday, he and Papa and I built the larger, Frosty Lovekamp.

Home at Last

So...where do I begin. The last time we posted the kids were about to be sent home and MH and I were much more well rested. Just kidding (sort of). As planned, Will and Kate both came home on the 30th. Their big brother was VERY happy to finally see them after not being allowed into the NICU in Flagstaff and having been a frequent visitor when they were still at the hospital in Phoenix (see the video).

Ben was very excited to see his brother and sister coming home!

Although in hindsight their first few days home seem to have been pretty uneventful, plenty has been going on. First, I should preface everything with the fact that they are both still on oxygen and hooked up to apnea monitors. This means that they each have a significant amount of baggage. Taking them from their cradle (which for now is downstairs in our room) to the kitchen 100 feet away is no small task. We do, thankfully, have travel-size oxygen canisters that we can take with us when we go places (like the doctor's office) which makes it more a matter of managing tubing and wires than heavy tanks.

Will and Kate were all dressed up to party into the New Year.
Will was "All Dressed Up" in his tuxedo onesy and Kate
looked beautiful in her "Little Black Dress" onesy.

On Wednesday, after having been released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, we made a trip to the pediatrician's office for an initial visit and weight check (Kate - 4 lbs 13 oz, Will - 5 lbs 7 oz). This was followed by another quick visit on Friday morning to the pediatrician's office for another weight check (Kate - 5 lbs 0 oz, Will - 5 lbs 12 oz). Without even taking Kate out of the car, part of the family turned immediately back around and headed to the eye doctor in Phoenix. Phil (MH's dad) and Ben joined Kate and I and hung out at the park in the warmth of Phoenix for a few hours while they waited for us to return from the doctor. This also gave MH and Kay a little bit of a break with just Will at home. As for the reason for the trip, Kate passed her eye exam and was cleared for 2 years and she is officially free of R.O.P. like her brother.
Saturday, sadly, MH's parents said goodbye and headed home to South Carolina. Kay has been here through it all since mid-September and will definitely be missed. These last 3 months would have certainly been much different without her help and support.

Kay and Phil soaked up as much of Ben, Will, and Kate as they could in
their short time all together during their visit

The departure of Kay and Phil meant that, for the first time, it was just MH, myself, and the kids. Very weird.

Since then, MH and I spent the better part of Saturday and all day Sunday trying to adjust to our new routines with two new babies at home. I think the sense so far is that we are definitely going to be more busy cleaning, doing laundry, and feeding people than probably either of us could have imagined and with much less sleep than we are accustomed to. That said, I think we have both really enjoyed the last few days and are very thankful for these two new additions to our family and for their big brother, Ben. I cannot say enough what a great kid we have managed to create over the last 3 years and I can only hope that we can fumble through the next few years like we have the last 3 and end up with two more great kids!
As for the future, my parents, Gammie and Papa, are coming to town on Tuesday. My dad will be here for a week and my mom for almost 3. Since I am going to be back at work with much more regularity, I know that MH will be anxious for the help once again and Ben will be more than happy to have another set of grandparents at home.