Twin Connection

Despite his casts, Dominic has been in a wonderful mood. On the other hand, Joseph has had a real temper today. He keeps "eyeing" Dominic's casts and boots.

When I got home from work today I asked Joe if he wanted to try on Dominic's cast boots that were too small. He was all excited and would NOT take them off. As you see in the picture they are WAY too small. I finally coaxed them off him by mentioning the word "outside". I looked down at his feet and there were two blisters from the boots. First of all, I immediately felt neglectful, but then realized the boys have always had the same of everything. Maybe this is why Joe was crabby today. He was going to wear the same boots as Dom even if they inflicted pain!



We went outside tonight and played with chalk. They helped me color in the heart and add extra touches to the sign we made for Matt.



I think this picture is too funny. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Dominic's New "Boots"

Dominic's Physical Therapist decided to cast him today. The process is called serial casting. The casting will help stretch Dominic's heel cords which are tight. He will wear this set of casts until Thursday morning. I will remove them (just unroll) and bath him and then return to PT in the afternoon for another set of casts. Each time they change his casts they stretch his foot a little more. This whole process could take a few weeks.

It takes about 45 minutes to cast him as he lays on his belly. He did a great job he did not move once. He just played with his matchbox cars and Barney computer. I was so surprised at how he tolerated the procedure.

As you can see from the pictures, so far he does not mind the casts. He calls them his "New boots". When we got out of the car, he was excited to show Daddy and Joe his new casts. He walked into the house yelling, "Joey...new boots!"

Dominic decorating his cast's with Nemo stickers-


Dom saying "Cheese"




Of course Children's Hospital did not have the right size walking shoes. Matt being so handy, rigged up a slip proof bottom until his shoes come in. Matt used the rubbery grid usually used to prevent rugs from slipping and duck tape. What do ya know...it works great.



Dominic is such a trooper! He is an inspiration to me. It really reminds me not to complain so much over little things.

A Visit From Auntie Marji

My sister Marji came out to visit us today. We decided since it was raining we would take the boys to Walmart. My sister does not have a Walmart by her so it was a REAL experience for her! The boys love going out in the rain so they can wear their new Nemo raincoats. The coats are so big, but they are really into Nemo. Too bad my sister and I did not have a raincoat like these, we got so wet from the down pour of rain on our way out of Walmart.

Dominic-

Joseph


We bought the boys some Viewfinders. I have not seen these since I was little. The boys thought they were so cool. Note to self: Good activity while waiting at a restaurant.


We all had a great time visiting with Auntie Marji. Next time we will come out to the country and visit Auntie Marji, Uncle Chris and possible their new puppy!

Auntie showing Dom how to work her camera-

Joseph and Auntie-

Florida 2007

I found this awesome website called Smilebox where you can create online scrapbooks, greetings, postcards, and slideshows. I just put together some pictures of our Florida trip. We all had so much fun visiting our family. For some reason (might have been my 2 BUSY toddlers) I did not take very good pictures. There were not many to choose from so I did the best I could. Sorry if I left anyone out.

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Mexican Fiesta!

I am actually feeling much better today. My back is finally on the mend. So, we decided to tempt out fate and take the boys out to a more adult like restaurant compared to our usual Coney Island. I have to admit I was a little nervous. But, as it turns out the boys could not have been any better.

Dominic-

Joseph-



They loved their chips and salsa. Who would think toddlers would like salsa? The waitress brought them crayons to color their menus. Boy, did they think they were something! Since they were so good we decided to order a fried ice cream sundae with honey topping. Matt and I the boys loved their dessert!

The boys are growing-up so fast! Here is a picture of exactly 2 years ago!

Potty Training 101

How do you potty train 2 year old boys?????? This is the question I have been pondering for the past few weeks. I have been doing a little research. And for those who know me well this usually means 2-3 hours of Internet searching.

I have finally come up with a plan. First, I am going to introduce the boys to the potty chair. This will take place every night just before bed. Usually, before bedtime they run around naked for 10-15 minutes. During this "Nakey" time I have them sit on their potties and read a book. Their homecare nurse suggested some type of activity on the potty because it usually takes about 5 minutes to relax themselves. After their book is done they jump up and I swear to you- they put their heads nearly in the potty and shout "NOPE...no pee-pee"! What a stitch! Neither has had any success yet, but I just know they must be getting closer. I know, wishful thinking!

