I believe I can fly!

Can't you just hear that song when you look at this picture?

And this one cracks me up because it looks like his senior portrait or something. But hopefully he won't be drooling and sitting in a Bumbo in 17 years!

I don't have any good recent shots of Anna, but mommy guilt is telling me that the blog has been too Noah-focused lately. So here are some vacation pictures from March.

Anna chatting up the customers at La Boulange. I can't believe this was just 5 months ago. She looks so much younger to me!

Two cuties hanging out in San Francisco:

A Stand Up Guy

Noah wants nothing more than to stand up on someone's lap all day long. At 4 months, he obviously needs some help but it's pretty much impossible to hold him up all day long. So this weekend we brought the exersaucer up out of the basement. He likes it a lot...for about 10-15 minutes, then he gets tired and wants out. We still have to put a blanket around his tummy to keep him from bonking his head on the plastic toys, but he seems to like it. And we like that he can stand somewhere other than on top of us for a while!

Little Trooper

Well, we survived! This morning we went to have the cast made of Noah's head. We felt so bad going in because he was all happy and smiley and had no idea what was about to happen. First the orthotist took some measurements and photos and wrote down a few notes. Then he got out the dreaded stocking to put over Noah's head. I saw him cutting the hole for his mouth and I just started hoping it would go quickly. But when he put the stocking on he stretched out the hole so that Noah's entire face could look out! Yippee! My biggest fear was that Noah would be really scared because he wouldn't be able to see anyone or anything that was happening to him. But this way he was able to see and breathe easily. And even though it was sad, he looked so cute with his little cheeks sticking out the front.

Luckily I was able to put on a smock and hold him on my lap the entire time. The orthotist started soaking the fabric strips in plaster and layering them all around Noah's head. He did cry and scream but we think it's just because the liquid was cold and the plaster made it heavy. It was hard to hear him cry but I knew he was just mad and cold and not really afraid or in pain. It only took about 10 minutes and then we were finished! They took the cast off of his head and I snuggled him for a minute and then he was all smiley and happy again. They gave us a washcloth and towel to clean him off but he only had a little bit of plaster on his face and it came off easily. We changed his shirt, fed him, and he went to sleep on the way home.

Noah's helmet will not be the same style that Anna had. We found out that the guy who made hers was a local man who retired at the beginning of this year. So we thought Noah would just get a blue version of hers, but instead he will be getting a STARband. The main difference is that it has a thicker lining that can be shaved away as his head grows and fills out the space inside the helmet. It comes down closer to his eyes in the front and it has a bigger opening on the top which should help keep him cooler. We planned to do a solid blue color, but they told us that it usually comes out purple. They had a whole slew of designs, but we went with the most neutral one we could find, something called Iceberg. The other options were things like jungle animals and construction vehicles, not really our style. As we were leaving a baby came into the office wearing a helmet in the Iceberg pattern. Whoa! It's kind of a crazy psychedelic blue and white swirl in real life. But we think he'll make it look cool ;)

Here's a picture of a baby boy (not Noah) wearing a STARband in the rainbow swirl. Noah's will be just like this but in blue and white only:

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and good thoughts for us today! It went much better than we anticipated and we're eager to move on to the next step.

Update

Remember this?

Well, you're about to see round two. Yesterday Noah had an appointment with a plastic surgeon who confirmed that his plagiocephaly was severe and he would need helmet therapy just like his sister did. This was no surprise to us. After going through the same thing with Anna, we have been thinking about Noah's head shape since before he was even born. During his first few days, we were pleased with the way it looked. But he did have one ear that sort of flipped forward and little by little we began to see things that were troubling. By one to two months of age we knew we were going to be heading down the same path again. We did everything his doctor suggested and after one month nothing had changed, in fact it was worse. We were referred to a physical therapist who checked him for torticollis and said he has just a very slight case on his right side.

My obstetrician and the kids' pediatrician have concluded that this is an effect of having a "restricted uterine environment" before birth. Looking back at ultrasounds later in the pregnancies, both Anna and Noah were always wedged into a corner and wouldn't come out. And Noah's little flippy ear is on his flat side, indicating that he really was pressed into a corner so to speak. This is a common condition with twins who simply run out of room, but apparently I've got a smaller than average place for them to grow, which may explain why they have both been born a little early too. Noah being technically a preemie also made him more susceptible to this condition. I asked the pediatrician if this means any and all of my future children will need helmet therapy and she said yes, they most likely would. Maybe by the time we're done having children we'll have enough helmets to sponsor a baby football team! :p

So tomorrow Noah is going to the Orthotics center to have a plaster mold made of his head. It's not going to be fun and I feel sick to my stomach just looking at these photos, but I know it won't hurt him: http://www.cappskids.org/CastingProcess.htm Please say a little prayer that he won't be too frightened and that his mommy and daddy will be able to remain calm and help him feel better.

