WalkAmerica

We participated in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica event this weekend. We had a great time and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather. Because I didn't get my act together soon enough to order team t-shirts, we ended up making our own with black shirts and iron-on ink jet transfer paper. They actually turned out pretty well, although I couldn't find any baby-sized t-shirts, so Molly had to make do with a bandanna.

On the way to the event, I was reminded why driving in Michigan can be a pain. In spite of the spiffy GPS in our car, we had a heck of a time getting to the walk site. The exit we needed to take was closed for construction and we had to drive five miles to the next exit, get off the expressway, get back on the expressway, and drive all the way back so we could use the exit on the other side of highway. Ugh! Of course, that meant that my carefully planned timetable was totally shot and we missed the start of the walk. In retrospect, that was probably a blessing because we had plenty of elbow room while we were walking.

Although I had planned to push Max in our stroller and carry Molly in my new BabyHawk mei tai sling (which I love), on Saturday I managed to score a very gently used Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand Stroller on craigslist. Although I had read some conflicting reviews on the stroller, I have to say that it is absolutely perfect for us. Molly can ride in "regular stroller" part in front, and there is a bench seat and a platform in the back so Max can either sit or stand. We took the stroller on its maiden voyage at the walk and both babies and Mom were happy as clams.

Max and Molly were perfect angels and Big Brother and Big Sister were a lot of fun. I was impressed by all the activities and fun stuff they had for the kids -- tons of giveaways, games, balloons, a mini petting zoo, a bounce house, cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, ice cream, etc. We took our time and stopped a few times to enjoy the park and the weather. Max still can't walk by himself, but he enjoyed the breaks so he could get off the stroller, hold our hands, and "wah" a little bit. Max was fascinated by the river and kept wanting to look at it. Molly enjoyed kicking her feet and blowing raspberries at passersby. ;)

When all was said and done, we raised $700 for the March of Dimes -- surpassing our $500 fundraising goal by a good margin! Thanks again for everyone who donated -- it really meant a lot to me that we were able to make a contribution to help fight prematurity.

Haircut Strike

Max has decided to pull a Sanjaya* until we meet our March of Dimes WalkAmerica fundraising goal ...


... oh, but wait -- we ALREADY met it! Thank goodness -- Max thinks ponyhawks are so last week. Thank you for saving Max from such a fashion faux pas.

*DISCLAIMER: For the record, I would like to state that I have never seen an episode of American Idol. My knowledge of such things has been gleaned solely from MSN "headlines" and DJ commentary. Reality is real enough for me, so I watch trashy TV of an entirely different nature. ;)

Footloose

Max had his appointment with the orthopedic surgery folks up at the hospital today and I'm happy to report that he is now cast free! He was supposed to be in the cast from 4-6 weeks -- they wanted us to come back in four weeks for x-rays to see if the fracture had healed. As it turned out, when I called to make an appointment, the only openings they had were either three days before his four weeks were up or five days after. We opted to chance the earlier appointment in the hope that Max could, once again, buck the odds (not to mention the sense of panic and despair that came over us at the thought of an extra five days in the cast).

So, Mom, Dad, Max, and Molly trucked on up to the hospital with our fingers (and toes) crossed. We must have made a funny procession, what with the two babies, the wheelchair, the stroller, the diaper bag, and a very friendly two year old who waved and said "hewwo" to everyone we passed. We ended up running all over the hospital during the hour and a half we were there -- we had to check in at orthopedic surgery, then trot upstairs to radiology for the x-rays, then run back down to orthopedic surgery to meet with the doctor. Max was NOT happy about the x-rays and howled the whole time. We carried the x-rays back downstairs, having no idea what the results of the x-rays were. When they called our name and wheeled us into the "cast room" (where all the tables and saws were), we took that as a good sign.

The doctor was very pleased with how well the fracture had healed and asked us if we were ready for the cast to come off. Max did not want to be put on the table and cried the whole time the cast was getting cut off, poor guy. He was happy when Mama could pick him up and hold him until he felt a little better. The cast was a little on smelly side (you could see where we had a couple of diaper leaks during those first couple of days, before we figured out a diapering system), but Max's leg and skin actually looked just fine. He looks littler and skinnier without the cast -- it's hard to say if he lost weight while he was in the cast or if he just seems smaller without a ton of fiberglass wrapped around him. The doctor said his hip and knee would be really sore and that he probably wouldn't be walking around for a couple of days. It could take up for a month for him to get back to normal and be able to walk without a limp. But, Max is cleared to move around as much as he wants to, as long as he doesn't do any crazy stuff for a couple of days.

