Almost 6 months old!

As usual, we have all been very busy, and the boys have been growing and developing almost daily.

In our last post, I mentioned that Jackson had finally rolled over from his stomach to his back, and it was only a matter of time till he would start going the other way - well, it was 2 days.  Tuesday night, he rolled over a few times, and we can't stop him now!

Other firsts...

• Saturday, July 3 - the boys had their first vegetables!  They ate peas for the first time!  They also had their first fruit (bananas) on July 14th.
• Monday, July 5th the boys made their first trip to the neighborhood pool. They LOVED it. Jackson is right at home in the water...splashing and just relaxing and enjoying the refreshing cool water.
• Sunday, July 11th the boys took a little dip in the kiddie pool at Aunt Lyn's.  They didn't even mind cousin Lylah splashing them!

Health:
June 30 we took Jackson to Children's to have his head evaluated.  Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with severe plagiocephaly and torticollis.  What does this mean?  Well, it means a lot of appointments!  Seriously.  Jackson will need to wear a helmet for the next 3-4 months to help control his head growth, which will result in a more rounded head (he currently has a bad flat spot on his left back side).  Jackson was fitted for his helmet on July 12th, and the next week we spent building up his tolerance for wearing it.  He's now up to wearing it 23 out of 24 hours a day, and he is doing really great with it.  He doesn't mind wearing it, which is a big relief.  We will have to take him back to the helmet shop every 2-3 weeks so that they can cut the foam out and adjust the fit for him.  (I told you it meant lots of appointments).

Jackson is also going to be going to physical therapy every other week to treat his torticollis.  Torticollis is when there is a muscle in the neck that is tight, which then restricts his range of motion. The therapy will help to stretch the tight muscle, and strengthen all of his other muscles.  We had our first session yesterday, and things went really well.  The therapist showed us other ways to do his therapy at home each day, and we are very excited about working with him and seeing his progress in the coming weeks.  We expect that we'll be going to therapy every other week up through Thanksgiving.  (see...lots of appointments).

Lincoln will be having surgery on Tuesday, July 27 (his 6 month birthday).  He was born with an undecended testicle, and they are going to do surgery to fix it.  Please say lots of prayers for mommy - she is going to need it!

Grandma Hart was moved to the Drake Center after the Fourth of July holiday.  We took the boys to visit her on July 17th - she just smiled the whole time.  However, since their visit, her therapy has been progressing greatly!  We pray she continues to recover quickly and can go back home soon.

Pawpaw Muehlfeld was the healthy grandparent here, but he decided to join the Grandmothers last week, looking for a bit of sympathy.  :-)  Dad went to the emergency room on Saturday and found out he has a bit of pneumonia, gall stones, and an ear infection.  Unfortunately, he is still having a lot of pain in his side and is undergoing some additional testing this morning to see if he needs to have his gallbladder out.  He's worried he might be having twins...they were hoping to confirm or deny with an ultrasound this morning.  We are awaiting the results.  (hehehe)

General
In between appointments, feedings, and changing diapers, we have found some time to visit with family.  Fourth of July weekend we visited with the Hart's at Stefani's graduation party on Saturday.  It was a beautiful day for being outside and enjoying the sunshine, yet cool enough to enjoy it.  Later that week, Lisa and Andrea stayed with us for a few nights.  Andrea was visiting colleges in the area.  The second weekend in July we went to visit Lyn, RJ, Lylah and Knox.  Their neighborhood had a get together where they roasted a hog, and did a potluck.  It was a great day of eating, drinking, and relaxing all while visiting.  Last weekend, Rachelle and the kids were passing through town on their way home from Gatlinburg, and met us at Graeter's for an ice cream treat.  It was Addison's birthday, and it was so nice to get to wish her happy birthday in person.

We are really looking forward to our trip to Hocking Hills next weekend for a relaxing get-a-way with mom and dad, the whole Willinger clan, and of course, Aaron.  I'm sure more food, drinks, fun and sun are in order!

Nicknames
We have dubbed the boys with new nicknames.
Lincoln is now "Flipper".
Jackson is now "Scooter" or "Crash".
Anyone want to venture a guess as to how they got their names?  We'll explain in our next post!

Please pray that all of our loved ones recover and get healthy in the near future!
We'll send another update soon (hopefully).

Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson


Special celebrations:

• Brian turned 40 on June 23
• Brian and Kate celebrated the eighth anniversary of their first date on July 5
• Addison turned 12 on July 17
• Andrea turned 17 on July 20
• Kate turned 36 on July 21

5 Months old!

We've been quite busy over the past few weeks, but we really haven't gotten a lot done.  How is that possible? 

Father's day weekend, we traveled to my parents house to spend the weekend with Mawma and Pawpa, my brother Aaron, and my sister Lyn and her family.  The last time we were all there together was for my parent's 40th anniversary back in December!  Friday night was our typical get together - enjoying a few adult beverages, and staying up till 2:00 in the morning talking.  Unfortunately, the boys didn't stay up with us, so it was another night short on sleep, as our little guys like to get up early.  Saturday we went to visit Leota Maier (my Uncle's mother) as she made afghans for the boys, and she has adopted them as her great-grandchildren.  We really enjoyed our visit with her.  Early in the evening, we went to church where we got to see Great-Grandma Emmie.  She adores her great-grandson's - we only wish we could have visited with her more.  Sunday, my sister Rachelle and her kids joined us at my parents for breakfast and homemade ice cream.  It was a great ending to a perfect weekend.  We love spending time with everyone, and everyone adjusted well to having 4 little ones in Mawma and Pawpa's house! 

However, being gone all weekend, we had a lot to catch up on at home.  Monday, the boys and I ran a few errands to get some things we needed.  Tuesday, Brian wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home from work.  Seems there must have been some sort of bug that half our family picked up over the weekend, as Mawma, Aunt Lyn, Uncle Aaron, and Brian were all sick last week.  By now, everyone is mostly recovered, but still very weak.

Last week, Brian celebrated a milestone birthday, but as he was feeling a bit under the weather on his actual birthday, we celebrated on Saturday.  He requested steak and potatoes for dinner, so we grilled some sirloins, made some real mashed potatoes, and topped it all off with homemade chocolate lava cake!  Very rich, but delicious.  We hope that Brian has a wonderful year, and we look forward to celebrating again next year!

The rest of the weekend went by way too fast.  I moved some things around in our living room, trying to make room for all of the boys things.  It's official - the kids now control the family room.  We tried to fight it, but the adults lost the battle.  For being two little boys, they sure require a lot of things (2 bouncers, a swing, an exersaucer, 2 bumbo chairs, and an activity matt!) 

Saturday afternoon, the boys and I went and had lunch with my friend Jennie, so Jackson got a little spoiling from her. 

Sunday the boys turned 5 months old, so we took a few pictures yesterday that we will share with everyone later in the week.  In between pictures, we went to church, then the boys and I napped while Brian went to visit Janice.  She is still in the SICU at University.  We still aren't sure when she will be moving to rehab.  When Brian returned home, we had a quick dinner, then went and picked up Brian's Father's day/Birthday gift from Uncle Aaron's house.  Just need to program the remote, then his new TV will be all set up in our bedroom. 

The boys continue to grow and are so much fun.  Lincoln has been rolling around for quite some time, and he rolled clear across our bedroom floor yesterday.  Guess we need to start closing the door, or he'll be rolling down the stairs!  Jackson finally rolled over again yesterday (from his tummy to his back), and it's only a matter of time till he is rolling both ways and chasing after his brother.  We really need to get the house baby proofed!

We have a few fun activities this coming week.  We take Jackson to the doctor on Wednesday morning for the doctor's to look at his head.  He has plageocephaly, and he may need to have a custom helmet for the next few months to help the shape of his head.  This could be really fun!

Saturday, we have Stefani's graduation party in Fort Recovery, so we'll have more opportunities to visit with family and friends.  Hopefully then we can spend the rest of our weekend working on more things on our "to-do" list.

Well, I better get back to work.  Hope everyone enjoys the rest of June, and we'll write more later.

TGIF!!!

Hi everyone -

Well, we survived another week - barely.

Last weekend was very nice - we enjoyed a bit of relaxing, but also got a few things marked off our never ending "to-do" list.

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, trying to catch up on our rest. We then enjoyed lunch and visiting with Uncle John and Aunt Pam. They came down to see Grandma Hart in the hospital, and took the opportunity to see the boys again. I hadn't realized the only time they had seen our little wonders was at the baptism when they were just a few weeks old. The boys are twice the size they were then...and of course, twice as fun.

