Batman

Bet you're wondering what this book has to do with Batman.

Well stick around for a minute.

Allow me regale you with a tale from our NICU days and soon it will all make sense.
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J and I developed a routine during the girls' hospital stay.
I spent most of the day by their beds and
J made sure the electricity stayed on.

After work, we made a joint visit to tuck the girls in for the night.

Because we were bound by the staff's shift change schedule, we often didn't make it into the bay (area where the babies were) until 10pm.

Then, we spent time with each girl... talking, stroking, singing and reading to her.
A story book staple was Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever.

On this particular night, the girls were 6 or 7 days old.
Em was having a bad jaundice day and got to stay under the bili light during our visit.
So, J sat by her bed reading and I held Roo by her bed.

Wait.
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Before I continue this story, you need some background information about the NICU.

It was housed on the top floor of a high rise hospital building. Nothing above the roof but air. And the floor plan is ver' important to this tale, as well.

Imagine a long rectangle.

Never mind.

It looked like this.
The girls had separate beds in the bottom right corner of box 1.


******

So, J sat by Em's bed reading from the Best Storybook Ever.
I was tucked into a corner by Roo's bed as I held her on my chest.


Something from the corner of my vision caught my attention.

I looked up and saw a strange object.

Flying.

Down the long hallway of the NICU.

Past the nurses station.

Straight towards me.

And my babies.

And I completely lost the ability to form sentences.
All I could do was say J's name. Over and over in a panicked stage whisper.

He rushed over, thinking that Roo was in crisis.

Then, he followed the direction of my wild gaze.

And saw this.

Flying directly at us.

I pulled Roo into my chest and curled myself over her.

J leaped in front of Em's crib and brandished the only weapon he had.

The Best Storybook Ever.


He slammed the bat away from our babies.
Followed it as it spun and flew back towards the other babies in bay 2.
J swung again, connected, and sent the beast to his maker.

Then, he walked back to me and the girls.

Calmly took some hand sanitizer. Put it on a paper towel.

And wiped off the book.

********
And that is why all of our nurses called him Batman.


Our hero. For real.

Blue Belles

I'm starting to see little patches of blue along side the road.
Time to start scouting a good bluebonnet patch for this year's pictures.


Em & Roo, almost 12 months, being cute.

Way Back Wednesday

The girls at 10 months. Wearing the most gorgeous dedication dresses made by Marmee.
If you could only see the details on these gowns, you would swoon.

I love their intense expressions in this photo. They were mesmerized by my Broadway routine behind the photographer's shoulder. It was Singin' in the Rain.... slightly altered.

"Good Mornin'. Good Mornin' You talked the whole night through (try sleeping next time). Good Mornin'. Good Mornin' to You..."

I was trying to get a laugh out of them, but you can see they are shocked and embarrassed instead.

Get used to it, girls. Get used to it.

Marching for Babies in May

It's been almost 2 years since Em and Roo were born. But, it shouldn't be. That benchmark should be at the end of June. They were born two months early. 32 weeks gestation.
And that was a great victory.

From the beginning, my ultrasounds indicated that Roo was smaller than her twin. Not to worry, everyone said. Because, she was only 3 days behind. 5 days behind. 8 days behind.
But, as time marched on, the delay became more pronounced. My ultrasound sonographer spent longer and longer taking measurements and consulting his notes from our previous visit.


Finally, at 18 weeks, my amazing obstetrician made the call to send us to a specialist. A perinatologist. There were more ultrasounds.
Roo continued to make progress, but not at the rate that Em was growing.
Her fluid levels were borderline, but never dangerous. Her umbilical cord doppler scans indicated she was in some distress and was having to work very hard for the nutrition she received. Em was in good shape, but had something unthinkable happened with Roo, she would have been in grave danger. There was nothing that could be done to change the situation. Nothing that bed rest or diet or medicine could improve.
Just lots of ultrasounds.
And prayer.

When I was 24 weeks pregnant, the specialist insisted that I receive two rounds of a steroid shot. This was to improve the girls' lung maturity. He was convinced I would have to deliver the girls in the next few days. But, Roo grew and the doctor backed off.
At 28 weeks he expressed sincere surprise.

At 31 weeks, Roo's growth started to flatline. It was time.
I checked into the hospital to have the girls at 32 weeks and 1 day.

Roo

Em


I was discharged 5 days later. But I didn't go home...

First Family Picture (the girls are 1 1/2 weeks old).

First Mother's Day (2 weeks old twins)

...until the end of May. 30 days later. When the Rowdy Girls were finally released from the NICU.


Do you know how incredibly blessed we are? To have made it to 32 weeks. Amazing.
Against the odds with my particular situation (which is generically termed intrauterine growth restriction).
The doctors that took care of Em, Roo and I were outstanding.

But the NICU personnel... they were phenomenal!
What a burden those people bear. Those tiny babies fighting to live. Desperate families clinging to hope.
It is intense, to say the very least.