Max seemed a little unsure of himself after he got the cast off -- it looked like his hip/knee were pretty painful. When we got home he got to sit in his booster chair and eat a meal for the first time in a month -- since he ate a better lunch than he has for a while, he must have been happy about it. I gave him a nice, warm bath shortly after we got home. He was a little scared when I first put him in the tub -- I think because his balance and flexibility are still off. After a few minutes in the tub, he was having a grand old time. I think the warm water helped loosen up his joints and he just had a blast splashing in the water and playing with his toys. He didn't want to come out, but once I got him out and dressed, he started doing more and more moving and crawling around. By the end of the evening, he was crawling around like crazy, playing with balls and toys and acting more like his regular old self. He crawled right into the kitchen while we were making dinner, pulled open the oven storage drawer, and started dragging out racks and pans, just like always.

Watch out world, Max is back in action!

The Countdown

Another week down and only one more week until Max's x-ray appointment. Right now I'm keeping all of my fingers and toes crossed in hopes that the fracture has healed and the cast can come off. It's been a looong few weeks at our house and if Max has to keep the cast on another couple of weeks, I'm not sure which of us will cry harder! Max is officially stir crazy and really wants to be up and about. He keeps trying to crawl on his casted knee, which we keep trying to stop him from doing (since the doctors told us not to let him put weight on that leg). I'm so looking forward to Max getting his cast off -- I miss my happy, busy little boy. At least the weather has been a little nicer these last few days, so Max, Molly, and I have been able to go on some walks. Our strolls around the neighborhood have the three-fold benefit of really improving Max's mood, lulling Molly to sleep, and getting Mom some much-needed exercise. Pushing a wheelchair full of 35+ pounds of toddler/cast while a 20-pound infant is strapped to your person is quite the workout!

Even though we haven't used the wheelchair anywhere but in the house and around the neighborhood, I can start to understand how difficult a lot of things must be for people who use wheelchairs. Even just walking around our sub can be a pain when some of the curbs don't slope to the street and some of the sidewalks are in need of repair. My newly rediscovered pet peeve is people who park their cars across the sidewalk. It's difficult trying to maneuver a heavy wheelchair around the cars, especially when I have to shove the thing through a couple of feet of thick grass. Lets just say that I don't feel the slightest bit guilty for any wheelchair track marks that get left on people's lawns!

Molly continues to be super crabby. She was so bad on Thursday that I took her in to see the doctor, to make sure that she didn't have an ear infection or some other undiagnosed malady. She didn't -- she's as healthy as a horse! My "little" princess now tips the scales at 20 lbs, 14.5 ounces! In desperation, we decided to try starting her Zantac dose back up (we'd finally stopped it just about the time Max fractured his leg). I don't know if it is coincidence or if she has been having some silent reflux, because after a couple of days of Zantac she's been doing a lot better (i.e. actually sleeping for more than two hours at a pop, but still crankier than her mellow norm). Dad and I think we spotted some upper eyeteeth on their way in, which might also explain her recent Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde behavior. Max had the hardest teething time with his eyeteeth and, so far, Molly seems to be just as bad a teether as he was.

Molly is still on her quest for mobility -- she's getting really good at army crawling and can pull and push herself along pretty quickly. When she's on her hands and knees, she tries to take "steps" with her arms, but doesn't realize that she needs to move her legs too, so she eventually crawls herself into a belly flop. Since she can move around pretty well now, she's also getting good at being a pesky little sister. She loves to crawl over and see what Max is doing and, if possible, try to grab whatever toy he has. She is especially fond of his Nuby sippy cup -- the other day she managed to crawl over to the beanbag, pull herself up the side a bit, bat at the cup until she knocked it to the ground, then grab it, put it in her mouth, and start sucking away. I'm guessing we won't have much trouble getting this girl off the bottle earlier than Max! Now if we could just get her to sleep through the night on a regular basis ...

Halfway!

Max has had his cast on for a full two weeks as of today -- hopefully only two more weeks to go! I'd like to say that the whole "toddler in a cast" experience is getting easier, but that doesn't seem to be the case. We're managing, but it sure isn't easy. Many, many thanks to everyone who sent well wishes and cards and care packages -- Max (and Mom and Dad!) are very appreciative. We keep trying different things to keep him busy -- he seems to like having his beanbag moved from room to room, so we migrate around the house. We haven't been able to go out for many walks, because the weather here has been awful (yup, snow in April).

We've been trying just about everything to keep Max busy. You know that you're scraping the bottom of the entertainment barrel when you give your toddler the coveted TV remote control (which you usually have to pry out of his hands) and he immediately hands it back to you and exclaims, "All done!" He's been watching a ton of DVDs and we've discovered that he really likes Blue's Clues (he calls it "bwus cwus cwus"). He'll (chair) dance along with the show and he thinks the Mail Song is hysterically funny (especially when Mom sings it). I now have all the songs deeply ingrained in my memory, but I'm rather thankful that he didn't decide to like something truly irritating (like Teletubbies).

