Tubes are in and we are home!

Brandon had tubes put in his ears this morning and did very well with the procedure. He was very upset coming out of anesthesia, but he calmed down after a few minutes, a little milk, and some cheerios. I could hear him crying from the waiting room and jumped up as soon as they called my name. He needed his mommy. I have antibiotic drops to put in his ears 3 times a day over the next few days. Dr. Bellian said there was a lot of fluid in both ears and it should drain out by Monday. If his ears continue to leak after Monday or if the fluid looks bloody, I'm supposed to call him. I also asked Dr. Bellian if he would prescribe Brandon an Epi Pen for his allergies. After the reaction he had to a peanut butter kiss, Eric and I both feel that I should have a pen on me at all times. The doctor gladly prescribed me one. We are home and relaxing. Brandon is playing in the family room with is toys and Connor is still down for his morning nap. A HUGE thanks to Jean Marie for taking care of Connor for me. She said he was a great kid...that makes me feel good! She said he was kind of looking around for maybe me or his brother, but he ate good for her and went down for a nap very easily. I'm going to lay on the floor with B for another 20 minutes until they need lunch. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Brothers Don't Shake Hands...

BROTHERS HUG!!!! Those are famous words from Chris Farley in Tommy Boy. The boys were being huggy and snuggly after their morning nap. As you can see, I still haven't separated them....I guess I'm dragging my feet on that issue.

Ready for Friday

I had to take Brandon to the outpatient surgery center to get him preregistered for his tube procedure on Friday. I decided to take Connor to Mother's Day Out at my church so I wouldn't have to worry about him and could focus on Brandon. I almost didn't leave Connor at church because the other set of twin girls that go there contracted RSV and were in the hospital. What do you do? When Brandon and I arrived at the surgery center, the entire waiting room was PACKED with people...it's was unbelievable. I'm glad I left Connor at church! The preregistration process took 2 hours...his procedure on Friday will only take about 15 minutes. I think that's just plain ridiculous! Hopefully we'll be in and out on Friday and won't have any complications to worry about. Another mother told me that she didn't even have time to make herself a cup of coffee before her son was done and coming out of anesthesia! I fell asleep on the couch tonight watching House, and it's time for me to hit the sack. Here's a little video of the boys playing together tonight! ENJOY!

I'm thiirsty mommy!!!!!

Eric called me the other day from Iraq just as the boys and I were heading out the door for our afternoon walk. I put Connor down, walked into the office to look at something for Eric, and when I came back out I found Connor playing in the dog dish! Thankfully, I had just cleaned out the dish and put fresh water in it. Silly boy!

Jade and the kids

Jade and Rena spend most of their time outside now...especially if the boys are all over the floor and not locked in "baby jail" Jade is a very sweet lab, but still has the energy of a puppy. I'm scared that she will play rough with the boys like she does with Eric. She loves to be thrown around and wrestled with, but the boys are quite ready for that. She was sad, so I let her play with us the other morning. We were all having jammie day, and I figured Jade should be included. Rena could care less about the boys. She'd rather be outside staring at the squirrels she's never going to catch or just curl up under Eric's desk and sleep. She stays as far away from the boys as she can.

Jade loves to kiss the boys, but Connor was unsure about it.
Brandon LOVES Jade! You can see her tongue getting a good lick on his ear! Maybe he hid some bananas back there for her

I can tell that Jade liked Brandon better! Dogs definitely know who loves them!

Some videos....

Here are a couple videos from the other day. You can tell the days that I'm stuck in the house all day with the boys because I end up taking LOTS of pictures and videos!

This is Connor crawling into the kitchen...



This is Connor dancing...



This is a video of the boys feeding themselves. Connor does pretty good with getting his hand to his mouth. Brandon can actually get a spoon into his mouth, but hasn't figured out how to pick up a piece of food and put it in his mouth. We're working on it though!!!

Baby food is stocked up!