After this initial phase of potty introduction I plan to take a few days off work this summer and attempt "Big boy pants". We will see...I heard boys are harder to train than girls and are not usually potty trained until 3. It cannot hurt to try earlier, as you see in the below pictures they don't seem to mind.

Dominic-

Joseph with Dominic offering support-

And We're Off!!

Tonight we decided to bring the boys trikes outside for the first time. Let me tell you, I had already been planning this since yesterday. Last night I took Dominic over to visit my friend Dana and her kids. Seve, who is four, was going to ride his bike around the block as we walked with the rest of the kids. In preparation for todays first bike ride, I asked Seve to show Dominic how he puts on his bike helmet. Dominic idolizes Seve, so it was good interaction.

Tonight we opened the new helmets and of course Joseph was fine wearing his (after he wore one for 8 months after surgery). I was leery about Dom because he hates wearing hats! But, my prep work paid off! He put the helmet right on and kept it on the whole ride around the block!

They love their new trikes! They can't pedal yet, but they try. Now the problem is they do not want to get off their bikes and come in the house!

Dominic on his bike-

Joseph-

And we're off!

Proud Mama

Joseph and Dominic both had Physical Therapy (PT) today. I am so proud of the boys. They have come so far over the past two years. Their determination and perseverance are truly inspirational to me.

Dominic goes to a conventional therapy program through Children's Hospital. He has a wonderful therapist named Kristen. He has always been a little hesitant and clung to Matt or I until today...something changed. As I pulled into the center he was chanting "Kisten...Kisten..." He confidently walked in and marched right back holding Kristen's hand. He did not even look back for me. What! Tuesday Kristen had to literally peel him off me to get a few measurements and that is all he would really do. Today he had so much fun he did not want to leave!

Joseph goes to a new physical therapy center, called Crawl, Walk, Run and Jump. This is a totally new physical therapy concept. The therapist uses tension cables with weights attached at the end to work certain muscle groups. Joseph benefits from this type of therapy because of his lower tone issues. They can increase the weights and isolate his exact muscles that are weak. He has done so well with this program. We really notice a difference when he runs. He now runs straight up and barely falls. He also has a wonderful therapist named Stefanie, or "tefie" to Joe. He also looks forward to seeing "tefie" and his therapy.

Here is some pictures of Joseph's PT- pretty interesting concept.



Sometimes it is hard to have the boys at two different therapies twice a week. But honestly, I feel so blessed to have found these two wonderful therapists concentrating on each boy's specific needs. I am very confident in the therapist's skills and treatment decisions. People in the medical field have told me I have the best of the best in the Detroit area.

Target Shopping

Even though I was supposed to be resting today, I had to get out of the house. So we took the boys to target. Since I love shopping at Target I can easily get the boys excited about going too. All the way in the car they kept singing Target...Go Target! I know Matt must have loved this!

We bought the boys some new "Choo-Choo" shoes. I had a hard time getting them off tonight before bed! We also bought them a pair of boxer shorts just like "Daddy's". So cute!

Dominic and his new shoes-

Joseph-

The boy's home care nurse, Shelly, still comes out every 6 months to check their growth and development. Shelly is so awesome and has always been so supportive of not only the boys but also me. She weighed and measured the boys. Joseph is 34 lbs and 37 inches tall and Dominic is 30 lbs 4oz and 36.5 inches. They are both very healthy!

For all of you that do not know Dominic wears braces called AFO's (Ankle Foot Orthosis) for his toe walking. These braces help him keep his feet flat. He does great with them! He is such a trooper and never complains. He calls them his Batman shoes because they have little Batman figures all over them.

He will also be getting a Dennis Brown bar to wear at night with shoes. He has a condition called tibial torsion(which is not that uncommon). Unfortunately, most cases are diagnosed earlier. The bar will go between his feet to keep his feet pointed out. Right now his right foot has a tendency to point in when he walks. The doctor said this condition usually corrects before age four.

I will find out more tomorrow at his physical therapy appointment.

Matt is golfing tonight...the boys are in bed and I am going to enjoy the quiet and watch American Idol and maybe get the boys Birthday thank you cards addressed! I know it has been way too long!!!

New Toys

Today we brought out some new toys for the boys to play with. In the morning we played at the rice box. I colored and cooked about 15 lbs of rice and put it in a plastic tub for the boys to play with. They love it! Since their attention span is about 5-10 minutes these days, I have to have many different activities on hand!

