We're Back!

It has been so long since I have been back to the blogger world and I thought I might just do a quick update for those of you that might still be out there reading...if any of you are still there :)  The past year has had so many milestones for our family...Aubrey is potty trained (mostly), Reagan is talking, and both twins are walking and running, and feeding themselves, and fighting, and doing all the kinds of things that two year old twins should do!  Reagan has begun to show interest in going to the bathroom on the potty and we have been successfully using it at least once a day.  Aubrey is really anxious to learn her letters and is quite the musical child.  She loves to live life to song.  When she "reads" a story...it is most often put to music.

The biggest and most pressing thing that we are currently dealing with is Cameron's hearing.  Cameron and her hearing loss has been quite a mystery from the beginning.  She has severe to profound loss in her left ear and moderate severe loss in her right.  We have been told that she should have normal speech with this amount of hearing.  However, she has not been progressing like she should.  So, Cameron has begun going to a special toddler time in a class specifically for hearing impaired children (that either wear hearing aids or have cochlear implants).  We also have begun a more intensive speech therapy session with a speech therapist and have to do daily sessions with her at home.  We are currently under a three month trial to see how much she progresses.  If she does not progress then she may be referred to the cochlear implant team.  There has been some research out there that says that some children to extremely well with only implanting one ear and using a hearing aid in the other.  We have been going to this new program for 4 weeks now...Cameron has been sick for two of them.

We'll keep you posted on how things progress!

First Vacation with all Five of Us!

We have just gotten back from our first vacation! It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful and we all had a wonderful time! My parents generously offered to allow us to come along with them to Hilton Head, SC. We had never been before and Seth and I found ourselves constantly discussing what a beautiful place it was.

While, we have wonderful beach scenes to share with you and family photos...unfortunately, they are on my dad's camera. So for today I have some pictures of our time at a place called, The Sandbox, in Hilton Head. The kids absolutely loved it there! Aubrey was so excited that this was a place "for kids ONLY! not for adults" and she reminded us of that fact repeatedly. Here are a few photos from the girls time there.

As you glance over the photos...let me just point out that this was a huge breakthrough for my germaphobic issues that still tnd to hang around a bit since our time in the NICU. Allowing the girls to play and crawl and to touch things that other "germy" kids had touched was not easy. But they were having such a great time, I just couldn't tell them no.




All three girls are growing up so quickly.  As far as updates on the girls...Aubrey is officially potty trained...during the day anyway (and most nights).  She is getting ready to turn three in July - I cannot believe it!  The twins are both going to begin speech therapy soon.  They are both using more and more signs.  If I can figure out how to post a video, I am hoping to get that on here soon.  They can sign, please, more, milk, eat.  Reagan is very good at copying signs and is really working on communication as a whole.  She signs readily throughout the day the simple signs that we have taught both of the girls and her new favorite thing to do is to say "um" at varying volumes to mean certain things. Cameron is not as quick to sign but will do it when you make her.  She loves for us to sign hand over hand with her.  Cameron continues to be the hefty eater of all three girls (she can out eat Aubrey at this point) and yet is still a lightweight.  Reagan is walking and Cameron is standing on her own and loves to push toys all around the house. 

Dedication Day

Well at long last we dedicated the girls at church today...all three of them!  Dedicating means that we commit to praying for them and striving to be Godly parents and the church also commits to supporting us and praying for us as well.  Today was so special..as it was also the anniversary of our first full day at home together as a family. 

