Our Family

Friday, August 27, 2010

Can you believe my babies are 7 months old today?

Hi everyone -
It's been a quiet week.  Just the usual day to day stuff.
Today is the boys' seven month birthday!  Planning to take lots of pictures tonight. 
Looking forward to visiting with the Hart family tomorrow at the reunion, then Sunday will likely be a day of rest (we need one!).
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and we'll write more later!

Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln, and Jackson

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Just want to wish Ryan and Tasha Muehlfeld a happy 8th wedding anniversary!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Good news to report!!!

Hi Everyone -
It finally looks like the "health" of our family is taking a positive turn.
Let's start with the Grandparents...
1)  Grandma Hart is making some great progress!  They did a swallow test last Friday (8-20), and she passed it so she has been eating "real" food!  She has had chicken, lasagna, sherbert, ice cream, peas, corn, and other stuff too.  Definitely a very positive sign!  They cap off her trach tube when she is sitting in a chair which allows her to visit and speak with everyone. 
2)  Mawma is getting some of her spunk back.  :-)  She's definitely had more energy over the past few weeks - either that, or she is just trying to get things done up before she has her sugery.  She's been making salsa and canning it. 
Her surgery is going to be September 13th, so please keep her in your thoughts on that day!
3)  Pawpa had his colonoscopy on Friday.  Everything looks good (which was a relief to all of us).  They did see some patches that could possibly turn into diverticulitis, which may be part of what has been causing his pain.  But for now, he is on the mend!

The kids...
Lincoln (Right) - we had his post op appointment today with the urologist.  He is up to 17 1/2 pounds in weight.  The doctor cleared him, so no more appointments for Lincoln!  His incisions look great, and as he grows, I think they will be hard to even see.  Modern medicine is amazing!

Jackson (Left) - we had another follow-up for Jackson's helmet this morning.  Another big improvement in measurement!  We started with a 20 mm difference in measurement, and 3 weeks ago it was down to a 15 mm difference.  Today, it is down to a 9 mm difference!  Our goal is to have a 0-3 mm difference, so this is great improvement!  Please hope he keeps growing and doesn't have to wear his helmet too long!  Next check up is in 2 1/2 weeks.

Busy time...
So, last time I mentioned we had a great weekend at Mawma and Pawpa's, but I forgot to mention that the boys went to their first parade!  It was Edon Days weekend, so we were able to attend the annual parade.  The boys were (thankfully) a bit young yet to be chasing after the candy, but we still had a great afternoon with family (including Great Aunt Shirley and Great Uncle Larry).  Lincoln didn't really like all the fire sirens, but Jackson was unphased by them. 

Last weekend (8/13-8/15) we enjoyed a weekend at home entertaining some friends.  Friday night, my friend Jennie watched the boys so that Brian and I could have a night out at the Red's game with the Brocki's.  I do love my boys, but it was very refreshing to have a night out with adults!  The game was hot, but the beer was cold, and the Red's won - so a GREAT night!  It was also Firework's Friday which is always a wonderful treat!  Thanks to Jennie for watching the boys!

The Brocki's stayed with us through the weekend, and it was wonderful having them around.  Their 20 year old daughter Jamie became Jackson's girlfriend really quickly - he loved when she would carry him around!  We had a great Saturday playing Wii, resting (Mommy got a nap), and topped it off with dinner out - including margaritas!

Sunday we had to say goodbye to our friends, but look forward to seeing them on a future trip to Toledo.  The rest of the afternoon we ran a few errands, and went to visit Grandma Hart.  The boys and I got to hear her talk for the first time in months - and she tried to make up for it!  We laughed a bit about how much she was talking, but it really was a wonderful sound to hear after all this time.

Last week was pretty quiet for us.  The only major thing was Jackson's therapy on Wednesday.  Still making progress, but doing his therapy is getting harder and harder, as he wants to be on the move constantly!  We just keep trying and working on it each day.

This past weekend was a pretty quiet weekend.  No where to go, no guests in town.  Saturday morning I was able to sneak out of the house for about an hour and a half.  I went to the bank, and stopped and got some clothes for the boys.  They are growing out of their 6 month clothes, so time for some bigger ones!  After shopping for a bit, I had to go home and save daddy.  The boys have been pretty fussy lately waiting for their first teeth to come in, and they weren't taking it easy on daddy.  I helped finish feeding the boys, and gave daddy a break so he could get a few things done around the house. 

In the afternoon, the boys had their first exposure to "meat" baby food.  Vegetables with chicken.  Jackson couldn't get enough of it...Lincoln didn't really care much for it. 

Saturday afternoon, Brian went to visit his mom, and the boys and I went to run a few more errands.   After dinner Saturday night, we were all beat, and went to bed early.

Sunday morning we all went to church, and met some really nice people after mass.  A woman and her family came to introduce themselves.  They are a family of 6 - 2 older girls, then a set of twins that were one boy and one girl.  Their son had to wear a helmet like Jackson - and she wanted to show us how good her son's head looks now.  It was great to find someone who understands, and to see that many years later, the effects of the helmet were still in tact.  We are going to have such a handsome young man when Jackson gets his helmet off!

