Rock & Roll

Wow! What a difference a year has made. At this time last year I was on bed rest at Spectrum and we, along with so many others, were fervently praying that I stay pregnant and that the Lord prepare our twinners for birth. Now, 11 months later, we are celebrating our little miracles and praising God daily for how far they have come. We continue to pray for them daily but our prayers are different this year. Now we are praying for their continued health, growth and development and blessing God for the beautiful twins he has entrusted us with. At 11 months old Adalyn is 18lbs 15oz and Emma is 18lbs 7.5oz. They are doing great! They both sit up 100% on their own like champs with no problems. The are getting up on all four and rocking back and fourth. Emma gets pretty excited about it and rocks so fast that she move backwards, which ultimately frustrates her but cracks Dave & I up. Adalyn likes to practice her rocking in secret in her crib when she is supposed to be sleeping, stinker! The girls are rolling machines and are getting into everything they can. To be completely honest, I was surprised they are gaining weight because they never stop moving! They are trying to get into everything and they cannot even crawl yet :) They LOVE their super saucers (or exersaucers as some call them) and nearly tip them over they get jumping and rocking so hard. EVERYTHING in their reach ends up in their mouth so we have to really watch what is around them. They are tons of fun and have amazing little personalities filled with all sorts of girlie drama :) Here are some pictures of the girls from the past month.

Adalyn & Emma sporting their Maroon Platoon gear & showing each other a little love
Adalyn & Emma at 10 months with their cousins Hudson & Tressa Lamar
Adalyn & Emma at 10 months
The happy family :)
Adalyn & Emma 11 months old
Adalyn 11 months sound asleep in her super saucer after a busy day

Official 9 month update

Adalyn & Emma are doing great. They had their 9 month appointment today with Dr. G and he is pleased with how they are doing. Adalyn is 17lbs 15oz (26th percentile) and 26.5 inches (11th percentile). Emma is 17lbs 5oz (17th percentile) and 26 inches (5th percentile). So we definitely do not have a of couple giants on our hands, but they are on the growth chart and Dr. G is not concerned that they are short right now. Looks like they will not have to worry about being taller than boys when they start dating someday (probably when they are 30 if Dave has his way). In terms of their development they are rolling (although mostly just from front to back unless the are in their cribs then they roll every which way), sitting supported and unsupported if they are on your lap or at your eye level (they tip over if they have to look up at you), scooting on their stomach and back (not if they are by eachother, then they stay put, so if we want to see them move we have to seperate them and they will scoot towards eachother), standing while holding fingers, jumping while holding fingers or in their super saucers, they love to babble mostly oooo's, ahhhhh's, lots of goos gaaas geees, some ha ha has and recently a lot of da da da das. They also like to do raspberries especially when they have food in their mouths. EVERYTHING they get their hands on ends up in their mouths so we have to keep an eye on what is around them. They chew chew chew on everything, but so far no signs of teeth. They both recently got over ear infections. We are having lots of fun with them. They continue to be good babies and provide us with lots of joy. We praise God for how far they have come. One of our favorite things is how much the girls seem to love eachother. They smile so nice at eachother, talk, and fuss and cry when the other is not near.

Please continue to pray with us that they girls continue to grow and develope well and that God continues to keep them healthy. Also, due to the ear infection Adalyn has not been taking her bottles well so please join us in praying that she begins to eat well again and enjoys it. Oh and one last thing...Dr. G also took them off their preemie formula...woo hoo! So once we are done with what we have at home they will be switching to Enfamil!

9 months

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure :)


Adalyn: "Is orange my color?"


Emma: "What do you mean I have something on my face?"


Emma: "Does this hat make my head look big?"



Adalyn: "No Emma, you look purtty like me in grampa's hat"


Twinners: "What is daddy doing?

The girls continue to do great. They have their 9 month physical on Tuesday so we will try post an update soon after that with some more recent information.

Beach Babes!

We spent this last weekend up at Great Grandpa & Grandma Mosterd's cottage. We had so much fun! Grandma & Grandpa Maat were there and Uncle Brandon, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Lauren came for a while too. We thought we would share some pictures with you from the weekend.


Daddy with Adalyn enjoying the lake

Mommy & Emma taking a dip in the lake

Watch out boys here are a couple of real bathing beauties!

Adalyn snuggling with Uncle Brandon

4 generations of Mosterd women, Great Grandma Mosterd, Grandma Maat, Mommy, Adalyn & Emma

Emma enjoying some bath time in the sink at the cottage.

Adalyn having some snuggle time with Grandma Maat.