At one time, our freezer was full of meat, meat, and more meat. Then we transitioned to some meat and chicken, frozen skillet dinners, and frozen veggies. Next, it was full of Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals, hardly any meat, veggies, and bags of breast milk. Now, it's full of baby food cubes, Healthy Choice meals, chicken, and Orange Cream drink mix. I take a lot of pride in making the boys' food from fresh healthy fruits and veggies and freezing it in ice cube trays. The next day, I pop them out and put them in labeled freezer bags...color coded of course!!!! We have squash, sweet potatoes, mango, peaches, pears, bananas, peas, green beans, avocado, and finally broccoli! We'll be introducing broccoli this week. I guess I got tickled when I opened the freezer and saw all of the food. It's amazing how many things change after kids!!!! I'm going to plug the book I have used to guide me through making baby food...it's called Super Baby Food and the author is Ruth Yaron. (Thanks to my sister Ann for telling me about the book!!!!!) Trust me, I'm very low on free time...actually I have none...but making this food is very easy and takes hardly no time at all! Plus, it's good to know that the kiddos are eating food without any other preservatives. Lord knows I won't be able to keep them from the steroids and preservatives forever, but at least I can for the time being.

Day after TURKEY

We had a very nice and relaxing Thanksgiving! We went for a long long LONG walk with our friend Theresa and her 4 year old twin girls while the boys slept. I knew I wanted to go to Bed Bath and Beyond today as well as Payless to get the boys some white tennis shoes. So, after the boys and I ate lunch, we packed up and headed out. BB&B had some dog beds for super cheap PLUS I had a $10 off coupon so I treated the dogs each to a bed for the garage. I've been looking at dog beds for a few months now, but refuse to pay 30 bucks for one bed. I got 2 dog beds for about 20 bucks...NOT BAD! I didn't really even have to wait in line. It was a totally different story at the mall. I managed to find an awesome parking spot, went in the entrance that happened to be right by Payless, found them each a pair of shoes, stood in line for a pretty long time, and managed to spend less than $15 bucks! Not bad if I do say so myself. Shoes are mainly for warmth right now, so I didn't really care what they looked like. We headed home and managed to take back roads to bypass traffic. The boys had a sipee cup and some puffs and CRASHED! We'll go for a run/walk whenever they get up so they can show off their new shoes!


Is there a baby under there??? That is EXACTLY how I laid him down...he just pulled the covers and the bear over his face!
Tuckered!

Some pictures

Connor has figured out how to get up on his knees! Now, I can't leave anything in the couch because he can reach it!!!!








Brandon was so sweet...I was reading Connor and book and Brandon snuggled up on my leg and then rested his sweet little head on it!

Developmental Appointment

The boys and I just got back from their developmental appointment...here are the results....

Their weight was the same as their last appointment on November 1st give or take a few ounces. Connor is off the charts on his percentiles for his adjusted age...like in the 75 for height and 90 for weight. His actual age percentages remained the same. Brandon's weight is a little low and had actually moved down the chart a little. The nutritionist wants me to add some butter to his feedings for extra calories. I might do that from time to time, but I think he's fine and he's just a tall lanky kid...wonder where he gets that from???

Connor tested at a 9 month level developmentally. He's very quickly closing the gap between his adjusted age and his actual age. He charmed the PT and OT very much and made us all laugh and giggle. I LOVED the mirrors and loved to look at himself smile. Brandon tested right at his adjusted age. He's on the lower end of the developmental spectrum, but still well within his age limits. That's really all there is to report. They were impressed with both of the boys and how much they have grown in the last 2 months. We won't go back again for 3 more months. They also agreed with me that Brandon will probably make some big strides once he gets his tubes next week. If Brandon's vocalizations and movements don't improve by his 1st birthday, they want me to call. By mid to late January, he should be doing everything Connor is doing...if not a little more. At least I have something to judge his development now. He is just a very stubborn child and is totally content playing by himself with one toy for a very long period of time. He interacted with everyone while he was playing, and that was a big indicator that he's A OK developmentally. If he would not interact with us while he had a toy in his hands, that could be an indicator of autism or one of the many forms of autism. No concern here!

