Twins Update

Here is an update on what's been going on with the twins. Jordan and Winston have been passing around a cold for most of May. They have also been cutting their top teeth. So, we have had many nights of little sleep again.

Jordan caught a virus at the beginning 0f May and had breathing problems again. We were all very nervous but did not take her to the hospital. She always seems to get sick on a weekend and this puts more pressure on us. I spoke with her pediatrician and her dermatologist. It was decided to take her off of the Propranolol (which is controlling her hemangioma) for a couple of days in case that was contributing to any of the breathing problems. Her breathing remained the same, but I was quite surprised when her hemangioma became more active. By Monday, she still had rapid breathing, and I just did not know how much more she could handle. She saw her pediatrician and was prescribed a steroid to open up her airway. We also started the Propranolol again. By the end of the day, she was much better.

Jordan went to the dermatologist on that Wednesday, May 19. Her breathing was back to normal. He was very pleased with her progress and her development. He did up her Propranolol since we knew the hemangioma was still active. So, Jordan was recovering and Winston was sick.
On May 17 Winston went to the doctor because of an ear infection. He was very cranky and restless at night for at least two weeks. He had to take two rounds of antibiotics to get him cleared. He finally started sleeping better.

On May 28 Jordan saw her ENT. For the first time, she did not have fluid in her ears. The ENT said we will not put tubes in her ears. We were so excited. That was on a Friday. Saturday morning she woke up with a runny nose. By Sunday night, she was up every hour. She did this for several days. I took her to the pediatrician on Thursday, June 3 and she had an ear infection. The doctor said an ear infection can develop in four hours. Because she has had four infections since January, she suggested tubes.

Long story short, Winston is better right now. Jordan is recovering again and will get tubes in her ears on June 23. Between both of them, they now have eleven teeth. What a month it has been! One last thing, their personalities are really starting to show.

Nine Months

Mother's Day

What a wonderful day! I never will forget the way I felt. When I was making our bed that morning, I noticed smears all over the bottom of the mirror. As I took a closer look, I realized those smears were tiny hand prints. My eyes filled with tears. For so many years, that mirror was spotless. Shannon gave me a card from the kids with their hand prints in it. It was perfect. My dream has finally come true. I still can't believe those babies are mine.



I also got my first pedicure ever. It was fantastic, and I will be back for more.

Hailey's Halo

One Sunday evening I got a call from my brother-in-law, Jim. He said that his sister, Maria, nominated Jordan for a halo from The Hailey Mayz Foundation. Maria had been working on this for some time, but for us, it happened so quickly. After finding out that Jordan was nominated, we got a call from Hailey's family saying that Jordan was granted a halo. By receiving this halo, we were able to pay for some of Jordan's medical expenses. A big thank you goes out to Maria Woodson as she went out of her way to help our family.

If you would like to know more about this foundation, please visit the following website: http://www.amazinghailey.com/ Hailey has an amazing story to tell, and she will forever have a special place in our hearts. Thank you Hailey for this gift! Jordan's story is on this site too. At the top of the page, click on Hailey's Halos. When the new page opens, click on "Meet the People You've Helped". Then, click on her name and her story will open.

Sometimes we struggle through life, but what gets us through are the blessings that come our way. Some blessings are big and some are small but they all come from the Man upstairs. Thank you Jesus for this blessing!

Hello To Our Cousins

Jordan and Winston wanted to say hello to their cousins in New Jersey. They miss them very much and can't wait to see them again.

Bluebonnets

April Update

Jordan's face has really started clearing up. The puffiness around her eye has significantly gone down. Because Jordan has been sick on and off, we have not done the steroid injection around that eye. Yesterday her plastic surgeon said at this point we will not do the injection. I felt good about that. He agreed that things are looking better. He said that her lip looks better now too, and that the surgery for that won't be as extensive as he once thought.

Jordan has been in a really good mood this week. She is still a little fussy at nights but not throwing three hour fits. I believe it is because we are getting her reflux under control. Jordan also saw the ENT yesterday. She checked for fluid in her ears, and that is still present. Jordan's hearing is not as good as it should be, but this is typical for babies with fluid in their ears. The ENT had to scope her again. I tried to talk her out of it, but she said it was necessary. She found that her throat is still very red and irritated from the reflux. She said we have to get this under control. She doubled her Pravacid hoping this will help. She believes the fluid in Jordan's ears is from her reflux. She put Jordan on an antibiotic because her ears were a little infected. The ENT said that the hemangioma that was in her throat, nose and ear is all gone. I was thrilled to hear that. The ENT will see her again in six weeks.