We hope you enjoyed the pictures!
Love,
Adalyn & Emma

P.S. Mommy & Daddy will write an update after we get our weights checked this weekend but just so you know we are all doing great :)

Lots of firsts!

Things are going well at the Lamar household. Adalyn & Emma are doing great! They are 7 1/2 months old , 4 months corrected. My how time flies. They have not had a developmental assessment recently, but they do tomorrow. Early on is coming tomorrow and I am anxious to hear if she has any concerns about their development. At this point they are expected to meet the milestone for their corrected age. Both girls seem to be meeting all of their 4 month milestones and then some. They both babble all the time, including when they are supposed to be sleeping and eating. They laugh, squeal, and show excitement with their whole body. Both girls will roll from their back onto their side, but not quite over to their bellies yet. They sit up supported, but they need a bit more trunk & neck strength before they will be able to do it on their own. They both really like their hands and have no problems playing with those if their are no toys around. They have not found their feet yet which is surprising since they both have such nice pedicures :) They love to pull, bat & hold the toys hanging from their entertainment mat & try hard to get most things into their mouth. Much to my dismay Adalyn has become quite the cute little thumb sucker. Emma will suck on her hands or fingers but still prefers her pacifier. They still have thickened feedings but in the last month they have started having a baby food vegetable about once a day. Some days they like it better than others. They both have recently gotten over their first colds & ear infections which they both handled like champs. They had some big outings in the last month as well and have been playing with some friends for the first time which they love. Last weekend they had their first weekend at Grandpa & Grandma Maat's and they loved it! Dave & I got to enjoy a weekend in Mackinac which was lovely, but we definitely missed the girls. They are getting big. Yesterday Adalyn was 15lbs 4.5oz (13th percentile), 25 1/4 inches (9th percentile), and Emma was 14lbs 6oz (5th percentile) and 25 inches long (6th percentile). So we are officially on the growth chart for everything! Needless to say for their corrected age they are big...Adalyn is 85th percentile for length & weight and Emma is 80th for length and 70th for weight.

Update

We are well over due for an update, sorry about that. The girls are doing awesome! On May 5 they were 6 months old. They are 3 months old corrected. Today we had their 6 month check-up with Dr. G and he said the girls are doing great. We are thrilled to report that Adalyn is on the 6 month growth chart for weight, height & head circumference and Emma is almost there for weight and is on it for her head circumference. Here are their measurements from today:

Adalyn
Weight: 13lbs 5oz (5th percentile)
Height: 24 inches...yep that is right 2 feet tall!!! (3rd percentile)
Head circumference: 41.8cm (25th percentile)

Emma
Weight: 12lbs 5.5oz (just below the 3rd percentile)
Height: 23 inches...almost 2 feet tall (below the 3rd percentile...but getting close!)
Head circumference: 41.1cm (10th percentile)

There development is progressing nice as well. They will coo/babble a story to anyone that will listen, once they get to know you. They smile all the time. They chuckle/laugh...soooo cute! They are starting to get more control of their arm/hand movements and love to play with the toys hanging from their play mats. They are both sleeping through the night for 7-8 hours at a time which is wonderful. They take 3 naps a day which is nice in terms of helping us get things done during the day. Their reflux is doing much better, they have large spit ups once a day to once every couple days. We still have them on Zantac and thickened feeds, but we have slowly been making the feedings less thick and so far they have been doing great. We are down to 5 feedings a day and they take 5-6oz at each feeding.

Another thing that has changed with our family which some of you may not know about is that Dave got a new job. After much prayer and reflection Dave decided to leave his job at CL construction to try something different. He is working as a unit technician on the evening/night shift in the Emergency Department at Holland Hospital. He has been there for about 4 weeks now and is loving it. He seems to fit in well and really enjoys learning more about the medical field. He is exploring what he might want to do when he grows up :) and thinking maybe he might want to pursue some schooling somewhere in the medical field. So hopefully none of you have to head to the Emergency Department at Holland Hospital, but if you do you might see Dave. He is working in triage, which is where you sign in and get your vitals, weight etc. done before being taken to your room in the emergency department.

We covet your continued prayers for the girls as they continue to have some catching up to do with their growth and development. Please join us though in saying a prayer of thanks for how far the Lord has brought the girls in the past 6 months. They are over 6 times their birth weight!!! Please also continue to pray for their health. Pray that God protect them from illness. Pray that if they do become sick that their bodies especially their lungs and immune system are strong enough to handle the illness. Thank you again for your prayers!

God Bless!!!

6 Months Old

Adalyn With my wedding ring at 1 week Adalyn with my wedding ring at 6 months Praise GOD!