Several days before the girls were born, I had a dream. I dreamed about Em and Roo in the NICU. They were in separate beds and a very tall man, an angel, was standing guard between the beds. Twelve hours after delivery I was finally able to visit my precious babies. And just like the dream, their beds were in the corner of the room. With a poignant space between. But it wasn't empty. You could feel a holy presence.

I believe all NICU babies have angels standing guard. Fresh from heaven, and plucked from the safety of the womb, these special babies' new existence is painful and frightening. But, the prayers of family and friends enfold them. They bolster their guardian's strength.


And the March of Dimes... with the donations we make. They empower. They strengthen. And they save.
You see. There is an epidemic. Too many babies are born prematurely.
The March of Dimes estimates that half a million babies and their families are impacted by prematurity. Every year. They need our help. To survive. To thrive.

We are lucky. We are blessed. We are so grateful.

(Bunny) Tales of Easter '07

Last Easter...


the girls saw their first snow fall while visiting their grandparents.






We had this routine when visiting Marmee and Grandpa. When the girls awoke, I ran downstairs, got their bottles and hauled bunny tail back upstairs. THEN, I got them out of bed and changed diapers. And gave them their bottles. All took place on this bed. Then, we hung out, played with toys. And usually stayed in our jammies until time for their morning nap at 9am. This particular Easter morning, we threw some gifts into the mix. Sharing is not an inherited trait.






This is a very nostalgic photo for my family. What a difference a year has made for my darling Dubbie.



Roo and Em dressed beautifully in smocked Easter dresses made by Marmee. And checking out their baskets.

Easter. Brought to you by the letter J

The Rowdy Girls attended our town's Easter egg hunt this morning. Their first.
Roo kept the letter J tightly fisted in her hand.
(Until she spotted all the colored eggs.)
She's a smarty with the letter of the day thing.





Em was also enamored with the brightly colored pieces of sugar.



But she was also equally fascinated by the other kids (boys) running around.

At one point she ran AT one poor child screeching. With her arms spread wide. Kind of crazy like. I knew she had love on her mind and intended to hug and kiss him. He did not. He forked over his loot like he'd just been robbed at gunpoint. Whoops.



They didn't grasp the whole concept of putting the eggs into their baskets.






As the 0-3 year group egg hunt was finishing, someone counted down from 10.
When they reached 1, Em raised her arms and yelled, "BLAST OFF!".

Then we went to meet the Easter bunny.



Keep in mind, these are the children that pee their pants and try to climb back into my womb when Tickle Me Elmo is on the premises. They don't do animated characters outside of the tv. So, it is a win that there are no tears or screaming and instead looks of intrigue and interest!

1-800-Ruh-Roh!

So I got to call Poison Control last night.

J and I put the girls to bed and began the ritual cleansing of Fisher Price plastic from our family room.

While cleaning up I found a soggy (read been in someone's mouth) paper casing of silica gel pellets. Minus most of the pellets.
Those were found scattered about under the ottoman and couch.

I was pretty sure I knew which child MIGHT have eaten said silica pellets.
And I knew it had happened some 3 or 4 hours before I found the packet.

Notice the warning all over the package. Do. Not. Eat.

I called poison control. The operator said, "I'm glad to hear that's what they ate."

What?!

"... because it is not toxic. The "do not eat" message is due to the package being a potential choking hazard."

Phew!

Today I combed my house for other wayward pieces of ingestibles.
Because I so do NOT know where they found this package.
And.
I added the poison control number to my phone's address book.





*remember these? :)

**Poison Control also said that they receive 10-12 calls per day regarding kids ingesting silica gel

Peek-A-Boo On Demand

Bathtubs are the new Toilets

Worlds Apart

We received an update from Mammaw and Pappaw today. We miss them so much, but know they are doing such important work in far away in Tanzania.

Because this blog will eventually be the girls' baby book, I want to post a copy of the update. Em and Roo will want to know what their grandparents were up to during the first few years of their lives.


This is the photo of Mammaw and Pappaw that the girls like the best. It is in their tiny baby-proof photo album and they flip through it almost every day.

Currently, Mammaw and Pappaw are working with a school that serves children ages 3-18. But they are in the process of expanding their ministry.
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Hey, guys,

Just want to bring you up to date on what is going on here. We have loved having access to email, but the modem (like our hot water) only stays connected for about 3 minutes. We are looking into other providers where we can add SKYPE and be able to talk over the internet with out being cut off.

We are doing great. Things have been in a dead run since we returned. The dormitory had pretty much come to a stand still since we left due to a delay in the production of the grill work for the windows. When they were completed and installed 2 weeks ago, the kids moved in and it was a delight to help them get settled. The girls previously had to be moved into 2 classrooms due to flooding in their temporary housing. We have a mission team here for 3 weeks and one of their projects will be to make a few curtains for the building. There are about 19 windows, so it will be an undertaking.

Work in the business office is going well. I have Quickbooks up and running and ready to start entering all 800 students. Grace, the "money person" is a delight to work with. If any of you have a chance read the book "African Friends and Money Matters", please do. It will give you an idea of the extreme differences in westerner's views of "friends and money matters" and African's views.