Joseph-


The boys go to Physical Therapy on Tues and Thurs. just to catch-up on minor preemie delays. After therapy they come home, eat and usually go right to bed. But, tonight they had extra energy so I brought out Playdough for the first time. What a hit! They played with it for about 30 minutes. Another good activity to add to the mix!

Dominic intensely working-

Joseph's proudly showing me his heart-


I am off work tomorrow due to my back injury. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with the boys.

The Fall...

Well today was a very stressful, scary, worrisome day! The story goes:

The boys woke up late today around 8:30. I was getting ready for work and Matt went to get the boys up. Like everyday he opened up each boys crib tent(see pic below) and greeted them with a "Good Morning Boys"! As he was lifting Dominic out of his crib I walked in to see Joseph reaching over his crib railing yelling "Mickey"! He was trying to reach for his Mickey hat which was across the room on his dresser.

Because he is so top heavy, as he reached he flipped over the rail but kind of caught himself. Matt and I yelled "No Joe", but before we could reach him he had flipped himself over the rail landing on the hardwood floor.

Matt remembers that he caught himself with his hands first before his head hit the floor and his neck bent forward from a somersault. All I saw was his contorted neck and head. A vision Matt and I will never forget and do not even want to talk about anymore.

He cried right away so he did not lose consciousness. But, I was really worried about his head where he had his surgery. The top of his head is still weak and has a couple of areas where the bone is not totally filled in.

So off we went to the ER. How embarrassing for a Pediatric Nurse to bring her son in after falling out of his crib! Joseph was so good in the ER. They gave him some oral sedation and a CT scan. Everything came back normal- thank God!

So we are ALL recovering from our crazy day!

Now we have to decide what to do next. We are definitely buying 2 crib tents for my parents house. We debated about toddler beds but I think the boys are still not mature enough for them. So, our solution is to leave them locked in their crib tents and take them downstairs one at a time.

Even having the crib tents you can never predict how quickly things happen!!!!! Oh the lessons learned!

Here is a picture of the crib tents-


On a brighter note... while waiting for his CT scan Joseph recited his numbers 1-20! And Dominic continues to amaze me with his sensitivity. He was giving Joseph toys, pillows, and blankets all afternoon. I think he really felt sorry for him.

I am trying to do a little homeschooling with the boys. I found this wonderful and FREE website, ,that has a wonderful curriculum for toddlers. Tonight we learned about cows and the letter A. The boys colored pictures of cows (printed from the website), read a book about cows and used the letter A stamp. They loved it! I always wanted to be a teacher!!

I am off to have a cup of coffee, treat myself to a Kit Kat and watch the last episode King of Queens.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I can't believe this is my 3rd Mother's Day. It seems like just yesterday when I celebrated my first Mother's Day. Here is a look at my past Mother's Days. My boys are growing so fast!

My first Mother's Day-
2nd Mother's Day- Where am I?
Today-

Mother's Day is always a day of reflection for me. It is a day of thanks for all the special people who have made Mother's Day so special to me.

I am first thankful for my wonderful and inspiring Mom. My mom has always been a pillar of strength in my life. My mom was a stay at home mom. I am forever thankful for the time she dedicated to raising my sister's and I. I often wonder when I am going to grow-up and be a mom like my mom. My mom is always organized...Always had a home cooked meal on the table at 6pm... and never was too busy or tired to sit down and listen, support and love us. My mom's patience, love and dedication to family have made me a better person and mom to my two boys.

I want to thank Matt's mom for raising such a beautiful son. Matt is truly a special person. He is so loving, caring, kind and most of all a wonderful father.

Last but never least, I want to thank Lisa for allowing me to celebrate Mother's Day. It still feels like a dream. I can't believe my babies are 2!

First Post!

Well, I finally figured out how to blog! I have been trying to find time since Christmas to setup this website. The boys are at my parents house tonight, and my back is very sore so I have forced myself to bedrest. The computer is the only thing I have to keep myself busy.

My mom called and said the boys have been great. My Aunt Claudia and Uncle Bill came over to my parents and were able to see the boys. Joseph surprised everyone when he identified all of his letters!

My mom said the boys are eating her out of house and home! They really are good eaters. It amazes me that Dominic still loves his fruit and veggies!




Hopefully, I can keep this blog updated. I really want to journal some of our everyday happenings for the boys when they are older. I was not good at keeping a baby book or a scrapbook so hopefully this will serve as a family memory blog.

Happy Birthday to my sister Chrissie! We miss you!