Doing great

This morning started off with both girls wide awake and ready to hang out after their 6am feeding. While I enjoyed my morning coffee the girls and I chated about our day. Here is a video, this time of Adalyn with a little help from Emma.



This afternoon the girls went to their first appointment with Dr. D the neurodevelopmental pediatrician. Before I talk about how the appointment went, let me tell you how old the girls are today. Today the girls are 10 weeks corrected. For those of you who are not familiar with corrected age, allow me to explain. For preemies corrected age refers to how old the infant would be if it had been born on its due date. This age is used to assess growth and development in preemies often until they are 2 years old. On Thursday the girls chronologic age will be 25 weeks (meaning their age from their birthdate). The reason I wanted to get that straightened out is because Dr. D assesses the girl's growth, feedings, and development based on these ages. Dr. D was very pleased with how the girls are doing in all three areas. In terms of their weight she said they look great and are actually getting close to being on the growth chart for their chronologic age. She is happy with their feeding, amount, thickening, schedule etc. which is fabulous. The best news of all, she said their development is closer to their chronologic age than it is to their corrected age...AWESOME! God continues to help Adalyn & Emma grow and develop everyday. What a faithful God we serve! So we do not have to go back to see Dr. D again until the girls are 1 year chronologic or 9 months corrected. At that visit they will assess the same things they did today and they will also be doing a hearing test on the girls. The girls both passed their hearing screening in NICU, but Dr. D said they routinely do hearing tests on preemies in their office to make sure there are no problems as they develop.

On another note. We have had some people asking us whose baby picture the girls look like. Well Dave thinks they look like my baby pictures so we thought we would share some with you.


Abi 3 months old


Emma


Adalyn

Oh and the girls weights from their doctor's appointment today:
Adalyn: 11 lbs 15 oz
Emma: 10 lbs 15 oz

March for Babies

Saturday was the March for Babies. It was the first big outting the girls have had since birth and they did great. It was sunny, but windy & brisk, but we enjoyed ourselves. Adalyn & Emma even got to see their friend Melanie Westra from the NICU, she looked so cute all bundeled up in her stroller! Several other friends came out for the walk as well and the twinners enjoyed seeing old friends again and meeting new ones. Thank you to those of you who supported us & March of Dimes through your donations and by walking with us on saturday. Team Lamar Twinners officially raised $2,385 to help support the mission of March of Dimes! Enjoy some pictures from the walk.


Adalyn ready for the walk



Emma ready for the walk



Kennedy Van Nuil taking a nap after the long walk :)



Hudson Windemuller



Rylie Lawrence


On another note here are the most recent weights on the girls from Saturday morning.
Adalyn: 11 lbs 5 1/2 oz
Emma: 10 lbs 5 1/2 oz

The girls are growing & developing great. God is awesome & He is in control!

Story Time

Please enjoy a story from Emma. Please ignore the commentary from mom :)

5 months old

Adalyn & Emma are doing great! On March 5 they turned 5 months old, crazy! Today Adalyn weighed 10lbs 11oz and Emma weighed 9lbs 12oz. Let me tell you they have got some chubby cheeks...on both ends :) As well as some nice thigh rolls...I am one proud momma! Yesterday the girls saw Dr. Droste and he said there are absolutely no signs of ROP or prematurity in either of the girls eyes. He said that they should not have any future eye problems as a result of their prematurity. Awesome! Both girls make eye contact as well as fix on objects and follow or track them. They are both smiling like crazy and have also started to give some excited squeals at times. When they are nice and happy they also like to coo which is super cute. We get a lot of the ahhhhhh sound and a little oooooooo and what I like to call the pirate sound, a nice hearty aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh...cutest pirates ever! On average both girls roll from stomach to back about 4 times a day.

Adalyn & Emma enjoying some tummy time. Look at how good they hold their heads up...soooo strong!

Some of you have asked how we are managing their reflux. They are on feedings thickened with barley cereal and a little xanthan gum. Emma is on Zantac once a day and Prevacid once a day. Adalyn is on Zantac twice a day. How did we get to this plan you ask...oh after many many trials and errors. We occasionally get some large & some small spit ups, but for each girl that happens less than once a day which is a HUGE improvement.

We have been loving the warm weather. Every nice day we have had so far we have taken the girls out for a walk. The whole family can use the fresh air. Here are some before walk pictures:


Emma ready for a walk with her cool shades on.

Adalyn looking super cool in her shades from Gramps & Gram Maat.

We are so proud of our strong girls. They are such miracles and we are reminded of that every day. We feel so blessed. God has and continues to take such great care of his children. Thank you Lord for watching over Adalyn & Emma. For keeping them safe, healthy, and for helping them to continue to grow & develop. Thank you also Lord for the awesome news about their eyes, your healing power is amazing!