He should get his helmet about two weeks after the casting and then he'll have visits with the plastic surgeon every few weeks to check his progress. Just like with Anna, they estimate he will need the helmet for 3-4 months, for 22 hours a day. It seems like a long time, but having been through it once we know it will pass quickly.

But we still hate it. We hate that he has to be uncomfortable, even if only for a short adjustment time. We hate cleaning it. We hate people looking at him and thinking something is wrong with him when we know he is perfectly healthy. You wouldn't think that people would laugh at or make fun of an innocent little baby but they do. I hate that scratchy velcro on my arms while I'm nursing and we both hate that we won't get to snuggle his fuzzy little head as often as we have been.

But we love that this is purely a cosmetic issue and he really is a very healthy boy. We love that this is something we can fix! We love that we have great attentive doctors who listen to our concerns and respond quickly with treatment. And we love our little kiddies no matter what they wear on their heads!

His helmet will probably be a blue version of the type that Anna had, or it may look like this (non-decorated). So as a little preview, we mean old parents got out Anna's old pink helmet and tried in on Noah. He wasn't too happy, but we couldn't deny he looked pretty darn cute!

Jackpot!

Yesterday and the day before Ashley and I went to a huge kids' clothing sale and we majorly stocked our kids closets for the fall. There were soooo many cute things and the prices were just too good to pass up. Ashley got us passes to go in one day before the sale was open to the public, so we agreed that she got first dibs on the toddler girl clothes and I would go to the infant boy section first. But since girl clothes are always more popular than boys' I was the only person in my aisle and I found a ton of cute things for Noah. He is going to be so fashionable this fall! Here's the loot:

These pictures aren't even showing all the cute details like embroidered beavers and moose, grommets on the pant legs, teddy bear shaped buttons, and lots of cute sayings on the shirts. Not to mention a tape measure waist band inside the pants of the tool themed outfit. Aughh, I love it!

He wore one little outfit today to his doctor's appointment. Hee hee, double chin.

Anna did get a few cute things:

She was really excited to find this bus when she woke up this morning. It flashes it's safety lights and plays "The Wheels on the Bus". Anna twirls and dances every time it comes on.

As you can see, she was most excited about her boots. It was just too difficult to choose which ones to wear first. And shorts are really just unnecessary when you're learning to use the potty.

Don't feel bad for Anna just yet. Word on the mommy circuit is that another big sale is coming up in a week or two and girl clothes will be my focus. Big thanks to Ashley for letting us in on the good deals. You can see her loot here.

It's MY May-toe!

Our neighbor brought us some tomatoes from his garden last week and Anna desperately wanted to eat one of the "red apples". I told her they were tomatoes, but that didn't stop her from begging to eat one. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I figured it was always good for her to try new things so I cut one up for her to eat.

It wasn't so bad when she was just tasting the skin. I think more than anything she was happy that she had gotten what she wanted!

Obviously she didn't like it, but she wasn't quite ready to admit it yet:

So she squeezed it out and did a little finger painting in the juice before it was abandoned altogether for an applesauce cup:

Anna has been refusing all of her old favorite foods lately so it's good that she's asking to try new things. But I think it's safe to say that raw tomatoes are off the menu for now. Thanks anyway neighbor!

Big Stuff

Whew! Things have been busy around here. For the last 3 days we have been staying home and working nonstop on potty training. So far, so good! The night before we started we told Anna all about the fun we were going to have the next day learning to use the potty. So the next morning we changed her out of (what we hope will be) her very last diaper and into big girl pants. We had breakfast and did a little run through of the whole potty process using a baby doll. Then she took her seat and we read a few books about learning to use the potty. And she went! Just like that!

The rest of the first day was about 50/50 with making it on time and having accidents. The second day was much better. She only had one accident! The most amazing thing happened during nap time. We put her down with a pull-up on and sat her little potty chair in her room. We told her to keep her pull-up on while she was sleeping, but that her potty was there if she needed to use it. When we went to get her up after her nap we found her without the pull-up on, but she had gone in the potty! We couldn't believe that she went without us there to tell her what to do! Here she is putting stars on her potty chart, which she really isn't that into:

Today has been pretty good, only one accident so far. We know this will be a process and it may take a while, but she's really starting to catch on and tell us what she needs. We're happy but surprised. It felt so weird to go to the grocery last night and only buy one pack of diapers for Noah. Scary but good! Here she is hanging out on the potty having snacks. Yes, we did cover the floor with old sheets :)

Mr. Noodle had his 4 month check up today and everything is good! He's on track with all of his developmental milestones and he's growing like a weed. He's now 14 pounds 12 ounces and 26.5 inches long, which puts him the the 60th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height! The nurse even measured him twice because she couldn't believe how long he is. He seems to be hitting a growth spurt because he's eating a ton lately! The doctor gave me some orders too. In order to keep up with Noah's appetite she told me that every time I sit down to nurse I should eat a snack. As she was walking out of the room she said, "Okay, we'll see him back at 6 months. And you, eat!". Those are the best doctor's orders I've ever received and I think I love her. Too bad she didn't write me a get-out-of-the-gym-free card!