It was beautiful, all the grandparents were there and other special friends were there...the girls had on special outfits and then...we were called up to the front of the church.  Now, while I do wish that I had video to show you, perhaps your imagination can give you an even better glance at this.  The girls were so excited to have, well let's call it an audience.  Aubrey wiggled and wiggled until she had to be held.  Once she was being held, Reagan kept pulling her hair.  And Cameron talked (VERY loudly) the entire time...so much so it was hard to hear what the pastor was saying.  The good news is, the whole church had a great sense of humor about it (I have to admit, that it was definitely a funny sight...I am sure I would have thought it even funnier were it not my family).  The other good news is that I wouldn't change a thing...even though it didn't go perfectly I am okay with it.  We are not perfect and never have claimed to be.  The church got a honest to goodness real life picture of what our family is like and there is never a dull moment at our house.  And although in the moment I don't always remember it....I am so grateful for every precious moment.

Thank you so much to such a wonderful, supportive church family.  What an honor to share such a special day with all of you who have prayed so consistently for our family.  We love you.

By the way, later in the day, we were talking with Aubrey about how wiggly she was being and she told us that she was going to tell the whole church that she was sorry.  Now, that too would be a funny picture...we'll see if she remembers next Sunday!

Happy Homecoming Day Cameron!

One year ago, today, we finally got to bring home the youngest member of our family.  At last we were complete.  Here are some highlights from that day.

Here she is still all hooked up to the monitors doing her carseat test in order to come home.

She got an exit filled with bubbles to celebrate FINALLY being able to come home!

Cameron had to come home with a heart monitor at first...here she is...obviously pleased with still being hooked up!

Aubrey's first time meeting Cameron at home.

Reunited at last!  After being together for a little over six months in Mommy's tummy and four months being apart...we love being together!

Look how tiny they look in our chair!

God is so good and has blessed us more than I know that I deserve!  On this day, a year ago, our family finally felt complete.  This was the day that the daily trips to the NICU at Duke stopped, the nightly phone calls checking in on babies, hours spent in the car, and hours spent separated as a family.  This day signifies completeness - of our family, that is.  I am so grateful for all that the Lord has done and all that the Lord has taught me through my daughters.  Stay tuned over the next few days for some more pics of what we have been up to lately!

Recap of the Last Week's Happenings

Well, of course, right after I set my new blogging goals...we end up with craziness here at the Carter house.  My poor kids have just been put through the ringer, illness wise and it finally caught up with Cameron.  After back to back illnesses she ended up in the hospital last weekend.  She was initially diagnosed with pneumonia and we were given breathing treatments to give her...they did not work well enough and so they had to admit her.  She could not keep up her oxygen levels on her own so they had to put her on a nasal cannula to assist her. 

She was admitted last Saturday and came home on Wednesday.  So, Seth spent the week with Cameron in the hospital.  Amongst all of this, Reagan also got sick and ended up with an ear infection.  After the first day or so, they told us that Cameron just had a virus and that it had to just run its course.  So, they gave her breathing treatments every four hours and steroids.  She has been diagnosed with some level of Reactive Airway Disease and so she now has to use a Flovent inhaler twice a day until the pediatrician deems that she does not need it any longer.

While we have been dealing with all this craziness though...Aubrey has been busy growing up!  She is potty trained...well not at night yet but during the day she has been amazing!  I am so proud of her!  She decided on this past Monday that she did not want to wear diapers any longer and she hasn't!  She has done amazingly! 

Happy Homecoming Day Reagan!

It is so hard to believe that this time last year, on March 28th, we were bringing you home.  That was the day that you officially got to meet your big sister and come home to your very own house.   Here are just a few pictures of that day my special girl!  You are such a miracle...God's perfect little gift.  All those days spent praying, learning and anxiously awaiting were here.  These next pictures were of your last day in the NICU with your sister.  We thought it would only be a week or so before she came home...little did we know it would be a month.

Here we are leaving the NICU headed home.  Daddy may not show it but he was very NERVOUS!!!

Your first few days at home were full of laughter, tears, and sleepless nights.  Mommy and Daddy soon learned that although we thought we knew about having a baby at home...we had no clue what we were doing!!!  You did not follow any of the rules and kept us on our toes all the time...still do!

Happy Homecoming Day Reagan!  What a year it has been and how far you have come!  We love you so much!