Happy Babies!

Adalyn smiling at Grandma L.



Emma smiling at Grandma L.

The girls are doing great! We really feel like we have their reflux under control and they rarely spit large amounts anymore. They are both starting to roll over multiple times during their "tummy time" and have now started to coo with their smiles. On Wednesday Adalyn weighed 10lbs 2.5 oz and Emma weighed 9lbs 3.5oz. They both seem so big to us that we forget that to those who have not seen them before they are still tiny. We are really happy with their growth and development so far a continue to praise GOD daily for our little miracles. Please continue to pray that GOD heals their reflux further and that they continue to stay healthy. Also pray that their development continues at a fast rate so that they can "catch up" to their birth age. Thank Him for Abi and I's continued health as well as our girls and for the strength and support that He has given us.

Feelin Like A Family

Adalyn left, Emma right

Emma left, Adalyn right

Everything is going really good at the Lamar house. After having the girls home for 9 weeks, Abi and I now have a routine down and even though life is busy we finally are starting to feel like a "normal" family. It is a struggle every day not to take the girls out and show them off but we know that the less they are exposed to the better. The girls seem to now be gaining wait like Dr G. wants them to and yesterday Adalyn weighed 9 lbs 3.5 oz and Emma weighed 8 lbs 4.5 oz. Both girls measured 20 5/8" long. They continue to struggle with their reflux but the thickening/adding cereal has stopped most of their spitting. We now feed the girls every 4 hours at night which means we only have to wake up 1time each night, this has helped Abi and I both get enough sleep and the girls also seem to sleep better and quieter. We have come to realize that we have really good babies, despite all that they have been through they just roll with all of the punches and take every thing in stride, they are rarely fussy, they eat great, sleep great, and are happy babies. Abi and I get frequent smiles and seeing their little faces light-up when we talk to them is the biggest gift GOD has given us yet. While we feed them the girls just study our faces like they are trying to memorize everything. Oh, I almost forgot, both Adalyn's and Emma's eyes are mature!

Please continue to pray that GOD heals their reflux and keeps them and us free from illness and infection. Thank Him for all of our good health so far and our for girls great development. He is in Control.

March For Babies

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. On April 17, 2010 March of Dimes is hosting the March for Babies in Holland, MI. March of Dimes provided our family with a lot of resources and support throughout the time that Adalyn & Emma were in the NICU. Our team is walking in March for Babies because the money we raise will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. We would love it if any of our friends or family want to join us in supporting this great cause by either walking with us on April 17 or by donating money to March of Dimes. You can join our team, Lamar Twinners, or make a donation by following this link http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1377506.

Walk information:
April 17, 2010
East 10th St. & VanRaalte Ave
Holland, MI 49423
Walk Distance: 5 miles
Registration Time: 8:00 AM
Start Time: 8:30 AM

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!

Caught On Tape

We finally were able to catch some video of one of the girls rolling over. (Adalyn) Enjoy!!!

Wireless Babies

Hello everyone!!! So needless to say we have been very bad bloggers ever since the girls came home. Things at the Lamar house are busy. However, we should still be blogging because Adalyn & Emma could still use lots of prayers. So do not take our lack of blogging as a sign that we do not need your prayers, because we still do. The girls are doing great & we LOVE having them at home! The have been home for 6 weeks now...wow! They will be 2 weeks old corrected age tomorrow, 17 weeks old true age on Thursday, & 4 months old on Friday. There have been lots of changes with the girls. As of Saturday Adalyn weighs 7 lbs 9.5 oz & Emma weighs 6lbs 11 oz. Both girls are 19.5 inches long & we no longer have to roll their newborn pants up...yay! Both girls are off caffeine & their heart & breathing monitors. So Dave now loving refers to them as wireless babies. At the eye doctor last Tuesday Emma's eyes were completely developed and there were no signs of ROP...praise God! Adalyn's eyes are not quite mature yet and she has slight stage 1 ROP in both eyes, but the doctor said it is almost healed. So she has to go back in a couple weeks to make sure it heals the rest of the way & her eyes fully develop. Both girls have about 2 times a day where they are awake for 3 hours straight and then each tend to stay awake for a half hour after each feeding. They are very alert and love to lay on their boppy pillows and look in their mirrors...their eyes just light up it is so cute. They both are smiling as they fall asleep...our favorite. Adalyn rolled over yesterday while she was doing tummy time. They are both doing a great job at holding their heads up. It is exciting to see them gain strength. Pray that God continues to help them develop. Both girls continue to struggle with reflux, Emma still more than Adalyn. We continue to thicken their feedings and both girls are on prevacid. Please continue to pray that God heal their reflux. It is hard for us to see them be uncomfortable at times. It has also made it a little tricky for them to gain weight. Adalyn has been averaging about 1oz per day of weight gain & Emma just under 1 oz a day & their doctor would like to see them gain closer to 2 oz a day so that they can catch up to where their weight is supposed to be for their true age. So pray that God help them to gain weight better. Also praise God for keeping all 4 of us healthy & pray that he continue to protect all of us from infection.