After church, we finally went and bought high chairs for the boys.  We've been feeding them in their bouncers, but that is getting more and more challenging, as the boys are getting really good at getting out of their bouncers (check out the pictures to the right).  Hopefully, the high chairs will contain them a bit more, and also be easier on our backs!

After lunch (the boys got to try Maccaroni and cheese), it was off to visit Grandma Hart again for the afternoon.  She looks forward to our Sunday visits, and we are pretty sure that all the nurses/workers at the Drake know who our boys are!  She's a pretty proud Grandma!

Well, that's all for now.  Will write more again later.  Hope everyone enjoys the week and the final days of August!

Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson

Thursday, August 12, 2010

6 Month Checkup - 8/10

Hi everyone -
The boys had their 6 month check up with the doctor on Tuesday.  Here are the stats:
Lincoln
  • weighs 17 pounds, 2 ounces
  • 27 ¼ inches long
  • Doctor is really pleased with the results of his surgery.  Indicated his incisions are healing very nicely.
  • Doctor called Lincoln the "smiley guy", as he just kept grinning at Dr. Korn!
  • Working really hard yet on crawling.  We caught him last night up on both his hands, and one knee - he had the other leg stuck straight out.  So, he's working on his balance, and figuring out how to get everything working together.
Jackson
  • weighs 18 pounds, 10 ounces
  • 27 ½ inches long
  • Dr. Korn was very impressed with the improvement with Jackson's head after just 4 weeks in the helmet.
  • The doctor had to work a bit harder to get this one to smile!
  • Jackson is really doing well with his therapy - he rolls both ways now, without much prodding from Mommy!  We are very excited.  Just need to get him transitioning from sitting to laying on the floor, and continue working on stretching that muscle!
Other points from the doctor regarding the boys:
  • Obviously, we are feeding them well. :-)  Indicated we should continue with cereal, fruits, vegetables. Advised us to start giving them meats, puffs, and then work in some Cherrios.  If doing well with textures, then we can start table food (toast, pancakes, noodles, mashed potatoes, etc.)! Fun fun fun!
  • Important for us to finish childproofing.  Brian put all the outlet covers on last night, and was evaluating which cabinets need latches.  We still need to get some baby gates to corral the boys in the rooms we want them in, but we are getting there!
  • Boys received more vaccinations (one oral - 3 injections).  They both did really well with their injections though - cried for about a minute, then settled down and cuddled up to Mommy and Daddy.
  • Flu shots will be needed in October and November (appointments all set up)
  • Next evaluation will be their 9 month appointment in November!
Therapy
Jackson had his second therapy session a little over a week ago.  He's definitely making progress in some areas, but we still need to work more on other items.  Can someone find us some more time in the day?  Please?
His next helmet check up is on the 23rd, so nothing new to report there.

Post-op
Lincoln has his post-op appointment on the 23rd as well, so more to come on that.

What do we do with our time?
Our weekdays are mostly filled with feedings, commuting, working, laundry, washing bottles, baths, and a bit of time playing with the boys.  We get some sleep once in a while!

Last weekend, we traveled to Mawma and Pawpa's house on Friday night.  It took us a bit to get there, as we had to stop and feed the boys on the way, and change them into their PJ's.  We arrived around 11 - very tired, but excited about visiting. 
Saturday we met Bowen Reed - he is about 10 weeks younger than the boys, but a very handsome young man.  We enjoyed meeting Bowen and his daddy, and visiting with his mommy Kim.  Kim is a longtime friend I went to grade school/high school with, and her parents and mine have been friends forever.  Ironic that we both had our first babies so close - and all boys!  We enjoy keeping in touch on Facebook, and Kim likes knowing what to expect out of Bowen in the coming weeks by hearing stories about what our boys are up to!

We also spent some time with Great-Grandma Emmie at church on Saturday afternoon.  She scooped Lincoln right out of my arms - not bad for an 82 year old!  She is very very proud of her great-grand twins!

Sunday afternoon we "showered" my cousin Chad, Cassie, and their future son with gifts.  We look forward to the arrival of another Muehlfeld boy in mid-September (Great-Grandma Emmie's 11th great-grandchild - 8th boy!).  We hope that Chad and Cassie find as much joy in their new bundle as we have in our boys!
We also got to see Great-Aunt Jean and Great-Uncle Bill, Great-Aunt Marie, and Great-Aunt Karen.  They thought holding the boys was a lot of fun until we put them on the floor together!  They really enjoyed watching them play and interact on the floor along with Knox and Parker!  We will be entertained for hours at future Muehlfeld holidays with all the baby boys crawling around!

This coming weekend, some friends are coming to visit.  Brian and I are heading to the Red's game with them on Friday while my friend Jennie, her husband, and two boys babysit.  Saturday will likely be filled with shopping, pool time (maybe), Wii, and visiting and catching up.  We are getting very excited about Barb, Pat, and Jamie's visit!  Sunday after, we plan to take the boys to visit Grandma Hart...it's been almost 2 weeks since she saw them!

Hope everyone is staying cool in this heat.  More updates will come soon!

Love to all,
Kate

Friday, August 6, 2010

One other big special event coming up...