After lunch, we all drove down to the hospital to see how Grandma Hart was doing. Progress is slow and steady...which is better than none at all! Monday, they took out Grandma's breathing tube, and did a tracheotomy to assist with her breathing. This will also allow the staff to get her out of bed and moving. She is more alert now, and even stood for a few seconds by her bed! We thank everyone for their continued prayers and we hope that we can share more progress reports soon!

Sunday, Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom, and I took the boys on a few shopping trips for food and supplies. Monday evening the three of us also made a formula run!
Tuesday was a very big day...the boys had their 4 month check-up!
Lincoln now weighs 14 pounds even, and is 25 1/2 inches long. He is really filling out, and trying hard to catch up to his little brother.

Jackson tipped the scale at 14 pounds, 14 ounces - still maintaining the "bigger" status regarding size. He measured 26 inches long.

Both boys are doing great in meeting their milestones. The doctor strongly suggested we begin baby proofing the house, as it will take longer than we think, and the boys will be mobile before we know it. Lincoln is already rolling over in both directions, and both of the boys "scoot" along the floor - mostly in circles, but that will change soon. Looking forward to taking the boys to the pool for the first time this weekend, if the weather cooperates.

Nothing to share for the rest of the week, as Brian has been sick. He came down with the flu Wednesday evening, so he's been home for the past 2 days. We hope he gets over this hurdle so that he can go visit his mom and see her progress in person.

Which brings us to Friday...and the weekend again. Nothing really planned except for catching up on sleep, more home projects, and inevitably some more shopping. However, we look forward to our weekends and spending as much time as possible with our little guys.

We hope you all have a great weekend, and we'll write more soon!
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson

Week 17 pictures!

It's June already!

Like all parents, we have been on the go non-stop the past few weeks. I guess we better get used to it with two little boys!
We have established a nice routine for our weekdays. Up at 4:30 in the morning to get around for work, feed the boys, and take them to daycare. Work is from 7:30 to 4:30 each day, then we rush to get the boys (we don't have to rush, but we can't wait to go spend time with them!). The fun definitely begins once we pick them up from daycare. They greet us with a smile, then cry once we put them in the car and get on the road. They are usually very tired, but try so hard to stay awake! About half way home, they finally give in to a short nap. This is partly great, as it gives us an opportunity to run errands, or to do a few things up around the house before they wake up (like laundry, washing bottles, making dinner, etc.). However, they have a knack of waking up just about the time that Brian and I try to eat our dinner. How do kids know when your plate is fixed???
The rest of the evening we spend playing with the boys, giving baths, feeding and putting them to bed. We squeeze in a few more chores, then it is off to get our beauty sleep.
Weekends are very busy as we try to visit with family and friends, and also catch up on things around the house.
We made the trip to Grandma Hart's on May 15th to celebrate her birthday.
The next weekend we were preparing for all of the many visitors we were expecting the next week for Grandma Hart's surgery. Grandma arrived on Monday night, Aunt Lori and Aunt Lisa arrived on Tuesday. Aunt Rachelle, Aunt Lyn, Lylah and Knox arrived Wednesday evening to help watch the boys so I could spend time at the hospital with Brian. Uncle RJ came Friday afternoon, and Mawma and Pawpa Muehlfeld arrived on Friday evening, but stayed at Uncle Aaron's house, as "there was no room" at the Hart Inn.
Grandma's surgery went very well. She has had a few setbacks since the surgery, but we are hoping that her breathing tube can be removed today, and that she will continue to grow stronger and stronger in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, the week was such a blur that we nearly forgot it was a holiday weekend! With family in town, we balanced spending time at the hospital and visiting and enjoying the beautiful weather. Visiting hours are somewhat limited in the SICU, so we usually made 2 trips a day to the hospital, coming home to eat, spend time with the boys, and once in a while...NAP.
Aside from visiting the hospital, Friday afternoon, the boys and I spent some time catching up with some friends. Friday evening included a wonderful meal that Aunt Lyn and Uncle RJ made for us, and winding down from the stressful week. Saturday included a delicious lunch of grilled pork medallions (thanks Mawma) in the middle of the afternoon, then some yummy snacks later in the evening. Sunday morning we made our weekly trip to church, then we ALL headed the hospital. The boys aren't allowed in the hospital to visit, but Great Uncle Bud and Great Aunt Lorae came to visit Grandma, and wanted to meet our little guys. We enjoyed visiting with them!
After visiting hours were over for the morning, we went downtown to enjoy some local cuisine and a few adult beverages at the Taste of Cincinnati. It was a great afternoon, other than it was VERY warm. After a few hours, it was time to take everyone home to cool off and relax.
Brian returned to the hospital to visit, while I took the boys home. That evening, we did the traditional "grill-out" for Memorial day, and made homemade ice cream.
Monday brought the close of the holiday weekend. :-(
Unfortunately, it was time for all of the family to return home, and our house suddenly was very quiet. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom, while I stayed at home with the boys. Great Uncle Ralph and Great Aunt Janet stopped by in the afternoon to meet the boys before going to the hospital. It was wonderful to share our little guys with them, and we hope we can do it again soon!
Unfortunately, it was time for Brian and I to return to work on Tuesday, and back to our regular routine. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom after we had dinner that night, and Uncle Aaron came over to help me with baths, and getting the boys to bed.
With the limited visiting hours, Brian was only able to spend about 45 minutes at the hospital on Tuesday. So, we thought we would try another plan on Wednesday to allow him to spend more time with his mom. We dropped his truck off at the hospital on our way to work, then I took him back to the hospital after work. We thought he could visit from 5-6:30, then come home and spend the evening with the boys. Unfortunately, I had to call Brian and he had to leave the hospital around 6:00. You see, after I picked up the boys from daycare, had them all strapped in their car seats ready to go, my truck wouldn't start! Uncle Aaron came to our rescue (again), and drove the 3 of us home. Brian spent the evening calling AAA, meeting the tow truck driver, and then driving to Auto Zone to get a new battery put in my truck. Wasn't exactly what we needed this week, but my mom keeps reminding me that God doesn't give us any more than we can handle. I understand that, but hope we agree that my bucket is about full.
Thankfully, Thursday night went as planned, and Brian was able to visit with his mom more than the other nights this week. He even made it home in time to help me get the boys settled into their cribs for the very first time! Overall, they did well - I only had to get up once in the night to settle Lincoln down. Now, we just have to rearrange all the baby stuff (again), but in the end, Brian and I will get our bedroom back!
Tonight, Brian is heading back to the hospital to see how the breathing tube removal is going, so I'm on baby duty again. Hopefully we can spend some quality time together as a family later this evening/this weekend, but also get some items checked off our "to-do" list.
We hope everyone has a great weekend, and enjoys the start of June! We will write more soon!
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln, and Jackson