As far as Winston, he has been on the move. He tries to crawl on all fours but still scoots to get where he wants. He was also sick right before Easter and then gave it to me. Now we are both fighting an infection. We are all on antibiotics at our house. Overall we are all getting more sleep, and the twins seem to be happier.

Easter

Seven Months

The twins are seven months! Mom and I had some girl time the other day and went shopping. It was a nice break. Of course I had to buy my angels something too. These are their new bathing suits and hats.

Better Every Day

Jordan is finally feeling better, and her breathing is back to normal. I think the Pravacid is working to control her reflux. She is not crying for hours at a time anymore and has been sleeping through the nights. The ENT said that it should still get better with time. She does have fluid in her ears. The ENT thinks that the fluid is from her reflux. If the fluid is still there in four weeks, Jordan my have to get tubes in her ears.

Winston finally cut his second tooth. We could see that tooth for a whole week before it pushed through. So, you can imagine what kind of mood he was in.

Here are a few pictures that my dad took.

Another Hospital Visit

Jordan was still fighting croup but getting better. On Tuesday, February 23 she started to have heavy breathing again. My mom took her to the pediatrician on Wednesday and was told to keep using the saline drops and the humidifier. Jordan was breathing okay that day but had labored breathing again that night. We were scheduled to see an ENT on Friday. She ran a scope down her throat to look for the hemangioma. She did see some small areas in her throat and nose but said they were flat. She did not believe this was causing any breathing problems. The ENT thinks that Jordan is suffering from reflux. She believes that if we get this under control Jordan will stop crying at night and her breathing will get better. She put her on Pravacid and it would take seven days before we would notice anything. Friday when she got home, she was extremely fussy and started throwing up. She cried the entire night and everything she ate came back up. I assumed it was because of the scope and the reflux. She continued to cry all day Saturday. When she stopped eating all together, I knew something else was going on.

We took Jordan to the ER at Dell again and found out she had RSV. RSV is a cold in adults but a mucus maker in babies. There is nothing you can do for it. They had to give her several breathing treatments because of her labored breathing. They also had to start an IV. She was a sick baby. We were release on Wednesday, March 3. Jordan is doing so much better. She has stopped crying so much at night. I really think her problem all along was reflux. Hopefully she won't catch anymore viruses and things will get better for us.

Here she is again in the hospital. She was already starting to feel better in this photo.

Dell is a beautiful hospital. This is a butterfly wall. When you touch a square, the background color changes. The green area is a butterfly flying by. Jordan loved to watch this.

I can't leave out a picture of my Winston. Poor fellow! He was shuffled around so much while we were at the hospital. He did get to spend some quality time with his daddy.

Hospital Visit

This weekend Jordan got sick again. Because she had so much trouble breathing, we had to take her to the ER at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin. She has croup. They gave her some medicines to open up her airway. We were released yesterday but had a really rough night again last night. She was still very congested.

Last Friday, the plastic surgeon was still concerned about the puffiness around her eye. She is able to open it but her vision is still a little blocked. He wants to give her a steroid injection around that eye to see if some of the swelling will go down. I am not sure when that will take place.

Here are a few pictures from the hospital.

Six Months

Can you believe the twins are six months old? Jordan has cut her two bottom teeth, and Winston is still working on his. They have started daycare two days a week. After spending two weeks there, we have been fighting illnesses every week. I have been trying to work as much as I can, but it has not been easy. It is also hard getting them to smile at the same time for a picture.

Five Months

Update on Jordan

Good news! Jordan's cyst on her adrenal gland is gone. This was unrelated to her hemangioma, and one less thing to worry about. The hemangioma is still fading. Last month her doctors were very concerned about the puffiness around her right eye. She was not able to open that eye fully. Dr. Levey increased her propranolol and that seemed to help. The puffiness is still there but she can open that eye. We also decreased her steroid. That has helped some, but she is still extremely fussy. It is hard getting her to sleep, especially at nights. I started working full time now and am exhausted when I get home. We will go back to the dermatologist on Tuesday. I am hoping he will decrease the steroid again.

Winston has found his voice. Instead of crying now to get your attention, he screams. He is doing fine otherwise and sleeping better at night. I have finally found time to update and hope that it doesn't take this long next time.

Baptism

Christmas

Opening Presents

4 Months

I know that I am a little behind in posting pictures, but here are their 4 month pictures on December 13.

Almost 4 Months

The Five Grandchildren on Mom's Side of the Family

Getting Ready for the Cold Weather

Look What St. Nick Brought!