Planes, Games, and Automobiles

Monday, October 28

Devyn and Kinley are now 19 weeks old! This past weekend held a lot of "firsts" for the girls. In just one weekend the girls had their first vacation, first plane ride, and watched their first NFL football game.

The Marsh family met up in Kansas City for the annual football trip this year. It was the first time the girls were away from home for more than a few hours. I must admit that I was a nervous wreck! I couldn't help but expect the worst....missing the flight, managing screaming babies on a plane with ticked-off fellow passengers, or forgetting to pack diapers or bottles. Well, thankfully the trip couldn't have been farther from my predictions.

Turns out it wasn't bad at all! It definitely takes a lot more time and planning, but we arrived at the airport and made it through security relatively easily! And thankfully, our flight wasn't full, so we were able to use an extra seat. The girls slept almost the entire flight without so much as a peep out of either of them! I think even our fellow passengers were impressed:-)

 The girls finally met Aunt Shannon!

Snuggling with Uncle Derek

Sunday was game day! Grandpa Marsh got us invitations to a private suite at the stadium. The room had its own bathroom, kitchen, personal attendant, fireplace, TVs, outdoor and indoor seating, and free food and drinks. Even I like watching football games like that! It was the perfect way to enjoy a football game with babies.        

 Ready for some football!

 Is that a bow or a hat?!?!

 Browns vs. Chiefs

 

They don't seem interested in the game.  

 Check out the suite! The girls (and I) will be disappointed next year when it's back to normal stadium seating! 

 Cheering for the Browns!

The Browns lost....everyone is sad:-(

 

Can he turn them into football fans???

 

Heading home from vacation is never as much fun. The trip wasn't quite as comfortable since we weren't able to sit by one another (there is a 4 person limit per row because of the oxygen mask availability) and it was a very full flight. We survived a mid-flight diaper change and the girls spent most of the time sleeping again. Still a pretty smooth experience!

 

We had a great weekend with family! Can't wait to do it again next year!  

Pumpkin Patch

Tuesday, October 22

At 18 weeks old, Devyn and Kinley are doing great! Their feisty little personalities show more each day. Devyn has even started flashing us a real smile these past few days! She loves it when you stick your tongue out at her:-) I haven't been able to get a good picture of one of her smiles yet though. As soon as I put a camera in front of her face she gets too distracted.

Smile Devyn!

 

Last Friday the girls had their follow-up appointment with the cardiologist. They both had EKGs and heart ultrasounds to look for any abnormalities and to check that their PDAs are still closed. The doctor said everything looked great!

 

Kinley's EKG

 

Devyn's heart ultrasound

 

The family took a trip to Gilcrease Orchard last weekend to check out the pumpkin patch. It didn't feel like fall...the temperature was in the 80s. But we got some apple cider and cute pictures anyway. The girls don't have Halloween costumes yet, so instead they wore their Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfits.

 

 Their first wagon ride (well....really not a ride).

 

 Mom and Dad were HOT! Only the girls were dressed appropriately for the weather.

 Just the girls

 "Get us out of here! It's time for lunch!"   -Devyn and Kinley

 

 Momma and Devyn

 

 

I am starting to get a little more brave when it comes to leaving the house with the girls alone. We had our first professional family photo taken last week, so the girls and I took a trip to the mall to look for outfits. I think these pictures that I took of the girls before our outing turned out better than the family photos taken by a professional. Oh well!

 

 "Does Dad know where we're going?" -Devyn

 No smiles for Mom today.

Let's go shopping!

 

 

More pictures from this week:

"Mom, my shoes and socks do NOT match my outfit!" -Devyn

 Morning snuggles with Kinley.

 Pajama party with Daddy!

 

My little ZTA legacies!

 

Devyn's such a big girl already!

 

 Thing 1 and Thing 2

 

 I decided to go with navy polka dotted bloomers and headbands for our family photos. I'm not sure it was the best choice. I'll post some of the photos once they come in.

 



17 Weeks Old!

Wednesday, October 16

Ok, ok, so I'm a little behind the 17 week mark! The Marsh girls turned 17 weeks old on Monday. I don't know where the time goes!!! Each day I have plans to get things accomplished, but between feeding, changing, washing, and dressing these young ladies, I can barely do those things for myself!

It has been a busy week. Last Tuesday Devyn had her casts removed...thank goodness! Now she has to wear her foot braces instead. That's easier said than done however. Within a couple days she figured out how to push her foot off of the bottom of the brace to wiggle her feet out. I keep telling her that if she knew how expensive these "shoes" were, she'd want to wear them all the time! But, so far, she doesn't seem to care for them. They are still uncomfortable for her, but must be waaaaay better than the casts!

 "I'm still not happy Mom."    -Devyn

 

On Friday the girls had two doctor appointments. First, they had another checkup with the eye doctor. There are still no signs of ROP (blood vessel disease), but they still have underdeveloped blood vessels in their eyes. The doctor will continue to monitor the girls until their vessels are fully developed... hopefully only a few more weeks.

