Caitlin stopped by. She hadn't seen the boys since she threw Griffith over for Bobby and moved to Virginia. She was quite taken with how big, smart and handsome he was. He told her it was too late. He's moved on. So should she.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Lots of fun as long as Daddy's arms last
Daddy has to keep this up until he actually hangs the swings on the porch.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Allan did well with the cardiologist this morning. She really was just checking to make sure he was feeling fine since the cath. He is. Actually, he's been full of beans, as his father would say. He's kicking an squawking a whole lot -- especially at night and especially when it is time for Griffith to sleep. It really is starting to seem willful on Allan's part. He is growing well -- 19 pounds and 7 ounces today. If he keeps this up, he's going to catch Griffith before too long. Of course, Griffith burns a lot of calories, what with the constant motion and all.
Big weekend in store for the guys. We are all going to cousin Charles' wedding (one of the other twins in the family). Also, we have now purchased toddler swings and, if we can get Daddy motivated, we should all be swinging on the front porch before the end of the weekend.
Big weekend in store for the guys. We are all going to cousin Charles' wedding (one of the other twins in the family). Also, we have now purchased toddler swings and, if we can get Daddy motivated, we should all be swinging on the front porch before the end of the weekend.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Lots of fun new photos of the guys in action.
Allan got a gold star today from his PT Julie. She hasn't seen him for a couple of weeks and was very impressed with how well he sits up on his own and balances now. He's doing very well with "tummy time" and lifting his head, too. He was really showing off -- looking around and following objects, turning over, and pushing up. And not complaining (much) about it. She says that he is the sweetest, hardest working baby. You can tell that he is feeling better and getting stronger. He really tussles with Griffith over toys now and swats at him and pushes back when Griff charges in his direction. For his part, Griffith is doing a lot better at being "gentle" and "easy" with Allan. Right up until he takes his montrous paw and whacks him. Or crawls over top of him. Or knocks him over when Allan is trying to sit. Other than that. (Actually, they are doing better playing "together" -- in each other's vicinity and with the same toys.)
Griff is doing better with the eating. We still aren't up to any great quantities, but he is at least feeding himself with his fork. And he is putting his sippy cup in his mouth, but not drinking from it yet. We have tried to show him how to use it, but he refuses to be told any thing. (Very similar to his father in that respect!) He is very much in to climbing on whatever he can find. That's not going to end well for him, but he's very determined. His other new trick is to, when told "no," to look at you, hold his breath, turn red and growl while straining and shaking. Think a very small, pink Incredible Hulk imitation and you have the picture.
Allan got a gold star today from his PT Julie. She hasn't seen him for a couple of weeks and was very impressed with how well he sits up on his own and balances now. He's doing very well with "tummy time" and lifting his head, too. He was really showing off -- looking around and following objects, turning over, and pushing up. And not complaining (much) about it. She says that he is the sweetest, hardest working baby. You can tell that he is feeling better and getting stronger. He really tussles with Griffith over toys now and swats at him and pushes back when Griff charges in his direction. For his part, Griffith is doing a lot better at being "gentle" and "easy" with Allan. Right up until he takes his montrous paw and whacks him. Or crawls over top of him. Or knocks him over when Allan is trying to sit. Other than that. (Actually, they are doing better playing "together" -- in each other's vicinity and with the same toys.)
Griff is doing better with the eating. We still aren't up to any great quantities, but he is at least feeding himself with his fork. And he is putting his sippy cup in his mouth, but not drinking from it yet. We have tried to show him how to use it, but he refuses to be told any thing. (Very similar to his father in that respect!) He is very much in to climbing on whatever he can find. That's not going to end well for him, but he's very determined. His other new trick is to, when told "no," to look at you, hold his breath, turn red and growl while straining and shaking. Think a very small, pink Incredible Hulk imitation and you have the picture.
Allan - balancing like a tightrope walker
He's really getting the hang of this sitting stuff. Check out the magic maraca at his feet.
Allan - looking right at you
Giving me that direct stare. It is pretty hard to maintain your balance when Mom is taking flash photos of you the whole time.
The boys playing.
Check out Allan sitting up without any support at all. He can do it for a long time, provided his brother doesn't knock him over.
The fellas wrestling.
Allan is holding his own more and more these days. The "matching" outfits are courtesy of Flora. She loves for them to match.
Playing peek-a-boo
Allan, playing peek-a-boo with the laundry bag. You would think that those kids didn't have any toys.
