Winter Wonderland & Boy Surgery

Red Rock (temporarily know as White Rock) the day after it snowed &

our blurry backyard Monday evening

Yesterday it snowed here in Las Vegas! Snow is a common occurrence in many places but in the desert it's an exciting event.  In our area of the valley the snow covered the ground, plants, & rooftops and was still there the following day.  It was beautiful and made it feel more like Christmas! 

But we had to miss out on all the fun.  We were at the hospital all day yesterday for Aaron & Andrew's "boy surgery".    It was a rough day for them and hard for us to see them suffer. Thank goodness they only have to do it once.  It's times like this that I'm really glad I'm a girl (there's plenty of not-so-fun things!). Andrew and Aaron were not allowed to eat anything for a couple of hours prior to the scheduled surgery and then we had to wait a couple of extra hours because they were behind.  Fortunately they both fell asleep while waiting so that made the wait seem a little shorter but they were STARVING.  I felt bad for eating and drinking liquids while they couldn't. As soon as Andrew was wheeled into Recovery it was Aaron's turn.  During Recovery Aaron was a little more fussy than Andrew- probably because he hasn't had the practice Andrew has.  This was Andrew's 4th surgery and he has a higher pain tolerance than Aaron.  After surgery they were both really tired and worn out.  We were worried they'd be cranky today but they've been doing great and have had a pretty normal day.   

Aaron & Andrew prior to surgery

To protect their little pee-pees from getting pooped on while they heal Aaron and Andrew have to be double diapered.  The inner diaper has a hole cut in it (see left picture) for the pee-pee to go through.  The outer diaper is a size bigger and is the one that pretty much gets peed on.  Normally we go through about 10 diapers a day with two babies.  Not that we use enough diaper daily but now we'll go through close to 20 a day until Friday when the dressing will come off.  Last night we spent about to an hour preparing enough diapers for a couple of days.  The pile shown will probably last about 2 days.

Miracle Baby

As we celebrate this Christmas season I am filled with joy for the two great blessings we have- Andrew and Aaron.  At this time last year I wasn't in such a joyous mood.  In fact, Christmas last year was one of the hardest I've had and we just went through the motions.  It was a year ago this week we learned Andrew wasn't going to live.  After losing Rachel only eight months earlier you can't imagine what it was like.  Of course we were happy that one of the twins was healthy but it still didn't make it easy to learn we would lose one.  That week we even called the mortuary and reserved the spot next to Rachel so they could be buried next to each other.  

Andrew is our miracle!  I know that because of the many prayers in our behalf and the priesthood blessings I received he was born a fighter.  There are many tender mercies surrounding his birth.  Although I would have preferred to deliver them natural a c-section was arranged.  We did not know ahead of time about his TEF and may not have lived if he'd been delivered natural.   Another blessing was Andrew weighed close to a pound more than Aaron at birth.  This made it possible for him to undergo major surgery the following day to repair his trachea & esophagus.  We are also very grateful his kidneys were not as serious damaged as previously expected.  This allowed us to put it "on the back burner" until the more life threatening issue of his TEF was taken care of.  I should mention that a follow-up kidney ultrasound done today is the best one so far!  He is making excellent progress!

There are not words to describe my love for Andrew.  He brings me so much joy and happiness each day.  I love it when he grins big, breathes in excitedly, and kicks fast whenever he sees me at his crib following a nap.  I love it when he cuddles against me before his naps.  I love the spiked hair near the crown of his head.  I love his high pitched voice and the squeal he makes.  I love watching him play with his feet.  I love hearing him say "dahdahdahdah."  I love his bashful little grin when he turns away when someone new (or familiar!) smiles at him.  I love his hacking-like chuckle that's intended to be a giggle.  I even love getting up in the middle of the night to stop his crying by putting his binky back in his mouth.

But most of all, I love that he's healthy and strong and very much alive.

Where does Aaron's red hair come from?

We get asked that question all the time.  Most people don't notice that Andrew has red in his hair but one person at the grocery store did.  It's not as noticeable but he definitely has some red.  "Oh, you've got twins!  And look at that red hair!"  It's quite obvious that Steve and I have anything but red hair.  So when people ask me that question (which is A LOT) these are some of my usual answers (in order of the most common responses):

• My mother had red hair
• Red runs in the family- a brother and 3 cousins have red hair
  
• My grandmother was Scottish -her maiden name is McGee

The picture below is of my mother the year she was married in 1968 (age 26).  She died when I was 15 after a courageous battle with cancer. I never thought I would have a red head- and I've got two (kind of).  But it will serve as a reminder of the legacy she left.  I miss her and look forward to the day when I will see her again.

The second most common question asked is, "Are they identical or fraternal?"  All I can say is-we've discussed this before (see Oct 18, 2008)

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

Aaron got his Christmas wish a few weeks early- the tops of his new little teeth can barely be seen on his bottom gums.  Last Monday Aaron woke up from every nap very fussy and crying, which is very unlike him. He had very little interest in eating.  It didn't even cross my mind that he might be teething.  The next day he was much happier and eating better than he had in days.  While my friend, Miriam, was at my house we watched Aaron and Andrew play while we talked.  All of a sudden Miriam said, "Is that a tooth I see?"  Sure enough Aaron had not one, but TWO little front bottom teeth barely visible above the surface of his gums.