Ken and Joice Gels will be celebrating their wedding anniversary on August 16 - congratulations!  I believe it is their 52nd anniversary!  Amazing!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Great vacation week!

Wow, it hasn't even been 2 weeks, and here I am posting again!  However, during that time, we've been very busy - as usual!

First, I finally got a night out on Friday July 23...which was very much needed.  I fed the boys their fruit and cereal when I got home from work, then Brian took over after visiting with his mom.  Brian fed the boys their bottles and put them to bed so that I could go have drinks with a girlfriend to celebrate our birthdays.  I had such a great time, I think it needs to be at least a monthly ritual!

Saturday and Sunday we went shopping and ran errands.  In between running errands, we took the boys to visit Grandma Hart.  She really loved seeing them!

Monday was picture day...and no, I'm not talking about the pictures that I take!  We took the boys to get their 6 month pictures taken.  Unfortunately, Lincoln decided to leave his smiles at home, but Jackson was smiling from ear to ear the whole time (probably because he got to take his helmet off)!  In the afternoon, we all got dressed up for pictures at church for the photo directory.  This time, Lincoln was a bit more cooperative, but Jackson wasn't.  Guess we can't have everything.  But we are excited to have our first official family picture to share with everyone soon.

Tuesday was a big day for us.  The boys officially turned 6 months old, and it was Lincoln's surgery day.  It started with us getting up at 5:30 in the morning to feed Lincoln (as he wasn't allowed to have any solid food after 6:30).  At 10:45, we headed to the hospital.  The Liberty Children's campus was great - very easy to get to, find our way around, and all the people were wonderful.  They checked us in, changed Lincoln into his hospital gown, gave him a book to play with, and walked us through the process of the whole procedure.  At a few mintues before 1:00, we handed Lincoln over to the anesthesiologist.  It was hard for me, but he was happy - looking around at all the women paying attention to him.  The surgery only took about 20 minutes, and everything went very well.  He is continuing to do well, is back to his normal self - we just need to be cautious and protect his private parts.

Tuesday afternoon the boys met their great Uncle Bob and great Aunt Norma for the first time.  Unfortunately, the boys were a bit fussy from the surgery and time spent at the hospital, so Aunt Norma didn't get to hold them for long.  However, we appreciated them stopping by and meeting our two little guys!

Wednesday we prepared for vacation - doing laundry, packing, making food to take with us.  We also spent a few hours in the afternoon with Grandma Hart so she could see for herself just how well Lincoln was recovering.  It was a very long and busy day.  

Thursday, we left around 10:20 for Hocking Hills.  The boys were very good on the drive, and we arrived at the cabin around 1:15.  We had lunch, settled into the cabin, and enjoyed a great night of food, drinks, and visiting.  Friday, Brian and I went with my brother, sister and her husband on a Canopy Tour (ziplining) of the Hills.  Brian and I went ziplining in St. Lucia, but it was fun introducing Lyn, RJ, and Aaron to the thrill and fun!  In the afternoon, we took the boys the boys hiking for the first time.  We went to Ash Cave and Cedar Falls.  Everyone loved seeing all the natural beauty of the area.

Saturday was a relaxing day at the cabin.  We spent a lot of time outside on the deck, just relaxing, drinking, and spending time with the boys.  It was a great day!  Sunday, it was sadly time to pack up and head back home. 

We loved our weekend away, but it was really good to be home and sleep in our own beds!

That's enough about us.  Now for the important thing...what the boys are up to.
Jackson:
  •  sitting up really well all on his own
  • working on some teeth
  • making great progress on reshaping his head - started at 20 mm measuring difference - down to 15 mm in just 3 weeks
  • Nickname=Crash (because of the helmet) or Scooter (he scoots across the floor a bit...using his helmet to slide his head)
Lincoln:
  • trying to crawl - he gets up on his knees and hands, then carefully scoots his legs forward, then moves his arms.  he gets about 3 good knee steps in, but then gets over excited and pushes a little hard with his one leg, and ends up rolling himself over.  Brian says he kind of looks like a bunny when he is doing it!
  • also working on some teeth
  • doing very well after his surgery - his glue came off his one incision, but the steri strip is still protecting the second one.  bruising is much better than it was originally.  back to trying to climb out of everything, so he is back to his normal self!
  • Nickname - Flipper (because he makes this cute little noise that sounds like a dolphin
It really is amazing how we have two babies, growing up in the same environment, and yet they each develop very different skills at different times.  We love watching each of them!

Grandparent update:
My mom is most likely going to have her surgery on September 13. 
Nothing showed on my dad's tests...he went to see a gastroenterologist on Monday.
Grandma Hart has been doing well.  Off the vent more and more all the time.  Continuing to make progress!

Upcoming celebrations:
  • August 10 - Ralph and Janet Gels celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary
  • August 14 - Dennis' birthday
  • August 19 - Brady turns 8!
  • August 24 - Ryan and Tasha celebrate their 8th wedding anniversary
(if you have a celebration you'd like to share, please email it to me at Kate.Hart@mrsi.com)

Hope you all have a wonderful August! We'll write more soon!