Allan, laughing out loud
This falling back stuff is pretty fun so long as there is someone there to catch me.
Allan all smiles
Allan is now big and strong enough to rough-house. Last night we were playing the Nestea Plunge and letting him fall back. He thought it was big fun, as you can see.
Ready for strolling
We took a good long walk last night with Nicole. Check out Allan pushing on Griffith, for a change.
Griffith the mountain goat
Mr. King of the Mountain climbed in the basket of toys and up on top of the ottoman. Of course, once he got up there, he couldn't figure out how to get down, but that was Flora's problem, not his.
Griffith eating - finally
Griffith has been a bit of a pill about eating. So far, he will only eat with his fork (no spoons), only if he does it himself (do NOT try to put any thing in my mouth) and only if you aren't watching him.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Griffith practicing for soccer superstardom
He spends hours knocking them back and forth, under chairs, into corners. Aunt Kathy says that he must be part border collie.
Allan and Uncle Tim
Uncle Tim stopped by Monday evening. Allan thinks it is really funny that Tim says his hair is blonde.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Allan has done great since his heart cath. No ill effects at all. He's full of energy and ready to roll. We aren't quite sure what to make of the whole "one coronary artery" thing. On the one hand, it is good news in that we don't have to have surgery right now. On the other, we were kind of hoping that we might find something that we could remedy and that would make a vast improvement in his condition. As it stands, we aren't any worse off than we were before and we are still just in a position of having to outgrow the oxygen. We go back to the cardiologist next week and, by that time, we should have our wits enough about us to ask the right questions.
I've posted a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks or so. You can see that Griffith hasn't gotten over his distaste for grass quite yet. We went to the jazz concert in the park and he would only venture to the edge of the blanket. It won't last long, but it is nice to know that he has his limits.
Aunt Kathy spent part of the weekend. She came to make sure that we weren't letting Griffith run roughshod over Allan. I think she is satisfied that Allan can hold his own. We didn't get a picture of it, but, one time when Griffith came over to mug Allan and take away whatever it was that he was playing with, Allan grabbed hold of Griffith's curly top knot and gave him a good shake. Typical boys.
She also got to see them playing ball with each other. Rolling it back and forth between. And, occasionally, grabbing it and hogging it until Mom or Dad made them share. As I said, typical boys.
Griffith still hasn't launched across open spaces yet. He walks along every piece of furniture and occasionally turns loose and stands. As soon as he realizes that he isn't holding on to something, though, he takes a knee. Future quarterback in action. He is doing better with his eating, too. He won't let you put any thing in to his mouth, but he will as long as you aren't watching him directly. We've discovered that he does better with a toddler fork because the food sticks to both sides, whereas it slides off the back of a spoon. Which, of course, is the side he wants to have up. Very British of him -- eating from his upside-down fork. Whatever it takes, I suppose. (But I'm not serving him blood sausage -- even if he would eat it.) We are working our way through gruelly foods -- tapioca, cream of wheat, cream of rice. Next week we are on to grits and, possibly, some substance called something like Malt-0-meal. Yum. Who knew kids could be so much trouble?
I've posted a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks or so. You can see that Griffith hasn't gotten over his distaste for grass quite yet. We went to the jazz concert in the park and he would only venture to the edge of the blanket. It won't last long, but it is nice to know that he has his limits.
Aunt Kathy spent part of the weekend. She came to make sure that we weren't letting Griffith run roughshod over Allan. I think she is satisfied that Allan can hold his own. We didn't get a picture of it, but, one time when Griffith came over to mug Allan and take away whatever it was that he was playing with, Allan grabbed hold of Griffith's curly top knot and gave him a good shake. Typical boys.
She also got to see them playing ball with each other. Rolling it back and forth between. And, occasionally, grabbing it and hogging it until Mom or Dad made them share. As I said, typical boys.
Griffith still hasn't launched across open spaces yet. He walks along every piece of furniture and occasionally turns loose and stands. As soon as he realizes that he isn't holding on to something, though, he takes a knee. Future quarterback in action. He is doing better with his eating, too. He won't let you put any thing in to his mouth, but he will as long as you aren't watching him directly. We've discovered that he does better with a toddler fork because the food sticks to both sides, whereas it slides off the back of a spoon. Which, of course, is the side he wants to have up. Very British of him -- eating from his upside-down fork. Whatever it takes, I suppose. (But I'm not serving him blood sausage -- even if he would eat it.) We are working our way through gruelly foods -- tapioca, cream of wheat, cream of rice. Next week we are on to grits and, possibly, some substance called something like Malt-0-meal. Yum. Who knew kids could be so much trouble?