 

The second appointment was their 4 month checkup with the pediatrician. Apparently these girls are eating well. Devyn weighs 10 lbs. 12 oz. and Kinley weighs 9 lbs. 13 oz. Wow! Both girls are just over 21 inches long. Devyn actually made it to the 2nd percentile of 4 month olds, which is pretty good considering she's 3 months behind them. Everything else went well...until the doctor let us know it was time for their 4 month shots. Ugh! We had some unhappy babies that afternoon, especially Kinley.

 

 Devyn does NOT like tummy time!

 Kinley doesn't mind it....for a few minutes at least.

  Teamwork!

 

 

Devyn and Kinley had more visitors this weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Marsh came back for another visit. They can't get enough of these adorable grandbabies! And friends Matt and Sara came to meet the girls as well. Devyn and Kinley loved all the attention! They were not pleased when everyone had to head home on Monday.

 

 Dad, Kinley, and Grandpa watching TV.

 

 Grandpa and Devyn cheering on the Browns.

 

 Padres fans!

"Born to play golf with my Dad" -Kinley

Devyn has one too but she spit up all over it before photo time:-)



Four Months Old!

Sunday, October 6

Devyn and Kinley turn 4 months old tomorrow! Wow! It is also the one month anniversary of Devyn's homecoming from the hospital. That means we've survived (and enjoyed) the first month of parenthood with twins at home.

Thursday the girls helped Daddy cheer on the Browns. I'm not sure how excited they were that the Browns won...but Dad sure was happy!

Hmm...maybe I'm not the only one in the family who doesn't enjoy watching football.

Friday the girls had yet another doctor's appointment (we average about 2 per week). This one was with their pulmonologist (lung doctor). The appointment was a follow-up from their stay in the NICU, as well as a referral for the Synagis vaccine. Their examination went well....no major problems or concerns. We did learn that Kinley now weighs 9 lbs. 5 oz.! I am still in shock! Devyn was weighed as well, but we can't tell how much of her weight is from the casts. I was shocked to learn more about the vaccine however. The Synagis shot helps prevent RSV, a common respiratory virus that is especially dangerous for preemies due to weakened immune and respiratory systems. The vaccine is administered with 5 shots, each one month apart. Each shot is about $1000....so that's $10,000 for both girls! I bet our insurance company just loves our family!

Devyn received her new full-leg casts, so it's been a rough week. Thankfully her braces have come in, so we will take her in this Tuesday to remove the casts and try out the braces. I pray that they are more comfortable for her...which should make her happy...which would make us much happier! The doctor said she will have to wear them all the time at first, and then it will depend on how her feet respond to the braces. It is possible she may need to be casted again in the future, but I hope not!
 

Dad found a comfortable position for Devyn with her casts.  

 

Today we took the girls on an outing to an art festival. The girls slept through most of it, but we all enjoyed the beautiful sunny day.

 Kinley, Devyn, and Mom

 Sorry Kinley! You didn't quite make it all the way into the family shot....we'll do better next time!

Can we get these gals some sunglasses?!?!

 

 

More pics from this week:

 Devyn watching football.

 Kinley was tired!

 

Sleeping Beauty (aka Devyn)

15 Weeks Old!

Monday, September 30

Time is flying by...I can't believe it's almost October already! We stopped by the hospital today to take care of some paperwork issues, and it already seems like it was ages ago that we spent 84 days straight in that place. It's almost like it was a dream...

Sisters!

Dad is in Michigan for a golf tournament, but luckily I have Auntie Kim here to visit and help with the girls. She hadn't seen the girls since they were a few days old. I'd say they look a bit different now!

Auntie Kim and the girls

Today the girls had an appointment with Nevada Early Intervention Services. They monitor children who may have developmental delays and offer support services if a child qualifies. After discussing and examining the girls they concluded that neither girl qualifies. This is great news because it means neither Devyn nor Kinley are showing any signs of developmental delays. Of course, the girls are only about 3 weeks old (adjusted age), so they will now be monitored every few months to make sure they stay on track. When it comes to baby milestones (rolling over, crawling, etc.), our girls get an extra 3 month window to accomplish them.

Kinley's morning smiles

 

Devyn got a new full-leg cast on Thursday to replace the half-cast she wiggled out of last week. By Saturday she managed to get the other half-cast off as well. So, she got to enjoy the weekend with only one cast. I must say, I was secretly pleased! She has been a much happier baby for the past few days! Tomorrow she will get new casts again. Hopefully she'll only have to wear them for one more week, and by then her leg braces should be in.

Enjoy that cast-free leg while you can Devyn!

 

The girls are growing like crazy! I don't know their current measurements, but it's certainly obvious that they're growing out of their clothes! Today I squeezed them into their personalized outfits to get one more wear out of them. Devyn is now wearing her 0-3 or 3 months clothes. Kinley is right in between...most of the newborn-size are too small for her, but she is lost in the bigger sizes. I'm sure that won't last long!

 

Mommy and her girls

And yes...we have a putting green in our backyard! And no...we did not put it there.

We finally received ALL of the photos from the photo shoot a couple weeks ago. You can check Facebook to see them all, but here are a few of my favorites:

 Kinley Grace

 

 So sweet!

 Devyn Marie

 

 Bunk Beds!

 

 Look at that smile!

 LOVE them!