We're thinking of taking advantage of Max's current immobile state and trying to transition him to a big boy bed next week. I figure that we might be able to get through that awkward bed transition period a little easier if the "big boy" is physically incapable of getting up out of bed. ;) Maybe by the time his cast comes off, he'll be used to the new sleeping arrangements and the novelty will have worn off. We were planning to start him off on a mattress on the floor, so he can't possibly fall out and hurt himself. But, sleeping is one of the few things that he's still doing happily and easily, so we're not sure if we want to push the envelope or not.

As if to thumb her nose at Max's immobility, Molly is becoming increasingly mobile. She gets up on all fours and starts rocking, throws herself forward, and then uses her elbows, arms, and hands to army crawl a little way before repeating the process. Molly is delighted that she can actually get where she wants to go and she's usually smiling and giggling as she frantically tries to get to you. And, to thumb her noses at us, she's picked these couple of weeks to teethe in earnest. We've had a couple of days of respite here and there, but Molly has been super crabby these last couple of weeks. She wants you to hold her constantly, refuses to sleep, goes on periodic nursing strikes, and sometimes just cries and fusses no matter what you do. Her timing couldn't have been worse! It's a good thing that she's terribly cute, even when she's cranky. She's still babbling away and it seems that Dad has once again won the first word contest -- Molly is saying "da da" and appears to know what it means. Foiled again! You'd think that after the bedrest and the labor and countless nighttime feeds and diaper changes that she could squeak out a measly little "ma ma" but noOOoooo -- it's all about the Dada! ;)

Molly is working her way through her food trials and is loving solid food. We've tried peas, yams, acorn squash, and bananas so far -- all hits. Apples and pears are next on the agenda. Now that we have a Food Saver, it is even easier to make and store batches of baby food. I just cook up the food, puree it in the food processor, freeze it in ice cube trays, vacuum seal the cubes, and toss them back in the freezer. Good eats!

On a completely unrelated note, Dad managed to finagle our cable company into giving us HBO and knocking a bit off of our monthly bill to boot! That means that we get to watch the new season of the Sopranos after all. Hooray! Hey, maybe Max will like that better than Blue's Clues (just kidding). ;)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (Or Not)

After an exciting start to the weekend, we ended up having a very low key Easter. On Friday, Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Michael came to town! Max was very happy to have some visitors to cheer him up and entertain him. Friday night Dad stayed home with the babies while Mom took big brother and sister to the Daisy May concert. The concert was great and everyone had a good time. We got home late and I stayed up even later to make food for Saturday's birthday brunch. As it so happened, we had two birthdays to celebrate -- big brother and Uncle Michael both had birthdays last week! It was fun having the house full of people -- both sets of grandparents were there, so plenty of baby spoiling took place. Much food was made and eaten and a good time was had by all.

After all that excitement earlier in the weekend, we opted not to do much on Sunday. So, for Molly's first Easter, there was no big dinner, no lemon meringue pie, no eggs were dyed, we skipped the traditional egg salad lunch, and everyone stayed in their pjs all day. The Easter Bunny did leave some little Easter baskets, so it wasn't entirely a tradition-less Easter. I felt a little guilty for being so lame, but Max wasn't really able to do much or go anywhere and both he and Molly are too little to care, so Dad and I opted for a lazy day. Naps were had by all, so it wasn't a total loss. ;) Next year should be fun, since they'll both be old enough to enjoy an Easter morning egg hunt!

Walking for Max (and Molly!)

Ever since Max was born, I've wanted to participate in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. We've been so blessed with our babies that I wanted to pay it forward and help the March of Dimes in their fight against prematurity. I wasn't able to make the first walk, because it was held shortly after Max came home from the hospital. Last year I was in the midst of a difficult pregnancy and wasn't able to walk either. This year, however, we're walking!

The March of Dimes is leading a national effort to save babies from premature birth by funding research to find the causes. The MOD supported research on surfactant therapy -- a treatment that Max received shortly after birth and which helped his underdeveloped lungs function with assistance. They continue to support research into the hows and whys of premature birth, so future babies might be spared what Max and (to a lesser extent) Molly went through. We still don't know why they came so early, but we hope that the MOD will help find some answers so that other families can be spared the hard times that we endured.

Premature birth is the number one cause of death in newborns and is growing at an alarming rate. In an average week in Michigan:

- 307 babies are born preterm (Less then 37 weeks)
- 52 babies are born very preterm (Less then 32 weeks)
- 208 babies are born low birthweight (Less then 5 1/2 lbs)
- 40 babies born very low birthweight (Less then 3 1/3 lbs)

I look at my babies and know that I am very fortunate to have them here, safe and sound. Every baby and every parent deserves that happy ending. Please consider making a donation to our family team -- every little bit helps (they even accept PayPal). Plus, it would really help cheer up Max to know that you're supporting his team (look at those pleading eyes). ;) Weather permitting, he and Molly will be joining us, although it looks like Max might be riding along in his wheelchair instead of doing any walking himself! To visit our team page and make a donation, click here.