Reagan blowing a kiss to everyone!

A Fun Day at Home With Mommy

We love pudding!!!!!

Cameron's Hearing Impaired Teacher...

is a miracle worker.  I was so unbelievably blessed today by watching her work with Cameron.  She had Cameron vocalizing sounds that almost sounded exactly like the real word - up.  Cameron kept saying u,u,u,u,u...which she has been known to do before but this just seemed so intentional.  She was so engaged.  She had her calling for a duck over and over again.  Cameron loves working with her teacher and all of her neat toys!

I also forgot to share that Cameron went back to Chapel Hill to see the Audiologist again.  This time they tested her left ear (her worst hearing ear) and they found that her hearing was actually better than expected.  Previously results had indicated that she had severe to profound hearing loss in that ear.  Last week they were seeing levels more consistent with just severe loss!  This is great news obviously!  Her hearing loss on both sides seems a little more similar than what we thought!!! 

A Whole New Look

As you can see, I have updated the site...please bear with me...it is a work in progress.  I don't really know the direction that the blog is going...just know that you can count on hearing from me much more.  The previous design was so...clinical and to be honest...just made me think about life a year ago.  I feel like the bright colors reflect the bright future and just how much we have to be thankful for.  Things have really begun to "settle" down for us...if that is possible.  Don't get me wrong, we still have doctors appointments and therapies all the time but as far as the day in and day out craziness - it just seems more manageable - Praise the Lord!  So, I would love to be able to give you a glimpse into our daily lives and how much of a blessing all three of my girls are to me! 

I would love to hear from any of you...I am thinking of renaming the name of the blog - any suggestions...keep it or change it?
For now, I will leave you with a photo taken just recently before the girls got hit with a nasty stomach bug!  They love hanging out with each other!

We're Back!

Well, after a very busy and long couple of months I feel like I could write volumes. As you know from the previous posts, the girls have had tons and tons of doctors appointments and God has continued to bless us with more and more praises.

Since our last post, we have been set free and allowed not only to go to church but the girls have even been allowed in the church nursery - which, since it is usually only them and one other baby is not a huge feat but at least it allows for me to actually hear the sermon and sit like an adult for just a few moments!!

Cameron had tubes put in her ears and boy is there a difference. My little girl has just made so much progress. She can hear loud sounds from far away, is learning to turn toward a background noise, knows her name when it is called, and so much more. When we went to the ENT in Dec. Camerons hearing test was measuring her actual hearing at profound deafness...in her good ear! Since getting tubes put in, her right ear is measuring at moderate hearing loss - which is exactly where it should be. The doctors at Chapel Hill said that she is very hard to test because she reads so much off of the people...she focuses more on the testers than on the actual animated animals that are supposed to distract her. She is also picking up more fo the signs that we are using with her...when I sign no, she stops and shakes her head no, when I sign yes, she gets very excited, and on a good day, when I sign mother, she will say "mama." She is a Mommy's girl and always tries to watch where Mommy is and she also has been going through a time of having some pretty significant stranger anxiety.

At our last appointment at Duke, Cameron had an ear infection and so she could not have her developmental evaluation but they did mention that they were worried about her weight gain (she is still weighing in at about 16 pounds) and they also wanted us to switch to regular infant formula as a bridge to transitioning to whole milk. Poor Cameron has been getting sick ever since. Her reflux has returned with a vengeance and she only keeps down about half of her feedings a day. However, just last week she returned to Duke to do her Developmental Evaluation and they also said to try a different formula. Cameron did fabulous on her evaluation...right in line with her adjusted age (even with the hearing impairment - praise God!!!) and she really seems to like this new formula.

Reagan has continued to grow and be a little stinker. She loves her sisters and she loves to take risks (which she gets honestly from her dad!). She can climb the stairs so quickly, is pushing push toys across the room, and has begun to say more than just dada.