I'm going to get their lunch ready and hopefully they'll take a long afternoon nap because I need one too!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

He made it!

Benjamin Andrew Hannan was born on Monday morning. My sister, brother in law, big brother, and baby are all doing well. Feel free to visit HANNAN HAPPENINGS listed in my links section to see pictures and read the specifics on his birth. Love to all of my family...I wish I could be there!!!!

End of the Day

The last few days have been rough for me. The boys have been extremely fussy and we've been SO busy that I can't seem to stop and catch my breath. We went outside today for some fresh air and let the boys play in the leaves. This is definitely a time honored tradition for all kids. Mine were unsure about the leaves, but they still looked super cute! Thanks to my neighbor who helped me get some cute pictures of them!! She got a few good ones of all three of us, but no one can see those until our Christmas cards come out!!!


Connor was VERY unsure about the leaves. He almost acted like...Mom...am I allowed to be in this stuff???
I spent the whole time keeping leaves out of Brandon's mouth.




Aren't their expressions priceless?????


Me and Connor man...he was looking right at me, but moved right when Celeste took the picture. It's still sweet

On the move...full force!

Connor is definitely crawling and has become a baby on a mission. Here are a few videos of him going for the phone and pulling his toy bin off the shelf. He discovered the blinds this morning and Brandon's nebulizer. (Yes, I have been giving Brandon breathing treatments since we've all had head colds. He started coughing throughout the night and I'm trying to prevent a respiratory infection!)

Brandon sitting up

Here's a little video of Brandon sitting up and playing with his blocks. He falls over at the end and I stop the video to make sure he wasn't hurt. Don't worry...he thought it was funny and started laughing even though he bumped his head!

Prayers

Most of you know that my sister, Ann, is pregnant with bambino #2 and has a scheduled c-section on Monday. She's been on bed rest for the last 6 weeks after going into premature labor at 32 weeks. Funny...same thing happened with Noah...and the same thing happened to me with the boys! Please keep her, her husband Gabe, and their son Noah, as well as Baby Hannan in your thoughts and prayers. Let's hope she has an uneventful delivery and that Baby Hannan's entrance into this world will be a blessed one. I can't wait to be an aunt again, but I'm bummed that I would get to meet him until the spring :( We love you Annie and hope for the absolute best! I wish I could be there to see you!!!! Please refer to their family blog for updates on Baby Hannan. Their blog is listed on my page as Hannan Happenings. Be sure to visit it to see the very first picture....I wonder what name they picked out???!?!?!?!?!

Homemade goodies

My mom made the boys each a hooded sweater, and they looked so cute in them today!




After dinner, Connor spent the rest of the night exploring. He pulled all the toys out of the bin, pulled books off the middle shelf, and even tried to pull himself up on the bin. I was trying to get a picture of him doing that, but he let go right when I snapped it. He found all of the plugs to Daddy's entertainment center, but I fixed that by shoving a pillow between their toy shelf and the entertainment center. It's amazing how fixated Connor is on something he wants. Once he's sees it and pinpoints it...he's on a mission and very determined

Bubbleboy?