Allan snuggling with Aunt Kathy
Aunt Kathy came to spend the weekend and make sure that Allan wasn't being mistreated by his brother.
Allan and the shiny pompom (II)
He really loves it -- it is shiny and makes a cool noise when he waves it.
Allan and his shiny pompom.
Okay, so it isn't exactly what his father had in mind, but, if he wants to be a cheerleader, there's nothing wrong with that. Check out Action Griffith getting ready to do a drive-by.
Allan, looking pensive again
We went to Ecton Park last week for a jazz concert. Allan took it all very seriously.
Griffith getting the hang of this eating stuff
Or, more accurately, getting the hang of playing with his food.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Big Al's heart
Big Al did great with the heart cath today. He's not home yet, but should be discharged some time this evening. Until then, Grif and I are just hanging out, watching dvr'd Veronica Mars episodes, and blogging.
In Allan's peculiar way, what they found wasn't what they were looking for. They expected to find an AP window or a coronary artery fistula, but what they found was that he has only one, not two, coronary arteries. There really isn't any thing that they recommend doing about it right now. We'll keep an eye on it and it will probably require surgical intervention later, much later -- like when he is ten or maybe even later. Apparently this is the same type of defect that Pete Marovich had. So, it doesn't mean that Allan isn't going to be a basketball star. (Being built like his mother will probably be the end of that, but it won't be his heart. )
So, we are looking forward to a peaceful (we hope) night of sleep. More later.
In Allan's peculiar way, what they found wasn't what they were looking for. They expected to find an AP window or a coronary artery fistula, but what they found was that he has only one, not two, coronary arteries. There really isn't any thing that they recommend doing about it right now. We'll keep an eye on it and it will probably require surgical intervention later, much later -- like when he is ten or maybe even later. Apparently this is the same type of defect that Pete Marovich had. So, it doesn't mean that Allan isn't going to be a basketball star. (Being built like his mother will probably be the end of that, but it won't be his heart. )
So, we are looking forward to a peaceful (we hope) night of sleep. More later.
Friday, May 25, 2007
No real news. The boys continue to be excellent in nearly every way. We need to talk Griffith out of waking up every night between 3 and 4 (he's decided that he really wants that bottle that he dropped weeks ago), but, other than that, he's a pretty reasonable guy as long as he is getting his way.
Allan continues to impress the therapists. He can sit without support and turns his head left and right for sounds without a problem. He and Griffith have been having a good time with each other and we are working on rolling the ball back and forth between them. Every once in a while Griffith decides that it is HIS BALL and whacks it away from Allan or grabs it and holds it, but Allan isn't content to just sit there. He's pretty good about grabbing the ball and holding on to it himself.
We are looking forward to a long holiday weekend. Aunt Kathy is coming for a visit and that's always good for a lot of fun. She knows lots of songs and stories and always has time to play.
Allan has his heart cath on Tuesday. We have to be there at 7 a.m. so Flora is going to come and spend the night on Monday. She's looking forward to spoiling Griffith "after hours" and we are looking forward to her being the one to deal with 4 a.m. waking.
The very helpful nurse called today to see if we had any questions about when, where, how, etc. and to make sure that we knew that Allan would need a driver. Um. Yes. Make sure he doesn't drive home. Check. Thanks. You've been very helpful.
We are allegedly the second case on for the day and (allegedly) should go back about 9:30 or 10:00. They will put a wire in through his femoral artery and up in to his heart. They will measure the pressures and inject dye and look for where the hole is. Start to finish the whole thing should take about an hour and a half. If Allan does well, then we should be home sometime Tuesday afternoon. We should also know if what we have is an AP window or something else. They'll take the results and probably forward them for review and then we'll know whether we are off somewhere to have it patched.
We will blog as soon as we get a chance and let every one know how things have gone.
Have a great weekend!
Allan continues to impress the therapists. He can sit without support and turns his head left and right for sounds without a problem. He and Griffith have been having a good time with each other and we are working on rolling the ball back and forth between them. Every once in a while Griffith decides that it is HIS BALL and whacks it away from Allan or grabs it and holds it, but Allan isn't content to just sit there. He's pretty good about grabbing the ball and holding on to it himself.
We are looking forward to a long holiday weekend. Aunt Kathy is coming for a visit and that's always good for a lot of fun. She knows lots of songs and stories and always has time to play.