Both girls have had feeding evaluations because they were not progressing with eating solids. We are awaiting appointments to begin feeding therapy and the therapists believe that it won't be long before they are caught right up. Just since our evaluations a couple of weeks ago, the girls will now eat the gerber puffs and yogurt puffs and love it!

January

Sorry it has taken so long to post. January has ended up being an unbelievably hectic month and February is looking to be more of the same. January came and brought several doctors appointments. The girls were real troopers and have really grown up here in the last month or so. The girls just had their first snow and they also just had their first pony tails last sunday for church (on top of their heads...I like to call them sprouts).

I think I will take each girl and tell you about what's new.

Reagan - Is cruising the furniture
-can climb the stairs
-looks as if she will need glasses before Cameron does...she is more nearsighted than Cameron. The Optometrist said that both girls will likely have glasses by the time that they start school.
-Had her developmental evaluation at Duke and is at or above her adjusted age in all areas. They called her "Their Little Superstar."
-Says dada, papa, gaga, baba and only when she is crying she will say mama
-has learned how to blow kisses - It is very cute because she knows when to pull it...she will do something she shouldn't or throw a fit and then look at you and blow a kiss. Little stinker :)!

Cameron-is pulling up on everything
-loves to crawl into tight places or on top of things (she can often be found trying to squeeze under or behind furniture)
*Perhaps the biggest thing that has happened with Cameron is that we realized that for quite some time she had not really been cooing or talking. The only time she would make a sound was when she would cry or laugh but she quit vocalizing entirely. We called the ENT and they said they needed to see her immediately. They said that every time she has been there, she has had fluid in her ears...so they need to put tubes in as soon as possible. Cameron's appointment is this Tuesday (Feb 2). Since that appointment we went for the girls developmental evaluations at Duke, upon arrival Cameron started running a 102 fever and was diagnosed with an ear infection. She was so miserable that they wouldn't assess her but the amazing thing was that once the antibiotic cleared the fluid our little girl was back. Our house is full of all the wonderful Cameron sounds that had once before gone missing. She squeals, coos, and vocalizes throughout her day. It is so beautiful and we are so hopeful that the tubes will bring about even more development for her.

So, that is about it for our household right now. Aubrey is, as always, a wonderful big sister and doing phenomenally. She loves going to school and has begun to really love fairy tales. Her favorite right now is the 3 Little Pigs. She has also learned the art of story telling and enjoys telling stories for the whole family to hear. She loves being a helper. One of the bittersweet things about Aubrey growing up is that she has begun to call us "Mom and Dad" instead of Mommy and Daddy. But on the plus side, her new favorite thing to do is to snuggle with Mommy at night and get warm from the cold weather.

A New Year, New Memories!

Well the girls are officially a year old. This post will be mainly pictures with a few updates at the end. What an amazing December this has been. I found myself reflecting back over the past year, remembering the feelings and happenings of the previous year and so amazingly thankful that we get to make new happier memories this year.

Cameron

Reagan - sorry you can't see her face...she is into climbing onto everythng and this is the only view we got of her most of the night!

Cameron trying out her cake

Reagan taking a taste.

Cameron proved to have quite a sweet tooth!

Oh we have had quite a year and we count it a privilege that all of you have chosen to go on this journey with us. Thank you so much for all your love and support. The girls have changed so much.

Since their birthday they both have begun pulling up on everything and Reagan demands to stand at all times while she plays! Both girls have become such snuggly babies. And they absolutely love one another and play so well together -except when they climb on top of one another! Happy Birthday Girls!

Miraculous!

Miraculous...that is how the Occupational Therapist and the Physical Therapist described the girls' development. They both are right where they need to be or ahead in their development. They were so impressed with our little miracles. As of right now the girls are not showing signs of cerebral palsy either - HUGE PRAISE! There are a couple of things we have to work on.... we have to work on feeding some...positioning of the spoon and such...and we have to watch Reagan because she likes to stand on her toes and not lower her ankles. We have so much to be thankful for.