Poor Brandon...he might need to be the next Bubbleboy! His eczema has gotten SO bad at times, that he's absolutely miserable. I suggested allergy testing to my pediatrician and she agreed, but we couldn't do that until his eczema calmed down. Well...I performed my own allergy testing on him today and discovered a possible nut allergy. I eat an apple with peanut butter every single day! A few days ago, I was finishing my apple and he woke up from his nap. I went in his room to get him so Connor could still sleep and so Brandon and I could have some alone time. I kissed him on the cheek and noticed a red rash a few moments later. I just assumed the mark was a blanket mark. Well, today Brandon was sitting in his Bumbo seat while I ate my daily apple and peanut butter. I purposely kissed him on the cheek after I finished it and watched his face instantly break out in hives. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. That was at 12:07 today. I just put them down for a nap at 2 and the hives were finally starting to go away. They were at their worse about 45 minutes after I kissed him. I was going to call the pediatrician after 1, but they called me to tell me their next RSV vaccination was in. I talked to the nurse about it and she said they'll do the allergy blood work on him on Tuesday when they get their vaccination. It's called immunocap...not sure if that's how you spell it. She made it very clear to keep him away from all nuts, anything prepared with nuts, and NO KISSING BABIES after I eat peanut butter. She said it sounds exactly like a nut allergy. I guess I'm glad I figured it out this way and not in an emergency type situation. If it turns out to be an allergy, I'm going to have to replace my apple and peanut butter snack with something else. No nuts for anyone in the house for the time being.



Brandon using Connor's (poopy) toosh as a pillow this morning!!!!

Babyproofing is here to stay

I watched Connor pull himself across the width of the family room to the front door this morning. He pulled my purse over and found my keys. It's officially time to baby proof! I've been looking into a play yard type of gate so I can contain them in one part of the house. They can get pretty pricey, but thankfully, a friend of mine gave me this one for free! I think it will work for the time being. It keeps them away from Eric's 65 inch television, the entertainment center, and keeps them from going to any other part of the house. The big bonus is the gate that I can open and close to go in and out myself. My only other concern is the fireplace. I have a body pillow from college and some other throw pillows that I'm going to put on the fireplace and around it. It's stone and not brick, so the fireplace bumpers don't stick to it. I'm going to purchase some more of those canvas bins to put their toys in and cover the fireplace with them. Hopefully, those bins along with layers and layers of quilts, blankets, and pillows will keep them safe.

When you look at the picture, you can see Connor on the floor by their shelf. He pulled that toy bin off all by himself and dumped out the contents. It almost looks like they are in baby jail!!!!!!

New Winter Hats

Now that we're entering the winter season and have had a few nights into the "freezing" temperatures, I figured it was time order the kiddos some hats. Old Navy is very good for things like this! I went by the measurements on their website, but I think Brandon's it a little big. I'll just velcro it a little tighter next time and he should be good to go.

Paybacks are....

...you fill in the blank! Brandon was on a roll yesterday paying Connor back for all of the ear pulling and pacie stealing. Enjoy the next two videos!

Blonde moment #...

I can't even assign this one a number because I've lost count. The boys and I showed up to our developmental appointment this morning...EARLY...only to find out that it's really next week. Dang it!

Some cute videos

This first video just shows how the boys are starting to interact with each other. They were being super sweet before I was able to FIND the camera to get some footage. Connor definitely dominates Brandon for now, but once Brandon toughens up a little, I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to take a stand. For the time being, it's very sweet to watch...even if Brandon usually gets the raw end of the deal.





I've been looking for a toy that goes with the Peek a Blocks from Fisher Price. They are all either really expensive (for my budget) or I can't find them at all. Ann had this giraffe for Noah and he really liked it. I like it because it's a very simple toy that teaches the boys to put something in an opening. Since Annie is at home on bed rest, she and I talk almost everyday and she found this giraffe on Ebay for me for a super good deal. They don't make it anymore, so Ebay was my only option. Thanks to Eric for taking care of the auction for me...he's the Ebay-er in the family...not me. The giraffe came in the mail today, and the boys have already mastered it. You can see Connor playing with it in the video below. I can't get video of Brandon playing with it because I have to help him sit up a little bit still. I was amazed at how quickly they picked it up!