He got four shots and wasn't very happy about it, but he went right to sleep when we left and he's asleep now. I will forever be comparing stats between him and Anna, so of course I came home and got out the baby books. Noah is 1 pound 9 ounces heavier and 2 inches longer than Anna was at 4 months. What a little buster! Last night at dinner I caught him eyeing my tacos:

Here he is impersonating a seal. We always start him doing tummy time with his arms over this little pillow. But as he gets tired he just slides down and rests his chin on it instead. So squishy!

City Girl Part 2

Yesterday Anna, Noah and I went to the state fair. Mommaw, Pop, Sam and Max came along and even though it was about a million degrees outside we all had fun. When we entered the livestock area, I was afraid we might have a replay of last year. And, well, it kind of was. She did not like the sound of the roosters and chickens at all:

So we moved over to the bunnies and she was happier..but still not brave enough to uncover her ears:

Sam thought the whole situation was a little stinky:

Max, as usual, was filled with joy:

Noah wore his tractor shirt in celebration. He was seriously excited:

They all checked out some cows:

They wished Freddy Farm Bureau a happy 50th b-day. There's a guy that speaks over a loudspeaker to all the kids that come up and talk to this big guy. He was very helpful yesterday, asking Sam and Anna if they would please turn around and smile at the cameras. Sam looked up at him and said, "Okay". Whatever you say enormous farmer man.

While my mom and I went to feed the babies, Pop took the kids to see a balloon man. They got pulled out of line and the man made a flower hat for Anna, a cow hat for Sam, and a 10 gallon cowboy hat and lasso for Pop. When my mom and I came out of the (sooo nice and convenient) nursing and changing room, we didn't see them anywhere. Well, with those giant hats it only took me about 2 minutes to find them:

Two little conductors in the wagon:

Hee hee hee!!

Max and Noah could only hold out for so long:

Yahooo they let us out of the wagon!!!

Throughout the day several people commented on all my children. They thought all four of them were mine! If I had 4 children under the age of 4 I would not be at the state fair. I would be locked up in the looney bin. Although I can see why people were staring. By the end of the day the stroller was so loaded down with baby stuff and fair freebies that it looked like a clown car. I skipped the gym that day, but I definitely still got a workout!

By the end of the day everyone was tired and cranky. Except for Max, who was, of course, still filled with joy:

Sleeping Beauty

Well, what I said a few days ago is still true. When Anna is in her room but not sleeping, she's still happy to just look at books and play with her toys. She stays in there for her full nap time, and doesn't ask to come out. However, I'm starting to think that there is not much sleep going on at all. Or if she is sleeping, it can't be very restful sleep because of how we keep finding her.

Here's how we found her the first day. So sad but so cute:

And the second day. Notice this time she decided to do away with the chair cushion and just sleep on the springs, sitting upright.

Everyone I know says that the novelty of being able to get down will wear off soon and she will realize that her bed is the most comfortable place to sleep. But I think she is just playing playing playing until she literally collapses and sleeps. Oh well, at least she's happy in there!

Wonder how we'll find her today.......

Momo Hats

This was months ago, but I never blogged it so here ya go:

This summer Anna went out to see her friend Kendall and go to the Summer Reading Program kickoff at the library. They live in a different county than us, so we weren't really signing up, but we wanted to go and do all of the fun kickoff stuff anyway. There were several little activities going on, but our main goal was to get balloon animals. There was a line from the back of the building all the way to the front door, but our girls were incredibly patient and waited as long as we needed them to. It helped that we were in a library so there were books to look at, plus they got to see all of the other kids getting their balloon animals. When we were close to the front of the line, we saw the balloon man making little Elmos. I knew Anna would want one, but by the time we got up there he was almost out of red balloons. So he made Elmo hats instead. The girls thought they were just great, and Ashley and I couldn't stop laughing.

Kate and Noah were NOT impressed:

After a few days the Elmo hat started to lose air. To avoid a meltdown on Anna's part, I took him and hid him up on top of the entertainment center. I had completely forgotten about him. But the other day I was sitting on the couch when I heard Nathan say my name. I looked up and saw this two inches from my face. Yikes!