Allan has his heart cath on Tuesday. We have to be there at 7 a.m. so Flora is going to come and spend the night on Monday. She's looking forward to spoiling Griffith "after hours" and we are looking forward to her being the one to deal with 4 a.m. waking.
The very helpful nurse called today to see if we had any questions about when, where, how, etc. and to make sure that we knew that Allan would need a driver. Um. Yes. Make sure he doesn't drive home. Check. Thanks. You've been very helpful.
We are allegedly the second case on for the day and (allegedly) should go back about 9:30 or 10:00. They will put a wire in through his femoral artery and up in to his heart. They will measure the pressures and inject dye and look for where the hole is. Start to finish the whole thing should take about an hour and a half. If Allan does well, then we should be home sometime Tuesday afternoon. We should also know if what we have is an AP window or something else. They'll take the results and probably forward them for review and then we'll know whether we are off somewhere to have it patched.
We will blog as soon as we get a chance and let every one know how things have gone.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The boys have been having a high old time. The good weather has been excellent for everyone. Saturday afternoon we walked down to the farmer's market and got tomatoes and onions and cucumbers. Having proved that we could make it downtown and back without disaster, we pushed our luck Saturday night and took the boys to Portofino's for a real grown-up meal (for us, not them) on the patio. They couldn't have been better behaved. Our two were much better behaved than some of the adults. Things will no doubt become far more complicated once they figure out walking, but we will take what we can get.
On Sunday we went to Greg and Alice's and checked out farm life. The miniature donkey was completely disinterested in the boys, but William, the horse was very keen on Allan. Who was equally keen on William. He smiled and patted him and seemed delighted in general. Griffith was distracted by all the grass and the possibility that we might make him walk in it. Next time we may saddle up and see how that goes. Never too early to start.
Griffith has taken to shaking his head and muttering something that sounds like "ni-ni-ni" when he is crossed. For example, he likes to 'hide' toys under the sofa and chairs and behind the dresser and then go back later and 'find' them. Flora, for some reason, decided that she needed to straighten this up and kept pulling his toys out. He would put them back. She would take them out. Finally, in utter disgust, he began whacking the rings and balls from the living room toward the dining room and muttering "ni-ni-ni-NI!" He had clearly had enough of her interference and was trying to get away from her meddling. It is ridiculous how much attitude that kid has.
Allan is doing great. He's so full of energy and does better every day with sitting up and playing. Flora finally heard him laugh when he was looking at the flashcards. When he saw the one of the baby, he just lit up and kept patting it and pulling it close. We kept telling him "that's Allan" and "that's a pretty baby." He just couldn't stand it and let loose with a little goofy chuckle. He has always been the most vain little guy. It is a good thing that he is legitimately pretty or else he would have a rude awakening some day.
On Sunday we went to Greg and Alice's and checked out farm life. The miniature donkey was completely disinterested in the boys, but William, the horse was very keen on Allan. Who was equally keen on William. He smiled and patted him and seemed delighted in general. Griffith was distracted by all the grass and the possibility that we might make him walk in it. Next time we may saddle up and see how that goes. Never too early to start.
Griffith has taken to shaking his head and muttering something that sounds like "ni-ni-ni" when he is crossed. For example, he likes to 'hide' toys under the sofa and chairs and behind the dresser and then go back later and 'find' them. Flora, for some reason, decided that she needed to straighten this up and kept pulling his toys out. He would put them back. She would take them out. Finally, in utter disgust, he began whacking the rings and balls from the living room toward the dining room and muttering "ni-ni-ni-NI!" He had clearly had enough of her interference and was trying to get away from her meddling. It is ridiculous how much attitude that kid has.
Allan is doing great. He's so full of energy and does better every day with sitting up and playing. Flora finally heard him laugh when he was looking at the flashcards. When he saw the one of the baby, he just lit up and kept patting it and pulling it close. We kept telling him "that's Allan" and "that's a pretty baby." He just couldn't stand it and let loose with a little goofy chuckle. He has always been the most vain little guy. It is a good thing that he is legitimately pretty or else he would have a rude awakening some day.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Griffith showing Allan the ropes
Griffith explaining to Allan how to operate the controls on the bouncer.
Allan, having a good time with Flora
He laughed out loud at the picture of the pretty baby. He was sure it was of him.
Allan and Flora looking at flashcards
This one is one of his favorites -- a pretty baby. We kept telling him that it is Allan.
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