We have a developmental appointment tomorrow morning at Womack. I've been looking forward to the appointment for a few weeks now. I think both boys are doing very well, but I still have some questions in regards to their diet and Brandon's lack of sitting up. Although, he's made GREAT strides over the last week. Turns out, Brandon loves yogurt and avocado. Avocado has awesome fats and proteins which are especially good for underweight kids. Not that Brandon is really underweight, but he could stand to gain a few. Connor likes it too, but he won't get it as often as Brandon. I gave them Puffs for the first time today and they both choked on the first one. By the third or fourth, they got the hang of it. They can actually pick them up with their thumb and index finger (pincer grasp) but then they put it in their fists. I'm sure they'll pick it up soon enough. I think it's time to cut out a feeding too. I spend more time getting them to sit still to take their bottles now, and I think that's a sign that they AREN'T HUNGRY!! Duh mom! I hope to talk to the nutritionists about that tomorrow. Wish us luck and give me a day or two to get the results posted.

It's about that time!

First of all..YES...IT WAS CONNOR! Great guessing everyone! Even the grandparents passed this test with flying colors.

It's about time to set up the second crib. Connor moves all over the bed, as you will be able to see in the picture and video below. Poor Brandon gets squished, squashed and smashed every time he tries to go to sleep. I usually have to break up at least one "nap space fight" per day. I really don't want to set up the crib due to lack of space, but I think it's time to get over it! I wish I could have a super organizer come to the house and help me organize all of their stuff as well as the rest of my house. That would be a great Christmas present...buy me a professional organizer! I think I do a pretty darn good job, but I know I could use some help. I started tackling the garage today because we are in desperate need of room to store the baby stuff they have outgrown. Since we're not sure if we are done having kids, I hate to get rid of all of their stuff. I'm good on the clothes issue thanks to the vacuum bags. The swing, bouncy seats, and other baby toys are causing problems. No fear...I'll figure it out. I accomplished a lot during the 30 minutes I was in the garage today. Eric has a lot of military issued gear, dental supplies from dental school, and car parts/accessories. I'm just trying to put all "like" things together and then I'll take the next step. Buying diapers at Sams is a beautiful thing because those boxes are PERFECT to use in the garage! Lord knows I have a bunch of them.

Guess who

This is how one of the boys woke up from his nap...I swear I didn't stage this picture whatsoever...but I sure did laugh a lot when I walked in and saw him.

Can YOU guess which Danko this is?????
NO CLUES!!!!
Just go for it.
Don't cheat and see what other people say.

Tubes it is

We had our appointment today with the ENT doctor. Brandon is scheduled to have tubes put in his ears on November 30th. I've already managed to find someone to watch Connor for me. I have to be at the surgical center at 630 am, and one of my NICU nurses is going to come sit with Connor until we get back. It should be a very simple in and out procedure. There's a lot of paperwork leading up to it, but the surgery itself is so simple that it really shouldn't be called surgery. The doctor said he's probably only using about 20% of his hearing out of his right ear because of the fluid issue. That could be why he doesn't babble as much as Connor. It could also be the reason he doesn't sit up as well as Connor. He could have some equilibrium issues. He also thinks Brandon has some seasonal allergies, and put him on some medicine for that. He started with a runny nose this morning and has puffy eyes. Poor little guy. After the surgery, he wouldn't be surprised if Brandon immediately started babbling more and moving around more. Let's hope all goes well!

I had a night out with the other military wives and I'm pooped! Thanks to my old coworkers who took care of the kiddos for me so I could have a night out. I made them dinner for payment...one of my favorite recipes...pizza pie! They are finishing Transformers while we speak. I'm going to do my nightly chores and then head to by myself. Have a great weekend everyone!

Today

Today was a pretty good day! I think the boys are finally adjusted to the time change. Monday and Tuesday were very bad days. Brandon was up at 5 or 530 when they both normally sleep until 7 or 730. I kept them up VERY late on Monday night with the hopes they would sleep in on Tuesday morning. It worked! I really liked the time schedule I had them on before the change, and I really wanted them to adjust. I'm glad they did.

They both look a little shocked here
They were on opposite sides of the crib when I laid them down after our nightly book. Brandon scooted to Connor for a brotherly snuggle. I'm going to try to get a picture of them tomorrow morning. Should be interesting.
When I really looked at Connor, I noticed that he's actually laying ON one of the teddy bears. If you look closely, you can see it under his neck. He was sleeping so soundly, that I didn't have the heart to wake him and move the bear. I guess he'll move if he wants to.

