Saturday, September 28, 2013

Quick update


Caroline "Carly" and Blake are TEN MONTHS old {seven adjusted} today! I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by; we have been home for five months! They are now 15 lbs, 3 oz and 14 lbs, 13.5 oz!! I sincerely apologize for not being better about my blog; however, most of you are friends with me on facebook, follow me on twitter and/or instagram, and have been keeping up with the girls regularly. 

Greg had a successful kidney transplant on July 15th {we are so thankful to his sister for being the donor}!!! He's had complications within the last few months, but thankfully, none seem to be kidney related and the doctors are working hard to have him feeling 100% again. I remember having nightmares that he would have severe complications and, perhaps, would not make it. Although, he did have a major complication hours after surgery, he is doing better and was not effected by it at all.

The girls have therapy three times a week: they go to speech on Monday, and physical therapy on Wednesday and Friday. I, honestly, don't know where they'd be {developmentally} without it. Speech has helped them eat [full jars of] baby food with a spoon, and to sip small amounts of liquid out of a cup. Currently, they are working with textures in food but aren't liking it too much. Physical therapy has helped Blake to sit, unassisted, for extended periods of time; Carly is almost there but not quite. They are also able to: roll from one side to another, roll onto their stomachs and over to their back, grab for objects with both hands, and are learning how to transition from a sitting to crawling position. Carly's shunt has not, yet, slowed her development but she is just now starting show signs of her IVH (interventricular hemorrhage): the left side of her body (most especially her left arm) is much weaker and much less preferred than her right arm {Side note: children should not develop a "dominate hand" until 3 years of age; both sides of the brain should develop at the same rate, thus, no dominance should be determined until he/she is a toddler}. Furthermore, a preference for one side of the body, at this age, may suggest that she suffered small amounts of right-side brain damage that is effecting the left side of her body. Only time will tell how prevalent the damage is. 

I am truly amazed at how much has happened in the last five {ten} months; our family has been through so much {and the struggles aren't over}, but we have persevered and will continue to do so; I am so proud to be Greg's wife and the girls' mother... It has been a joy to watch the girls grow and learn. I cannot wait to see what the next five months bring {Carly and Blake will be 15 months, adjusted to a year !!!}. 

Thank you for continuing to follow our story! We are, still, so grateful your the help, prayers, and well wishes. God has been so good to our little family.  

PS: Trust me when I say, "I feel like I never have time to sit down and write" {for whatever reason, I couldn't sleep tonight so I took the opportunity to blog}. The girls are still napping twice a day, but I am usually: cleaning, doing laundry and/or dishes, or taking a nap myself during those times. When I do get a free moment to do something, I don't always feel particularly inspired to write, and I am not going to write if I don't feel like it-- nothing worthwhile can come from that. So, with all of the aforementioned excuses in mind, I will do my best to update on a more frequent basis; I've already got one, additional post, outlined for future publishing. 

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