April showers bring May....doctor appointments?

Hi everyone -
It's been a rough few weeks at the Hart household. :-(
Over the past few weeks, we thought the boys were fighting allergies. We were doing the saline drops, but weren't seeing too much improvement. However, with Ohio weather, we figured you just have to take allergies as they come.
However, as the boys cough seemed to worsen, we started the week of UNSCHEDULED doctor appointments. First, Pawpa and I took the boys to see Dr. Korn Monday morning (at the urging of Mawma). The doctor felt the boys just had bad colds, but asked us to watch for fevers, loss of appetite, change in disposition, etc., but basically there wasn't much we could do but wait it out. So, that was our plan until Lincoln woke us up Monday night around 12:45 - very unhappy, and burning up. He had a temperature of 103! I called and spoke to the doctor on call, who advised us to give him Tylenol, and see how he was in the morning. His fever would stay down for about 4 hours - then it was time to give him more medicine. With the "no fever" rule at daycare, I worked from home on Tuesday with the boys...who slept the entire day (other than when they wanted their bottle). Unfortunately, Lincoln's fever persisted, so I stayed home with the boys on Wednesday and Thursday as well. Wednesday, I took Lincoln back to the doctor as he was still running a fever, and just wasn't interested in his bottle. The doctor gave us a prescription of Amoxicillin and indicated that Lincoln likely had bronchitis. Lincoln seems to be doing much better now, so hopefully the anitbiotic is just what he needed.
Jackson Never ran a fever - just continued coughing and was a bit more fussy than usual. He's now fighting some yellow matter in his one eye, but still gives us that million dollar smile, so we hope its just a matter of time till he is over the hump.
Thursday night it all caught up with me.
It started out as a sore throat, and just aches and pains throughout my body. By Friday morning, I was hot and cold, exhausted, and just overall not feeling well. Saturday was a bit worse, so I went to the doctor. Negative for strep, but with my other symptoms, the doctor gave me an antibiotic to help fight off any infection. I'm still pretty miserable today...not much of a voice, but who wants to hear me talk anyway?
We also had some scheduled appointments last week...
Monday afternoon, we took Lincoln to the urologist for a consultation regarding his undescended testicle. The visit was very brief and to the point - it most likely will not come down on its own, and we scheduled Lincoln's surgery for July 27th.
Tuesday and Thursday, Brian was off work to take his mom for tests for her surgery. Overall, the 2 days went well, other than the day that they "didn't have them on the board". Seems like everything is in line for the 26th.
We did have some fun since we last wrote. We took the boys to Kentucky for the first time, and they experienced their first Derby on May 1. It was so nice to see the entire Willinger clan, and to visit and catch up with them. The boys LOVED all the attention that they received!
We were supposed to travel to Toledo this past weekend for Brady's First Communion, but decided against the trip, due to the majority of our little family being under the weather. We heard it was a wonderful day for Brady, and we hope that we can celebrate with him privately soon.
I celebrated my first Mother's Day yesterday. Although the day wasn't quite what I had always dreamed of, it was perfect as I got to spend it with my three favorite boys (runny noses and all). The boys got me some pretty flowers, made me a sweet card, and informed me that another gift is on the way. The gifts aren't important - getting 2 beautiful baby boys is the only gift I ever wanted!
Today it is back to our normal schedule. We took the boys to daycare this morning, and I'm at work (although most everyone keeps asking me why I am here!). Hopefully we are on the mend, and will get back to feeling like our normal selves soon!