Updates on what the girls can do: both girls are now crawling and pulling up onto things to their knees. Reagan has just begun babbling and now says baba, dada, gaga...we are still working on mama (but in the middle of the night she can call dada all she wants :) ). Reagan can also pull to standing. Cameron says mama...she has for a while. I don't know if it is intentional or if we will lose it as she develops in her speech.

The girls love each other so much and when the other one is gone...they are sad. They light up when they see each other...it is so cute. Their favorite game is what I like to call, "Thats my paci." They sit with each other and take each others pacifiers out of their mouths over and over and over again. It entertains them for quite some time. Reagan has already proven that she is very independent and likes to push 0ur buttons...she will start crawling somewhere she knows she isn't supposed to go and when you call her name to tell her to come back, she squeals with delight and starts crawling faster. Cameron likes to show her independence at meal time as she will arm wrestle you for control over the spoon and when she wins and dumps her food...she smiles and laughs.

December 12 of last year I checked into the hospital at Duke. It is so hard to believe that they were born ten days later. I am looking forward to our coming weeks in hopes of making new memories that are full of joy and togetherness. I am so excited as we will get to celebrate the girls birth together, Christmas together, and so on. I have such a new found appreciation for togetherness. I remember sitting at the hospital on Christmas morning...so torn between wishing I was with Aubrey to see her wake up on Christmas morning and all the excitement that comes with it, and between the twins who were in the NICU showing us how strong they really were. So many blessings, so many miracles.

Aubrey continues to grow and become such a little lady. She is such a blessing and such a wonderful helper. She loves her sisters and can now tell them apart. She loves to play with them and talk to them and make them laugh. She brings smiles to their faces when nothing or no one else will make them happy. She has really been enjoying school, dancing, books, music, and she wakes up every day and asks her Daddy if they can go to church! She loves it! Her other new favorite thing to do is to watch the Signing Time dvds that we are using to help us learn sign.

Movers and Shakers

Sorry it has taken so long to post. Things are pretty hectic and yet incredibly monotonous all at the same time (does that even make sense?). The girls are getting bigger all the time and are hitting milestones left and right. Here are just a few:

-Both girls are crawling.

-Both girls have gotten their first tooth and are working on the second.

-Both girls are finally beginning to get the hang of eating baby food.

-Reagan can pull herself up to a standing position.

-Reagan is now 17 pounds. Cameron is now almost 15 pounds.

-Cameron is getting ready for her second set of hearing aids - we think that her first set is not working all the time.

Now that the girls are on the move, they are everywhere. We have to watch them all the time. Reagan is the most curious of the two and is also the faster of the two (for now). So far, we have caught Reagan in the bathroom, getting into the fireplace, underneath end tables, trying to crawl up the stairs, climbing into the bottom of her exersaucer, and crawling on top of her sister. She is so quiet that you don't know where she is but when you catch her she has such a mischevious grin and laugh. Cameron talks nonstop all day long. She must really have a lot to say. I wish so much that I could just peek into her head to see what it is she is thinking.

Coming up the girls are beginning to move in the evaluation stage of their therapies and such. Both girls will be evaluated by physical and occupational therapists in December and in January they will return to Duke for testing (which is routine for all one year olds that were once residents of the NICU), and then in February, Cameron will have an MRI at Chapel Hill to take a closer look at her ears.

It is so hard to believe that they are almost a year old. When I think back to what was going on a year ago, I remember having regular visits with the specialists and discussing when I would be going into the hospital and our course of action once we were in the hospital. I never would have guessed that those two little ones that we saw every two weeks on our ultrasounds would be so amazing. They truly are the coolest (along with their older sister) individuals around. And I do mean individuals...lest you think they were twins or anything...they truly do have the most different personalities - they are excellent foils to one another.