Prior to leaving the states, Jerry Hale (OMEGA Mission) approached us about taking over the job of hosting OMEGA teams when they come to work on projects. We will be assuming those duties June 1 and our calendar is already filling up, with 4 teams scheduled and several "thinking about it". The possibility of working on water projects continues to become more of a reality. Ed and Lance Whyle (Living Waters, Int'l) are working on how this would all work together (with OMEGA). He wants someone here to host teams who come to work on water projects.

As training to host OMEGA teams, we joined a group of 45 from British Telecommunications from England, for 4 days, as they built classrooms and teacher housing in a small Masai village called Lingolwa. What an experience. Tent lodging and meals were provided by Bundu Safaris. A larger village is 3 kilometers away, but it is dangerous for the children to walk to school because of the leopards, cheetahs, baboons, and cape buffalo. We weren't fortunate enough to encounter any of the wildlife. The team was greeted by a huge celebration in true Masai tradition (hooping, hollering, and dancing). As worked progressed over the days, the team had opportunities to learn how to build fires with sticks, make "tire-tread" shoes (a must-have in Masai fashion), throw spears, shoot bows and arrows, and bead making. Several stayed in the Masai "mud huts" overnight. The team worked tirelessly building, teaching, and interacting with the community. On the final day, rain drove everyone into empty classrooms and under awnings. The Masai women continued to celebrate by singing and eventually got tired. They asked our group to sing and several of the English "blokes" decided they would do a rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Remember, "scaramoosh, scaramoosh…..and Galileo, Galileo". It was a hoot. The group was not from a "Christian" organization. We did have opportunities to respond/share with people when they asked why we would choose to leave our home and move to Tanzania. There were Christians in the group and they were able to share their faith with the group for the first time. I feel certain seeds were planted. We were one of a few tents that had an "outhouse" right in our tent. With no electricity, it was imperative to have a flashlight to maneuver around the tent at night. The first night, I dropped our flashlight into the "loo". The battery finally died after 2 days.

Well, that is about all the news we have at the moment. I am still hoping to get a blog started, but just don't where to start.

We love hearing from you……stay in touch.

Debra and Ed (aka Mammaw and Pappaw)

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Sun Protection is Very Important

Em and Roo are 4 months old in these pictures. Because they were 32 week preemies, they didn't have any outings for the first 6 months or so (that weren't to a pediatrician or specialist). So, we had a lot of outfits with no appropriate outings to match. These cute little terrycloth numbers with matching visors were sized 0-3 month. How many newborns golf or play tennis do you think? Or roller derby?

Getting ready to fly home

Hoping to say "goodnight" to the moon upclose.

WOW! the sequel to Woo!

We ended the day with a visit to a local children's museum called WOW!.

Check out the link to see all the different exhibits the girls got to experience.

The light table was a definite hit with Em and Roo.




So was the music room. The percussion pieces were the favs.
Imagine that.


They spent quite a bit of time in this area. Included were a train table, Lego table, foam blocks, bead mazes and doll house.


Roo found 2 blue trains and was very pleased.

Off to the right you can see the entrance to the sand castle sand box. I didn't get pictures in the wind room, bubble box, science room or costume staging area. The fish tank and bearded dragon exhibits were fascinating, too.
A very fun afternoon and worthy of membership passes.

PlayGrounds

A genius discovery! A coffee house plus play center. Order a drink,
sit with your back to the wall and watch the toddlers collide.

Em thought it was so awesome that she clapped her hands gleefully.
For 30 minutes.

Roo kept turning around to catch my eye and say, "WOO!!"

They were very impressed. And so were we. This place served rice milk
and pizza with apples on it. And...

the Rowdy Girls weren't the rowdiest kids in the room. "WOO!"

Safely landed

Of course, Em fell asleep 5 minutes before we touched down.

P.S. Speaking of safety... Roo intently poured over the in-flight safety instructions provided in her seat pocket. Grandpa will be so proud.

On our way

First time flying

Must Be Genetic

Em and Roo got to spend the weekend with their cousin. He's 10 months their senior and they are obsessed with him. With his toys. With his sippy cups. With everything.

So far, the plan is to divide and conquer. Em follows him about and tries to kiss him and Roo grabs his trucks and cars.

This video shows Em running to kiss him. And also confirms the title of the blog.

Hoping they last

The girls have two items that they've slept with since day 1.

Their beloved Nannie blankets. Made by great-grandmother Nannie.

And a tiny stuffed animal, a black and white puppy, from their great-grandmother Nana.

Both the blankets and the puppies awaited the girls' birth and joined them in the tiny NICU bassinets for the first four weeks of their lives.

Then, blessedly, the babies, blankets and puppies arrived home and have slumbered together ever since.

I don't worry about the Nannie blankets holding out. After all, mine is still rocking along (we'll not mention an actual number here).

But the puppies. I just don't know. They're doing fine so far. Maybe I should start searching eBay. Just in case.