Hope you all have a great week, and we'll write more soon.

Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson

The past week...

As usual, we've had a lot going on the past week!
Mommy went back to work on Wednesday, April 21, which meant Lincoln and I headed to daycare for the first time. Mommy cried a few times that morning, and Daddy even got a little weepy. It was hard for Mommy to leave us, as she hadn't spent much time away from us (plus, we are just so darn cute!). Daddy was unsure about "strangers" watching us, but we all know that everything is going to work out. Thankfully, the day went pretty quickly, and we were all able to spend Wednesday night together. I don't really remember what we did that night as I slept most of the time. There was too much going on at daycare for me to nap, so I caught some zzz's once we got home. Lincoln however must not have been too happy about going to daycare, as when he woke up that night, he was a bit of a pistol for mommy and daddy. He screamed quite a bit, and then he wouldn't look at mommy. :-( Eventually he got over it, and smiled and laughed for mommy and daddy. Guess he just wanted to prove a point.
Thursday and Friday were much better days as Lincoln and I adjusted to daycare. We slept a little bit more each day, thanks to mommy suggesting to the nice ladies that they wrap us in a blanket for our naps. The nice ladies give us lots of hugs, and they take good care of us.
Our schedules have changed quite a bit with mommy going back to work, so Saturday we spent the day running errands. We went to Sam's Club, Costco, the book store, and also the grocery store. I know, only 4 places, but it took most of the day! Seemed like each stop took longer than expected, and we had to stop back at the house twice - once to eat lunch, and another time when Lincoln threw up all over Mommy. By the end of the day, we were all pretty tired.
Sunday we traveled to Fort Recovery for cousin Katelin's First Communion. Mommy was excited as she actually got to sleep in (if you can call 5:30 sleeping in). We arrived at church around 9:40, and Lincoln and I barely finished our bottles before church was starting at 10:30. Cousin Katelin looked very pretty in her white dress, and all grown up with curl in her hair. We celebrated the occasion at her house after church, so we got to play with all our "Hart" cousins except for Stefani (who wasn't able to make the trip from Virginia). It was 8:30 when we arrived home that night, which was just enough time for our baths, then we went straight to bed. It was a really long day!
This week, we are preparing for Mawma, Pawpa, Aunt Lyn, Uncle RJ, Lylah and Knox to come visit. We can't wait till they arrive Thursday night. We just hope everyone gets here before we go to sleep!
Early next week, Grandma Hart will be coming to stay with us for a few days. She's going to have some tests run in preparation for her surgery on May 26. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!
We hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week, and a relaxing weekend! We'll write more soon!
Love,
Jackson (and Mommy, Daddy, and Lincoln)