Connor is really starting to move. He's not crawling yet, but he does what I call the "soldier crawl" to get to whatever toy he wants. Brandon will roll to his favorite toy, but does spend a lot of time rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. Technically, they are a little over 7 months old, so I think they are right on track. We have another developmental appointment next week.

More pictures of Brandon

Here he is looking "cool"
HI MOM
NA NA NA NA NA!


This is a video of Brandon rocking back and forth on his hands and knees



This is a video of my first attempt with sipee cups. It went A LOT better than I expected!

Brandon is sitting up!!!

Brandon has changed so much in the last few days. He babbles a lot more and is even sitting up! He'll sit up for just a few seconds...well...maybe a minute at the most. He falls over when he losing his concentration. I'm glad to see that he's making the effort to sit up now. I was beginning to worry!




TIMBER!!!!!!
Both boys are playing with each other. They have started to notice each other more and interact with each other. That's one of the benefits of twins...built in best friend!

Teeth

Connor has 1 tooth with another one breaking through...YAY!

HO HO HO

It's so hard to believe that Christmas is only a month and a half away...well just about! I had the boys' picture taken with Santa today. They were pretty tired, so they wouldn't smile, but at least they didn't scream like the little girl did right after them. Brandon went right for the beard and pulled...HARD. It was a real beard too...poor Santa. While we were out I picked up their "baby's first Christmas" ornaments. YAY!

The age of technology

Ok, so I TOTALLY stole these pictures from the Target website. If you print them off, the resolution will be REALLY low and the picture quality won't be very good. They are copyrighted...so print at your own risk!

Pictures are IN!

https://www.thesmilestation.com/home.asp?AC=LTT88801188018TAR

Here is the link to see the boys' 9 month pictures.  The customer name is KATE DANKO.
Feel free to look...guaranteed to make you smile!

9 month checkup

We just got back from the boys' 9 month checkup. Here are their stats

Brandon - 16 lbs 6 oz, 27 inches long, and head circ is 17 1/2 inches. He is in the 10th percentile for weight and 20th for height. His height and weight percentiles have both increased! YAY B! Keep in mind these percentiles are based on their ACTUAL age of 9 months and not their ADJUSTED age of 7 months.

Connor - 20 lbs 14 oz, 28 1/2 inches long, and head circ is 18 inches. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height. His weight has leveled off a little which doesn't surprise me since he's starting to move around more. He's not crawling yet, but he's SO close. Connor got his first tooth on Saturday! I can feel it, but you can't really see it just yet. Hopefully it will pop out more over the next couple of days.

We are starting pears today..yum! I gave the boys bananas on Sunday and Connor gagged. I was surprised since all of my other mom friends said their kids LOVED bananas. I still offer it to him and he is starting to warm up to it, but he doesn't love it. I steamed some pears last night and got them frozen so we're good to go on the homemade pears. The boys don't really care for peas, but will eat them if I mix a little applesauce with them. Peas aren't one of my favorites either. We will start yogurt after pears and peaches. I'm going to try to get Brandon to eat some avacado. They are rich in good fats and protein which he really needs. Connor, on the other hand, will not be getting avacado. I might try it to see if he likes it, but he won't get a full serving like Brandon will. I want them to have well rounded palates, but Connor-man definitely doesn't need the extra fats.

They have their next developmental appointment on the 14th. I'm hoping Connor will be crawling by then and that Brandon will sit up. For some reason, he won't sit up on his own, but he rolls all over the place. He's just being lazy. It's common for preemies to do things backwards. He might not sit up unassisted until AFTER he starts crawling.

Thank goodness for healthy, strong, growing babies! I hope to keep them out of the doctor's office except for well baby checkups and their RSV vaccinations. I'm going to look into getting a flu shot for myself this week. The boys got one today..FREE!!! How nice of them!