Ahhh...relief

Manna from heaven

There are all kinds of accessories for teething (rings, chewable tablets, toys, etc.)  but my next door neighbor told me about one I'd never heard of before.  She describes it as a pacifier-like thing with a net on the end instead of a nipple. Inside the net you can put ice cubes or cold fruit.  The babies suck on this and it helps numb their gums.  We had purchased one for each baby a while ago but hadn't used it yet.  So that afternoon I pulled them out of the cupboard, put ice in them, and handed one to Aaron while he was playing in the exersaucer.  Normally when he's in it he's loud and tunes most everything else out and focuses only on the toys.  As soon as I handed him this teething pacifier (that's my name for it) he didn't care about all the toys around him.  He sucked on that thing until there was no ice to suck.  So while we traveled to Utah the next day I gave it to Aaron again and replenished it as we went along.   I'm sure it won't be long before Andrew gets his first tooth.  

Total Opposites- Almost

AARON

• spits up all the time
• sleeps on his side
• rolls all over the place
• loves his thumb (& sometimes his toe)
• very round head
• loves solid food (cereal, pureed vegetables)
• splashes HARD in tub
• can be aggressive with toys
• when he's done eating, he'd DONE
• red hair
• drools A LOT (his shirt is always soaked)
• can be more demanding and cranky if he wants something
• makes funny slurping noise in the back of his throat with his saliva
• VERY ticklish
• moves around a lot in his sleep
• if he wakes up & is still tired will sometimes go back to sleep on his own

ANDREW

• rarely spits up
• sleeps on his back
• stays in one place- he's in no hurry; very laid back
• eats 'solid' food but prefers a bottle
• doesn't splash much in tub
• more gentle and soft with toys
• will keep eating until it's all gone, most times (thus the chubbiness)
•  light brown hair- we think.  It sometimes looks red
• drools a little
• more laid back & patient
• makes this hilarious fake coughing noise
• not so ticklish- only on back of neck
• only moves his arms while sleeping
• rarely goes back to sleep once he wakes up (even if it's only been 30 min.

SIMILARITIES- both babies....

• use a lot of diapers, wipes, & formula
• are very happy - smiles a lot
• sleep through the night-mostly (7p.m.- 6a.m.)
• love to chatter or "talk"
• very curious
• have their hands in mouth constantly
• are the cutest babies ever!
• are totally loved by their parents

Who Is That Strange Woman?

When I walk by a mirror I still am initially surprised at who I see.  When I left Monday to get my hair done it was NOT my intention to do what I did.  I'm not exactly sure why I decided to go dark- and so short.  I guess one reason is my natural color is brown and since being pregnant it has turned an even darker brown.   Plus, with a schedule that's not as flexible as it used to be, more time goes by between hair appointments causing my dark roots to show faster. So this was pretty much a spur of the moment decision.  It'll definitely take some getting used to. 

Steve's reaction when I walked in the door was pretty funny.  He was shocked at the drastic change and couldn't stop saying, "Oh my gosh!!  Wow!!  It's different!"  The twins were already asleep when I got home but I wasn't sure what their reaction would be to this strange person.  So far they've carried on as normal.  As long as they get fed, diapers change,and loved, it doesn't matter what I look like (at least for now).

Two little monkeys sitting on the couch...

... neither one fell off and bumped his head (thank goodness)

Aaron (L) & Andrew (R)

As you can tell we dressed the boys as monkeys for their first Halloween.  I bought the costumes about a month ago and they must have had a growth spurt because the suits were a little tight.  At least they only had to wear it for a couple of hours.  Their Halloween was pretty much on Thursday when we attended our Ward's Trunk or Treat.  Normally we begin getting Andrew and Aaron ready for bed around 6:30.  Since they hadn't had great naps that day and the Trunk or Treat was at 6:00 they were TIRED!  Andrew fell asleep before we even went around to the cars and Aaron was CRANKY and had to be held.  The nice thing about trunk (or trick) or treating with babies is the parents get the candy!   I'm not sure who had more fun- them or us.   On Halloween we didn't go trick or treating but we did dress them up in their costumes while at my parent's house.

Aaron(L) & Andrew(R) with Grandma & Grandpa Rawlings

In Nevada Halloween is considered a holiday- a state holiday- so there's no school and many employees have the day off.  So we decided to go to St. George to visit with my parents.  Now I know why we haven't gone out of town much since the twins were born (only to Lake Tahoe and a 1 night trip to St. George).  It felt like we took all we owned-- between the two of us we took only 1 bag.  Everything else was for the babies- bottles, diapers, wipes, plenty of clothes (which came in handy), formula, cereal, spoons, toys, blankets, portable cribs, bibs, burp cloths.... need I go on?  All just for two days!  Anyhow, even though it wasn't for long I'm glad we went.  It was good to see my parents and other family who came by and just to get away.  We were planning to stay until Sunday night but Aaron had a slight cold when we left and Andrew caught it while we were there.  They didn't sleep too bad at night but they basically had no naps during the day. For babies who had such little sleep they were VERY content and happy, except when we had to suction out their noses.  If any of you have ever had to do that (which, if you're parents I guarantee you have) it's not fun.  It's sad to see/hear them screaming but it does the job at clearing them up- for a little while anyway.  We ended up leaving Saturday evening so they could benefit from a humidifier and sleeping in their own bed.  They've still got this cold and aren't feeling well.  We hope these little monkeys get better soon.

Recently we began feeding Andrew and Aaron solid foods.  Sometimes it's rather entertaining to see the variety of faces they make when fed something new.  This morning they were given green beans for the first time and Andrew stuck out his tongue, perhaps to let us know how he feels about them.  

Both Aaron and Andrew LOVE sucking their hands, fingers, thumbs- pretty much anything they can get into their mouths.  After returning home from our ward trunk or treat a little early we got them ready for bed and fed them when we caught Aaron doing something new.  Aaron discovered his toes and found something new to suck.  I guess his thumb wasn't good enough.