Molly-O

With all the Max excitement lately, I figured it was about time for a Molly post. When last we left our fearless Molly, Mom was commenting on the cutting of tooth number five. Little did she know that not only was tooth number five coming in (along with three and four), but tooth numbers six and seven were on their way as well. I suppose cutting five teeth at once explains Molly's recent crankiness and less-than-ideal sleep habits. Incisor eight seems to be hanging back -- it's funny because Max got his first seven teeth in short succession and it was the exact same incisor (right lower outside) that was the holdout.

With all this crazy cutting of teeth, it is probably not a surprise that Molly has turned into a little screaming banshee this week (and after being such a good girl for us last week). She's been waking up every 1 1/2 at night and screeching until you come and get her (at which point she resumes screeching at a slightly lower volume). During the day, she pretty much yells if you aren't holding her constantly. Given the fact that Max is under the weather and needs a lot more attention, Molly's recent fussiness has made for an exhausting few days. I think we've turned the tooth corner, however, because she's been MUCH better tonight.

Molly is steadily working her way towards crawling. In addition to being able to roll and scoot everywhere, Molly has started pulling herself up to her hands and knees. She's so funny to watch, because she'll get up on her hands and knees, rock back and forth excitedly for a few seconds, and then propel herself backwards, away from whatever it was she was trying to reach. She's mastered the art of sitting and will happily sit up and play with toys for long periods of time before eventually flopping on to her stomach. Molly has been a busy little thing and wants to grab and touch everything. As you might expect, the things she is most interested in getting a hold of are very things she can't play with (puzzle pieces, baby lotion bottles, board books, telephones, etc.). She's also starting to gain an appreciation for peek-a-boo games -- she and Max developed a game where he runs up to wherever she is sitting, they both crack up, and then he does it again (obviously, pre-cast).

Molly has started babbling up a storm -- lots of "da da," "ba ba," "la la" and "nnnnnngung" noises (and the occasional raspberry thrown in for good measure), but, alas, not a "ma ma" to be heard. She's also graduated from baby cereal and has moved on to veggies. So far, she likes peas and yams much better than she liked any variety of baby cereal. Max was a pretty neat eater when he started solids, but Molly prefers to cover herself in whatever she is eating. Dinner isn't complete until she has peas in her eyebrows, hair, ears, etc. She's also graduated from the infant bath tub and now gets to use Max's old inflatable duck tub -- she thinks splashing in the water is a riot.

She really is a sweetheart (teething issues aside). I love my happy, smiley little girl!

Are We There Yet?

I've discovered that there is only one thing worse than a mobile toddler -- an immobile toddler. Five cast days down and waaaay too many to go! Max is pretty miserable and frustrated and upset about his new couch potato status. Max seemed to enjoy watching "more dee dee!" (more Baby Einstein) for a couple of days, but even the novelty of being able to watch as many DVDs as he wants seems to have worn off. We've read all the books, played with all of the toys, and watched all the Baby Einsteins, and we haven't even made it through the first week yet!

We've pretty much figured out different ways to move him around and different places for him to hang out. We have to change his position every few hours, to make sure he doesn't get pressure sores. Who knew that we'd be fighting the old tummy time battle again? ;) We brought his car seat inside and set that up next to a coffee table, so he can safely sit upright to eat his meals. He spends a lot of time on the beanbag and sometimes he just wiggles around on the floor with Molly. He had a rough weekend and he was feeling pretty glum this afternoon, so I took him for a spin around the neighborhood in his wheelchair. That seemed to cheer him up and he's already asking to go for more walks. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so I can take him out as much as possible.

Thankfully, he's at least been sleeping and napping well (the same can't be said for Molly, the teething fiend, but more on that in another post ;). Max is also finally letting us know that he's a boy with definite preferences. Up until now, if he wanted to watch a DVD or read a book, any one would suffice. Not any more! We'll hold up one DVD after another as Max proclaims, "NooOOoo" -- we know we hit the right one when the "no" is replaced by "Peeese!" I was singing him his bedtime song tonight and when I started in on The Alphabet Song (which he usually really likes), I was interrupted with "NooOoo" and Max attempted to sing the song he wanted to hear. Thankfully, I speak fairly fluent toddler and realized that he wanted me to sing All the Pretty Little Horses instead. Apparently, now that we're at his beck and call, the little fellow is getting awfully bossy! ;)

I'm hoping we'll all adjust and things will get a little easier. After all, they can't really get any harder ... can they??