Dave & I are both back at work full time so that definitely has added to the business in our lives. Both of us cannot wait to get home each day and see our lovely ladies. We are reminded each and every day what a beautiful and truly amazing miracle they are. God has absolutely blessed this family.

I will leave you with their 3 month pictures. I know...almost a month old...what can I say...we will try to be better bloggers :)

Home for 4 weeks

Adalyn hangin out with her "passy"

Sorry for the lack of updates! For our family the word "busy" has taken on a new meaning. Abi and I are finally adjusting to the 3 night time feedings (I think) and the girls are doing great. We each have our days home alone watching the girls and between changing diapers, feeding and then holding for 20-30 minutes because of their reflux, then washing bottles and mixing breast milk with formula and thickener, it is time to start the process all over again leaving little time to get anything else done. We do have tons of help from family and friends to lighten the load but life has definitely been a blur lately. Both girls continue to sleep great but they both are awake for about 3-6 hours each day. Sometimes it is at night but it is mostly during the day. We have some cool mirrors that stand up by themselves and we place them in front of the girls and they love to look at them. Both girls have rolled over twice and continue to have better control with their head movements.

Emma looking in her mirror(If you click on the picture you can see a larger image.)

We continue to thicken their food and it does help a lot but their weight gain has been a little less than Dr. G wants so on Monday Abi will explore some other options with him so they can get the calories that they need.(Thickening the formula and mixing it with the breast milk lowers the calories significantly.) The eye doctor visit went great last week and both of the girls eyes continue to heal. Adalyn's eyes are mature on the nasal side and are almost mature on the outside. Emma's eyes are almost mature on the nasal side and are almost only a stage 1 ROP on the outside. They are doing so good that the doctor said he only needs to see them every 2 weeks instead of every week.

Adalyn weighs 6lbs 9oz, she is 18-5/8" long, and her head measured 35.5cm. Emma weighs 5lbs 12.5oz, she is 18-3/4" long, and her head measured 34cm.

Please continue to pray that GOD heals their reflux, continues to protect them from infection and sickness, and helps them gain the appropriate weight. Praise His name that their eyes are healing and developing, that they are at least gaining weight, and that they are such good happy babies.

38 weeks

Emma(left) Adalyn(right)

Right now I am purring like a kitten. As I type this blog on my blackberry Emma & Adalyn are lying on my chest. I am feeling a bit nostalgic since today was the day the twinners were supposed to be born (if I did not have the twins by 38 weeks I was going to be induced today or have a c-section). We all know how often things actually happen as they are supposed to, but still I can't help but ponder what things would have been like if I had made it to 38 weeks. One thing I am sure of, I would be huge! These girls occupy a lot of space on my chest and if they were inside we would still have 2 placentas and all their amniotic fluid as well. I think it is safe to say I would be GIGANTIC! Yes making it to today would have been a much better way for the girls to start their lives. However, then I would not have the amazing bond with them that I have developed over the past approximately 3 months. I may not have as strong of faith as I do now. I may not know first hand that God is still performing miracles. This journey has not been ideal, but as strange as it sounds I would not trade it for anything. Dave & I will always have this unique experience that has brought us all so close together and shown us how truly strong and feisty someone can be at 1 lb 15 oz and up.

Enough of that mushy stuff :) on another note Emma had her eyes checked again today. I am happy to report that her eyes are starting to heal! She is still ROP stage 2 on the outer portions of her eyes, but on the nasal portions she is down to a stage 1. Praise God, I am so pumped about that! Dr. D actually said she did not have to come back for 2 weeks. But since we are coming back next week anyway for Adalyn he said they might as well check Emma and get the 2 girls on the same schedule.

We are continuing to thicken the girls feedings. It seems to be helping. They are still refluxing and spitting, but it does not seem to be as often or as much. I am happy to report that between the 2 girls there has only been 1 brady alarm in the past 24 hours. So hopefully that trend continues.

Please pray that God continue to heal Emma's eyes. Pray that their reflux continue to improve, that they continue to gain weight well, continue to have few to no alarms so that they can come off their caffeine and their monitors and that GOD continues to protect them from infection.